The 'C' Word - come and join our Q&A on breast cancer, with Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Care

[KateMumsnet]

In October, we're launching a new awareness-raising campaign on Mumsnet, called The 'C' Word. No, not that 'C' word, norties - this is all about the three key cancers which primarily affect women: breast, ovarian, and cervical.

We're kicking it off with a Q&A about breast cancer, aided by the delightful folks at Breast Cancer Care and Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Between them, they can answer pretty much any breast cancer-related question you care to throw at them - from what to do if you've noticed changes in your breasts, through breast cancer in pregnancy, to what's happening at the cutting edge of research.

Breast cancer is still the second biggest cause of death from cancer amongst women in this country, and almost all of us will know someone who's been affected by it (look out for Carrie in You Magazine this Sunday, talking about the very sad and early death of her own ma). So now's your chance to get those niggling questions answered - whether they're about causes, family history, prevention or treatment.

Post your questions by the end of Wednesday please - the team will get the answers back to us as quickly as they possibly can, so do keep an eye out.

PS. Look out for Q&A's on ovarian cancer and cervical cancer, coming up a bit later in October.

My question is really minor: can you get breast cancer while you are breastfeeding. Your boobs are all lumpy when lactating so what exactly should I be looking for?

Hoochie - well that's sort of reassuring. I was thinking perhaps there would be no symptoms at all until whammo, you wean and find a huge lump.

Hello

Thanks for all your questions so far, and do keep them coming.

You can read Carrie's interview with You magazine about her mother's cancer here - it's sad, but very lovely.

I know this wont be popular but why are women so obsessed with breast cancer considering you can have cancer any where in the body,My husband and six other members of his family (male and female )have died with pancreatic cancer which there is hardly any treatment.Millions of pounds have been put into breast cancer research to the detriment of research into others,I think its time other cancers got a shot at the loot.

Lilyliz,

I don't know the stats for other cancers, but the stats for for breast cancer are that 1 in 9 get it - which seems to me very high.

I agree that treatment for other cancers needs advancing but at least through work over the last 20 years women who get this very common cancer now have a much better outlook.

I am very sorry about your family members who've had pancreatic cancer. I am very worried that Europe offers better drugs for many cancers than the NHS does in the UK - especially I think for other cancers.

Sandripples,it's not sour grapes or anything like it but I just think all people need considering not just women.Millions have been raised for breast cancer research and a lot of good has come from that in that it's not the automatic death sentence it once was but for many people cancer is a death sentence and that is not right,so come on women stop being so selfish and maybe donate some of your money to cancer research who will use it to help everyone.

How much of your campaign will be focused on the things that women can do to drastically reduce their risk of developing any cancer?

Never smoke
Keep your alcohol intake low
Maintain a healthy diet
Watch your summer sun exposure
Take 4 hours of impact exercise a week

i read the article, reminded me so much of what happened to my mum too :(. very sad to read.

she never smoked or drank at all. i think it's so hard to pinpoint what caused it.

IN "Smile or Die" Barbara Ehrenreich, who had breast canceer herself, discusses how women are encouraged to think positively, have "happy thoughts" as though that will help them overcome cancer.

In reality, she found that a good immune system can speed up the spread of cancer, because white blood cells only attack alien cells. Cancer cells are not alien.

What she found was, that when women were concentrating on thinking positively, or making sure they got their mammograms, they weren't getting angry about all the environmental pollutants and carcinogens that actually cause cancer in the first place.

So my question is: how seriously does the government take the link between environmental pollutants and carcinogens and breast cancer?

How useful is it to see cancer as something that strikes randomly, out of the blue, with no known cause?

Wouldn't it be more useful to identify clearly the things which are proven to cause cancer - and the things which are suspected of causing cancer - and then to advise people how to change their lives so that their risk of cancer is minimised?

Shouldn't cancer funding be focussed mainly on preventing cancer, rather than mainly on trying to 'cure' it?

But what is scary is that is does indeed appear to be random, or one lacks the ability to deal with cancer cells, or has the propensity to succumb to it.

Many people in my family have died of cancer - and they were all as fit as fiddles. I can't say "Oh, my father smoked" or "My mother drank" or "My sister was obese". No, they were all slim, active, and ate healthy diets.

What does need to be researched is why breast cancer is increasing in "young" women (ie pre-menopausal). What have we been doing to ourselves in the last 30-40 years that previous generations didn't?

pre-menopausal cancers:

we're exposed to far more oestrogen than previous generations as we're having less children and breastfeeding less.

I have been diagnosed with brca1, having had breast cancer in one breast in 2000 and in the other in 2003. I would like to know what extra tests I am entitled to, other than the yearly check up, which includes a mammogram and breast examination.

What causes the lack of ability to deal with cancer cells? Apparently all of us create cancer cells in our bodies every day, and they are dealt with by our immune system. What causes a breakdown in that system?

What gives rise to a propensity to succumb to cancer?

Beckysharp A lot of research at the moment itno the genetic makeup of tumours to crack the DNA code and find a way of switching them off.Researchers now reckon they will never find a cure but could offer a way to manage the illness so we could have a normal lifespan,it would entail lifelong treatment to stop the tumours in their tracks and maintain them at a non life threatening stage.

sparkling - if you've had chemo you should have an echo of your heart and regular check-ups with a cardiologist.

Highlander I'm no expert, but pre-menopausal cancers have other risk factors too. I was told on diagnosis that my cancer was more than likely triggered by having a child after 35, as I was strongly hormonal positive (both oestrogen and progesteron). In my case there's no family history, I've never smoked, am not over weight, have always exercised regularly and I breast fed too. My Consultant says he's seeing far more women like me these days. I'd love to at least raise awareness of it, as before finding a lump I thought I was pretty safe due to having had a child and having breast fed.

I wonder about oestrogen-like hormones given to cattle, which was not done on such a widespread basis until about 40 yrs ago. Are we now getting more oestrogens through our diet? Is this also why breast cancer is not as common in Asian/Chinese women, whose diet doesn't use much dairy produce?

I have heard this too. There is no escaping the hugely-increased amount of oestrogen we are exposed to. It's not just in meat - it's in the water supply and therefore in vegetables too.

Studies of fish and other water creatures have shown that some have become hermaphrodites - possibly due to contraceptive pill getting into rivers.

Not really a question, but more of a thought.
Many people come on here and ask how they can help a friend or friends OH who is dx with cancer. It will be helpful to have a list of ideas on how to help, written by people who have been though it.
would that be ok?

Plastic mimics oestrogen as well. Hard plastic is now banned in Canada for chidren's toys and baby bottles. Research shows more baby girls are being born than ever before and it could be connected to the enormous oestrogen levels in the mother

No, can't blame environmental oestrogen for gender of babies, that is determined at conception. (Anyway birth register for England and Wales consistently shows slightly higher birth rate for boys.)

Ah... was a documentary...

I guess that my having had ds later in life (at 38) and not being able to breastfeed him might have contributed to my bc - don't smoke,weight is fine,don't drink too much and have reasonably healthy diet.