#metastatic cancer

[anzu2snow]

Went to Olive Garden yesterday for dinner. I got their chicken and gnocchi soup. It actually had a decent amount of gnocchi. Then, I had their create your own pasta dish: rigatoni, 5-cheese marinara, and broccoli. There was a lot of broccoli. The sauce was a bit watery again. It was pretty good other than that. I get to have the rest of it for lunch today. Yay! It was also the first time in a long time that I paid for my dinner at a sit down restaurant with my own money. I just got my first deposit of my ssi money recently. I got a little gunk on my card. I don’t think their machine was clean, but I did it. (Cleaned it off afterwards.) It wasn’t that expensive either. I thought it would be. Didn’t have dessert there, because nothing interested me. I had a cowboy cookie from home instead.

[glcarissa]

A terminal cancer diagnosis is challenging and difficult to accept.

Follow the stage 4 breast cancer journey of a Toronto older Black woman abstract artist. I am blessed to still have the energy and determination to share my story and show my art, as I navigate a world of uncertainty and many life-changing challenges.

@gloriacswain | Linktree

Instagram: @metastaticbreastcancer4

gofundme: Fundraiser by Gloria C Swain : Please Help Me Fight Stage 4 Breast Cancer (gofundme.com)

[kondavanelos]

Εγκεφαλικές μεταστάσεις από καρκίνο του πνεύμονα.

[osmviv]

To Share or Not to Share?

I was overwhelmed by all the touching messages I received after my last post.  I was brought to tears over almost every one of them.  What I hadn’t expected nor foreseen were all the gifts that were sent to me.  I was surprised and somewhat abashed.  I definitely appreciate every single gesture, but I’m glad they’re trickling to a stop now. It was wonderful, but overwhelming.  Keep the messages…

[jenthebug]

Guess who doesn’t have cancer! This bitch!

[bpod-bpod]

Aggressive Features

Features that differentiate highly metastatic breast cancer cells from less aggressive forms revealed. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition defines changes that cells undergo when becoming invasive, whether during tissue development, wound healing or cancer progression. This study shows that highly metastatic cells bear a hybrid of epithelial and mesenchymal characteristics

Read the published research article here

Video captured with Leica Microsystems technology

Video from work by Mary E. Herndon and colleagues

Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, September 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[nervouswaltz]

btw as someone who lost their mother to cancer before they graduated high school if you see someone mourning the death of a loved one or friend and decide that they are a person you should make fun of i genuinely think you’re one of the most heartless beings on the planet and i hope in your time of need when you are grieving and finally understanding what it’s like and how fucking painful losing a loved one is, you get what was coming to you, and no one is there to help you through it

[interstellarhitchhiker]

we are euthanizing my family dog in the next few days and i am really sad about it

[errantgoat]

I haven't been around lately because of work - and my older cat Bomboś got seriously ill a few days ago and I've been busy looking after him. The symptoms point to pancreatitis/triaditis - it was something that the bloodwork from 3 months ago was already pointing to, in retrospect, or at least to some issues with the pancreas, but since he was feeling well and had great appetite I haven't considered it at all. It also took time to notice the excessive weight loss because I took both of my cats on a diet... It was only recently that I realized he was losing twice as much weight as the other cat on the same diet plan. About 2-3 weeks ago he started to moderately drink water after meals, which was unlike him at all, but that was it. Till last Thursday he was eating well, showing no signs of distress. Then the vomiting and high fever started and I've been trying so far unsuccessfully to stabilize him. The last two days weren't the best, since he doesn't even want to look at food since yesterday, but I hope since I started active treatment he's gonna improve. I am not losing this cat. >:(

[anzu2snow]

Finally had a phone appointment with my oncologist. It kept getting postponed. They said I had to have it as a follow-up. They had it scheduled for 5pm. (I don’t why it was so late in the day. They were the ones that scheduled it.) She called me this morning when I wasn’t around my phone. She said she was sick again and couldn’t do the 5pm one, and said she’d call at 12pm. I waited for a while, but she didn’t call back. So, I called the oncology department about it, and they were confused about it. She called me after that. So weird.

