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Survey: Potential causes of cancer?

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mikel View Drop Down
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    Posted: May 16 2011 at 12:05pm

Hi all,


My wife was diagnosed from TNBC with met in liver the next day of having our first baby. Now, after 15 months, I still continue looking for new ways of fighting the illness, and wondering about the possible reasons. My wife was then 35, aparently healthy, no alcohol consumer, no tobbaco consumer, she walked evey day, … In oncologists words, everything is because genes and hormones, and also the bad luck, but I´m not so sure.

 

So, I would like to propose you something similar to a survey. I am going to list some of the factors that are ‘suspicious’ of being the cause (or one of the causes) of the cancer. If  we identify some potential causes, we can avoid them.

 

·        Having the first son/daughter late: Could be; my wife was 35, almost 36, when she had our baby.

·        Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: Yes, she did.

·        Hereditary illness: So far we don´t know any aunt, grandmother, …, that suffered the same illness. Neither does her mother.

·        Lack of Vitamin D: Yes, she has very very low level.

·        Fillings in her teeth: Yes, she had many of them. I don´t know what are made of (mercury?...)

·        Stress: Yes, she had a lot of stress before diagnosis.

·        Weight: Could be; she was not fat, but she liked a lot sweets, sugar, … She still does, but she avoids taking them. We didn´t eat bad; we really tried to eat healthy, but know that we are following macrobiotic diet, we realized that that was not really optimal; it was not bad, but we could have done much better.

·        Tobacco: No.

·        Alcohol: No.

 

I would really appreciate if you could:

·        Add to the list some other factors that could be one of the causes of your illness, or the cancer in general terms. I doesn´t matter if they are not conventional, or seem to be ‘ridiculous’; nobody knows really which is the origin of the cancer, so…

·        Say how are in your case the factors already mentioned.

 

This is probably very utopian and simplistic, I know, but oncologists don´t inform us about what to do, or not to do, what to eat, or to stop eating, to fight the cancer: “Don´t stress, do normal life”, they tell us.

More or less, it is like saying: “Pray and wait to your destiny”. And I absolutely don´t agree to it. I want to really fight the cancer, and do whatever is in our hands.

 

Many thanks in advance, and I hope we get some conclusions.

Best regards,

 

Mikel

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote williams22 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 21 2011 at 2:49am
Great survey.. This is true and valuable information!
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Don't think you'll find much but the comprison between them is interesting.
 

·        Having two daughters late: Could be; my wife was 30 and 39, when she had our girls.

·        Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: Yes, she did.

·        Hereditary illness: So far we don´t know any aunt, grandmother, …, that suffered the same illness. Neither does her mother.

·        Lack of Vitamin D: unknown

·        Fillings in her teeth: Yes, she had many of them. I don´t know what are made of (mercury?...)

·        Stress: We have our own business, which has been beat up by the economy, and a teenage daughter that has been a pain but is coming around now.

·        Weight: Went up a few sizes in the last couple years but still an attractive 125.  I told her last night had I known a 50 year old woman looked this good I would have gotten one to start withLOL 
 
·        Tobacco: No.

·        Alcohol: Average less than 1 per day.

Good luck!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 123Donna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 21 2011 at 7:22am
Mikel,

Good survey.  Have you had a chance to look at this other poll/survey?

http://forum.tnbcfoundation.org/please-give-us-your-facts_topic78_page18.html
DX IDC TNBC 6/09 age 49, Stage 1,Grade 3, 1.5cm,0/5Nodes,KI-67 48%,BRCA-,6/09bi-mx, recon, T/C X4(9/09)
11/10 Recur IM node, Gem,Carb,Iniparib 12/10,MRI NED 2/11,IMRT Radsx40,CT NED11/13,MRI NED3/15

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 123Donna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 21 2011 at 7:28am
Mikel,

Personally, I think environmental causes play a key factor with TNBC.


     Having the first son/daughter late:  No, births at age 27 and 29.

·        Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years:  No.

·        Hereditary illness: None.

·        Lack of Vitamin D: Yes, very low level at dx, 19.

·        Fillings in her teeth: Yes, many of them.

·        Stress: Yes, lots of stress before diagnosis.

·        Weight:  Gained about 25 pounds in the decade preceding diagnosis, but had lost 12 pounds six months prior to diagnosis. 

