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Bollywood Actress Sonali Bendre Diagnosed With Metastatic Cancer!
Recently, the 90s leading lady, Sonali Bendre announced on Instagram, that she was to undergo treatment for high-grade cancer in New York. It was a specific niggling pain that led her to undergo tests. In the past, Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan also shared his cancer diagnosis as had Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh.The very idea of Cancer is daunting and causes people to panic. It is a dreaded disease for both the common public and medical professionals alike. Simply put, cancer is the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. Unfortunately, many cancers go undetected as symptoms don’t show up until the advanced stages. An advanced-stage cancer is tricky to treat.An advanced-stage cancer is when cancer or the primary tumour metastasizes to the other parts of the body through the lymph fluid or the blood. This then causes various other complications.Currently, cancer therapy that prolongs the life of the patient in the advanced stages as well as enables them to lead a good life is needed. It is essential that the therapy treats the source of cancer as well as the metastasis to get proper results. A groundbreaking treatment is an immunotherapy that harnesses power from the cells of the immune system and gets them to attack the cancer cells.At StemRx Bioscience Solutions, Dr Pradeep Mahajan, a regenerative medicine researcher explains, ”For cancer, the tissues express several antigens, and immunotherapy can target these. Natural killer cells, dendritic cells, etc., are those cells in the immune system that can induce, sustain and regulate T cells responses which can then target cancerous cells. These cells can be injected via vaccines after they are isolated from a patient’s body and be loaded with antigens. These are home to lymphoid organs where the T cells are activated, and they result in anti-tumour immunity and clinical response.”The chief goal of immunotherapy is specificity and generation of long-term immune surveillance against cancer cells. T cells or Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR), monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors and other non-specific immunotherapies are also being researched for cases of malignancy.”StemRx aims to explore recent advances in cancer therapy and is collaborating with national and international organizations to bring technologies into our country. StemRx has launched the first CliniMACS Prodigy system in India, which is a certified GMP-grade cell manufacturing system that simplifies the isolation of immune system cells (T cells) for subsequent use in immunotherapy. StemRx has also collaborated with CBC, Japan to bring in the Cellex NK cell technology to India. With these advances, we will soon be able to conquer the deadly disease”, concludes Dr Mahajan.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
Know The Symptoms & Treatment Of Breast Cancer
Cancer develops when the body cells behave in an unrestrained way. According to some well-proven facts, Breast cancer develops in the ducts or lobules of the breast. It may be present as a lump, but this is not mandatory, so there are other breast changes that should be kept in mind and investigated. Breast cancer develops in either the ducts or the lobules. Lobules are the site where the milk is produced and ducts are the passage through which milk travels to the nipple. Cancer cells develop when the cell lining of the ducts or lobules becomes abnormal in size and shape and start multiplying in an uncontrolled way.Doctors classify breast cancer primarily according to:- Location: The part of the breast where it originates.
- Spread: Whether and where cancer has spread.
Doctors also refer to recurrent breast cancer, which means cancer that reappears after treatment.CausesFamily history of breast and other cancersMany facts suggest that a family history of breast cancer means that one or more close blood relatives have or had breast cancer. Some families have more cases of breast cancer than expected by chance. Sometimes it is not clear whether the family’s pattern of cancer is due to chance, shared lifestyle factors, genes passed from parents to children or a combination of all these factors.Peutz-Jeghers syndromePeople with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome may have a mutation of the STK11 (also known as LKB1) gene. This gene appears to normally function as a tumour suppressor gene. This disorder increases the risk of developing gastrointestinal, breast, ovarian and testicular cancers.Early menarcheThe start of menstruation is called menarche. Early menarche is when menstruation starts at an early age (11 or younger). Signs including irregular early periods mean that the cells are exposed to estrogen and other hormones for a greater amount of time. This increases the risk of breast cancer.Oral contraceptivesOral contraceptives that contain both estrogen and progesterone can slightly increase the risk of breast cancer, especially among women who have used oral contraceptives for 10 or more years. The increased risk disappears after the woman stops taking oral contraceptives. However, current and recent (less than 10 years since last use) users have a slightly increased risk compared to those who have never used oral contraceptives.AlcoholDrinking alcohol increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Even low levels of alcohol consumption (just 1 drink per day) can increase a woman’s risk. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed.One possible reason for this is that alcohol is thought to cause higher levels of estrogen. Alcohol may also lower levels of some essential nutrients that protect against cell damage, such as folate (a type of vitamin B ), vitamin A and vitamin C.Smoking and second-hand smokeResearch shows that there may be a link between smoking and second-hand smoke and breast cancer. Recent studies have shown that active smoking is related to breast cancer in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. There is also a link between second-hand smoke and breast cancer, particularly in younger, mainly premenopausal women who have never smoked. There is not enough evidence to show a link between second-hand smoke and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.A lot of research is needed to determine the impact of active smoking and second-hand smoke on the rate of new cases of breast cancer, death rates and the relationship between genetics and the risk of smoking.Birth weightSome pieces of evidence and facts suggest that greater birth weight may increase the risk of premenopausal breast cancer. A greater birth weight means the foetus is exposed to more maternal estrogen, which may increase the risk of developing breast cancer later in life.Symptoms- A lump, lumpiness or thickening in the breast or armpit – especially if it is in one breast only.
- A change in the size or shape of the breast.
- Skin changes such as dimpling, puckering or redness.
- Nipple inversion or discharge.
- A change to the nipple, like a rash, ulcer or itchiness.
- An unusual or persistent pain.
TreatmentAfter diagnosis and determination of the stage of cancer you’re at, the doctor might recommend one or more of these treatments; Surgery, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy or Bisphosphonates to help aid primary breast cancer. Other important facts are about the side effects after treatment that usually include hot flushes, fatigue, pain etc.Also Read: What is the Cause of Nipple Pain? Understanding and Managing DiscomfortDisclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes. 