I brought up my bone pain. It’s still pretty bad. She asked if it was in one area. It’s not. It’s all over. She said I should try taking 1mg of dexamethasone daily, instead of the 0.5mg. She wants me to switch from anastrozole to letrozole. Apparently, letrozole is similar. According to Google, letrozole is a hormone based chemotherapy. Anastrozole could be causing some of the bone pain as well. So she’ll prescribe it, and I’ll get it through the mail. She said it’s very important that I stop anastrozole, then wait a day, and then I can start letrozole. I can’t have them at the same time. Hopefully this will help.

I also talked about a ‘mass’ or tumor I started noticing a few days ago. It’s big. It’s on the left side of my chest, and starts with a weird looking dimple. It goes from close to my neck near my left shoulder until my heart area. She said she has to look at it in person. She wrote down what I told her anyways. She said I should probably have an in-person appointment after the bone scan at the end of the month. She said the problem is she’ll be in Tacoma during that time until the end of July. She said I most likely will see a colleague of hers instead. I hope I’m just imagining this ‘mass’. Don’t know what they’ll do about it. Especially with someone new to my ‘case’. I feel like I need a new oncologist. She did tell me to keep her up to date. She doesn’t seem to like email, which makes it harder. Hopefully my bone pain will get better soon, and the mass I see is really nothing.

[glcarissa]

Follow my Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer journey on IG: @metastaticbreastcancer4

Abstract Artist with Stage 4 Breast Cancer: They say an artist becomes famous after they ...

[kondavanelos]

Κωνσταντίνος Χ. Δαβανέλος: Εγκεφαλικές Μεταστάσεις.

[shannendoherty-fans]

Published Aug 1, 2024

The Cancer Community Says After The Loss of Shannen Doherty, It’s Important To Keep Going- A Legacy of Bravery

The 'Beverly Hills, 90210' star candidly shared about her day-to-day fight with metastatic breast cancer up until the end.

By Marissa Sullivan.

An Inspirational Icon

The loss of Shannen Doherty, who died on July 13 of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer at age 53, affected fans and loved ones from around the world, and the cancer community was hit particularly hard by this profound loss.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 actress gave people hope, and despite her passing — which can be especially devastating for other late stage survivors, it’s important to keep going in her honor and not give up that hope that she instilled.

After the death of a loved one or someone you looked up to, it’s key to remember that grief may look different for everyone. The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. These stages can also occur in any order.

As far as your own cancer journey, don’t give up. There are more and more options becoming available for patients to manage symptoms of advanced stage disease, and it’s best to talk about specific treatment plans and what is best for you with your own doctor.

The loss of Shannen Doherty, who died on July 13 of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer at age 53, affected fans and loved ones from around the world, and the cancer community was hit particularly hard by this profound loss.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 star gave people hope, and despite her passing — which can be exceptionally heavy on other late stage survivors, it’s important to keep going and not lose faith in your own journey.

Doherty was over four years into her advanced stage diagnosis and had gained a powerful voice in the health space with her Let’s Be Clear podcast, holding nothing back as she aired out past personal struggles in her career and love live, and candidly spoke of her day-to-day fight.

Actress Shannen Doherty became a household name after starring in hit shows like ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ and ‘Charmed.’ “This is what I am currently facing. #cancer #life,” Doherty captioned what would be her last video post.

The day the world woke up to the tragic news, comments came pouring in on Instagram for the late pop culture icon.

“Rest in peace. I’m donating to metavivor today in your honor,” one fan commented, while actress Selma Blair shared: “Thank you for showing us how to keep going.”

CEO Alana Stewart — who runs the Farrah Fawcett Foundation in honor of her late best friend’s cancer mission — wrote, “God bless you, you’re an amazing inspiration.”

How to Cope After Losing a Loved One to Cancer

After the death of a loved one or someone you looked up to, it’s key to remember that grief may look different for everyone.

Everyone is entitled to their feelings, and yes, the emotions are real, even if you consider yourself “just a fan.”

The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. These stages can also occur in any order.

The time it takes to navigate these stages can also vary, so giving yourself grace and patience is essential while navigating your feelings.

“It often gets better over time, but on certain days, it can look like depression, and on other days, people look perfectly normal and can function,” Dr. Scott Irwin, a board-certified psychiatrist and Director of Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.