·        Tobacco: No.

·        Alcohol:  Occasionally.


DX IDC TNBC 6/09 age 49, Stage 1,Grade 3, 1.5cm,0/5Nodes,KI-67 48%,BRCA-,6/09bi-mx, recon, T/C X4(9/09)
11/10 Recur IM node, Gem,Carb,Iniparib 12/10,MRI NED 2/11,IMRT Radsx40,CT NED11/13,MRI NED3/15

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kitkat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 17 2011 at 9:19pm
  Having the first son/daughter late: No, births at age 27 and 29.

· Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: No.

· Hereditary illness:yes, my sister dx age 47 est & pro + her2 -, 1st cousin dx 62 3x positive, live 4 months from diag.  me, dx 48 3xnegative     aunt, 83 est & pro + her-, which is ok at that age!!

· Lack of Vitamin D:normal

· Fillings in her teeth: Yes, many of them.

· Stress: Yes, lots of stress before diagnosis. lots both parents in last 3 years!

· Weight:  maintained  weight within 10 the last 20 years

· Tobacco: No.

· Alcohol: Occasionally.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Craig76 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 18 2011 at 9:26am

Mikel~

Nice move...love this survey.
 
Having the first son/daughter late: Nope

· Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: Yes

· Hereditary illness: Grandma has cancer but a different type...I think there are other family members but I am not entirely sure.

· Lack of Vitamin D: yes

· Fillings in her teeth: yes

· Stress: Yes...a ton of it before dx

· Weight:  maintained  weight over a long period of time

· Tobacco: No.

· Alcohol: Occasionally

Thanks...Craig



Edited by Craig76 - Aug 18 2011 at 12:34pm
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K in Sugar Land View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote K in Sugar Land Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 18 2011 at 9:53am
Having the first son/daughter late: No children 

· Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: Yes

· Hereditary illness: No breast cancer in family, a few smokers had cancer

· Lack of Vitamin D: yes, 21 at dx

· Fillings in her teeth: yes, and root canals

· Stress: Yes, long work hours

· Weight:  weight creep through adulthood.  30 pounds creep from age 30 to 51, weight loss since dianosis, BMI is now 20.5
 
· Tobacco: No.

· Alcohol: red wine on weekends in past (no more!)

  • Fat in diet >33-40 grams a day prior to dx
  • Exercise - marathon runner ~ 10 years,  prior to dx, plenty of exercise
  • Love sweets, part of diet prior to dx (no more!)


Edited by K in Sugar Land - Aug 18 2011 at 9:56am
Dx IDC TNBC MDA2/11 age 51 T2N0M0 Grd 3 4.8cm BRCA- vitD22 Taxol 12wk FAC once 3 wk for 12 wk Complete chemo8/11 Tumor not seen on scans Lumpsurgery 0/4 nodes9/11 pCR 30rads done11/11 NED vitD3903/12
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Craig76 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug 18 2011 at 10:05am

MIkel~  My thoughts on why people get cancer and others don't has to do with stress and immune systems.  I do not think it is as attributed to environment and foods we eat as much as people think because cancer stats would be higher in certain states...but that is my own opinion.  I think stress can up your chances because just about everybody I know that has had cancer also has a ton of stress.  When you are stressed your body does some crazy things....like upping certain levels in your body.  An example of this would be cortisol levels.  I also think there are immune systems built to deal with cancer and there are immune systems that can not deal with cancer as well.  I think that is the case with most any disease...some people get them others don't.  I believe it is not just one factor...but a combination of factors that leads to the development of cancer as a deadly disease.  I know this is not a popular notion but part of me thinks that some of the ingrediants that make up this disease are airborne...almost like a virus in that all it needs is the right environment to thrive. 

Craig
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheeks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Sep 22 2011 at 5:19am
[QUOTE=mikel]

Hi all,


My wife was diagnosed from TNBC with met in liver the next day of having our first baby. Now, after 15 months, I still continue looking for new ways of fighting the illness, and wondering about the possible reasons. My wife was then 35, aparently healthy, no alcohol consumer, no tobbaco consumer, she walked evey day, … In oncologists words, everything is because genes and hormones, and also the bad luck, but I´m not so sure.