‘Grief Comes in Waves’

Dr. Irwin added that grieving people are coming to terms with “the change in their life; the future they had imagined is now different.”

SurvivorNet also had a prior conversation with Megan Newcomer, who lost a close friend to metastatic cancer in 2018. She shared her unique way of coping with grief.

Newcomer’s friend was an athlete and soccer player, so to help her cope, she embarked on a marathon race in his honor, and advises others grieving to first “acknowledge your feelings.”

Shannen Doherty was a passionate animal rights activist. Courtesy of Instagram/Shannen Doherty

“Then, think about a way that you could honor the person through a mechanism that is meaningful to you,” she continued. “So that can be artwork, music, or developing a financial fundraising project. It could be something very simple, but I do think having it be intentional is what you’re doing to help honor this person.”

In a column for SurvivorNet, New York-based clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin expressed that it may be helpful to remind yourself that these feelings are “meaningful yet temporary.”

“If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventually acceptance, you will come away from this period in your life more connected to your resilience and strength,” Dr. Strongin added.

Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer

Stage 4, or metastatic breast cancer, means that the cancer has spread to distant areas of the body. Even though there is currently no cure for metastatic breast cancer, doctors have many options to treat this advanced stage of breast cancer.

Hormone therapy, chemotherapy and targeted drugs are all options to talk to her doctor about, depending on your individual needs. Sometimes surgery and/or radiation is considered as part of the treatment, but mainly it is important to focus on improving your quality of life.

Dr. Erica Mayer, a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, says clinical trials have shown that hormone medicines are more effective when paired with targeted therapies. At some point, chemotherapy will be introduced. And according to Dr. Mayer, it’s delivered at a dose and schedule that’s as well-tolerated as possible.

“We are so lucky in breast cancer that we have so many effective and well-tolerated treatments,” Dr. Mayer previously told SurvivorNet. I’m so gratified to see that patients are doing better and living longer today with metastatic breast cancer than they have ever done before.”

Bottom line, there are more and more options becoming available for patients to manage symptoms of advanced stage disease, and it’s best to talk about specific treatment plans and what is best for you with your own doctor.

Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer

With metastatic breast cancer, the primary goal of treatment is to control its spread. SurvivorNet offers information about what those options are from targeted therapies to chemotherapy and when these various treatment options can be used.

We also provide information on new, exciting research that is currently being tested in clinical trials and information about when recently approved drugs, like immunotherapies, can be used.

For help finding a clinical trial that may be right for you or a loved one, try our easy-to-use Clinical Trial Finder.

While there have been many developments in recent years when it comes to treating late-stage breast cancer, which therapies can be used will depend on the characteristics of the patient’s cancer.

What are the treatment options for late-stage breast cancer?

“Metastatic breast cancer is a treatable disease,” Dr. Kenneth D. Miller, medical oncologist at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore shared in a pior interview with SurvivorNet.

“Fortunately, we have so many new treatments for women with recurrent breast cancer and for many women who look at this as a chronic disease that they can live with — often for many years.”

*****

RELATED: ‘Stage Four Needs More’: Metastatic Breast Cancer Requires Dramatically More Research Investment’ Say Advocates Mourning ‘90210’ Actress Shannen Doherty

RELATED: For Patients, The Inspiration of a Famous Actress And Her Quest to Make Sure Her Affairs Were in Order — Mourning Shannen Doherty

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RELATED: ‘Not Done Living & Loving’ Said Actress Shannen Doherty– She Placed Hope In Experimental Drug Trials To Treat Metastatic Breast Cancer

[osmviv]

Epic Adventure—Officially cancelled 

Well, my friends, I have some pretty sucky, awful news.  Here’s the story. I saw a random doctor at a clinic on Boxing Day about my suspected stomach ulcer.  At that appointment I happened to mention a little pain in my right side under my ribs, which had made sleeping uncomfortable lately.  The doctor gave me a requisition for an ultrasound.  I went in for an ultrasound on January 3rd and just…

[jenthebug]

I went to my appointment and found out that I don’t have cancer anymore.

Then I got home to a letter that I don’t have a job to go back to. Fired for “failure to return from leave.”

I need a fucking drink.