 

So, I would like to propose you something similar to a survey. I am going to list some of the factors that are ‘suspicious’ of being the cause (or one of the causes) of the cancer. If  we identify some potential causes, we can avoid them.

 

·        Having the first son/daughter late: No, I was 27 & 29

·        Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: No

·        Hereditary illness: None

·        Lack of Vitamin D: Yes (levels were very low at diagnosis)

·        Fillings in her teeth: Yes, almost all molars but I was born in 1956

·        Stress: Oh yes! 

·        Weight: overweight for quite a few years but lost almost 60 pounds just prior to diagnosis due to nausea.

·        Tobacco: No

·        Alcohol: No

 I would like to add what my husband and i think about possible causes for me - 

1. I was born on an army base in 1956 (suits are currently being filed with some army bases that tested over 577 chemicals in 55,56, and 57).

2. Lived in a town where the water was treated with a defoliant similar to Agent Orange just prior to the birth of our first child.

3. I was on many different antidepressants over the years after each child and during menopause.

We are starting to feel strongly that it may have been environmentally related...but who knows?



Lump found 11/08
DX: 2/09 @52 TNBC
L. Mast. 3/26/09, SN-, BRCA-,
4.5 cm (post surgical)T2NOMO
Chemo: 4/09-10/09 Taxol x 12,
A/C x 4, No rad.No recon. NED 1/17. New Primary right breast TN, 2/2018.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TNBC_in_NS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Oct 19 2011 at 9:21pm
Bumping this up.....
Diag@57TNBC04/092.5cm Lquad 05/09 TCx4Radsx30CT03/01/10 FU03/31/10ClearBRCA- 01/2011 RTNBC BMX 06/14/2011~2013 clear
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mom&grandma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 20 2011 at 6:58pm
Having the first son/daughter late: Babies at 21 and 29

· Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: Not oral but Depo Shot

· Hereditary illness: Not sure

· Lack of Vitamin D: Yes, she had a very low level when diagnosed.

· Fillings in her teeth: Yes, she had many of them.

· Stress: Not sure.  She is always stressed out

· Weight: Gained about 20 lbs since teenager.  Not fat by any means.

· Tobacco: On and off for about five years.

· Alcohol: No.

I would really appreciate if you could:

· Add to the list some other factors that could be one of the causes of your illness, or the cancer in

 I don't think it is just stress because I know people who are not stressed out and they got cancer and I know people who are totally stressed who don't.

· Say how are in your case the factors already mentioned.

This is probably very utopian and simplistic, I know, but oncologists don´t inform us about what to do, or not to do, what to eat, or to stop eating, to fight the cancer: “Don´t stress, do normal life”,they tell us.

More or less, it is like saying: “Pray and wait to your destiny”. And I absolutely don´t agree to it. I want to really fight the cancer, and do whatever is in our hands.

Many thanks in advance, and I hope we get some conclusions.

Best regards,

Mikel

Bonnie, mom of Heather, age 32, Dx on 9/1/09 TN IDC Stage 1, 1.4 c, lumpectomy, 10/8/09, DD AC & T, 3/9/10 bilateral mastectomy and immediate reconstruction, BRCA 1/2-
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·        Having kids late: Yes, 31 and 33.

·        Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: No.

·        Hereditary illness: Aunt.

·        Lack of Vitamin D: unknown

·        Fillings in her teeth: Yes, many mercury filings.

·      Stress: Yes.

·        Weight: 120. thin.
 
·        Tobacco: No.

·        Alcohol: No.

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· Having the first son/daughter late: Could be ~ 31 & 34

· Having oral contraceptives form more than 5 years: nope

· Hereditary illness: None in immediate family but lots in great aunts and 3rd cousins

· Lack of Vitamin D: don't know

· Fillings in her teeth: None

· Stress: TONS before and after dx

· Weight: I'm not overweight, but i have a horrible diet of processed foods

· Tobacco: Smoker (trying to quit)

· Alcohol: Social drinker

3.7.12 Dx @ 37, IDC, Stage 2 grade3, ER-, PR-, Her2 -, 2.6cm x 2.4cm x2.4cm , 12 Taxols & 4 FACs, BRCA1 +, Bilateral Mastectomy 9.27.12, Complete Hysterectomy 10.22.12
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TriplePositiveGirl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 22 2012 at 12:31am
It seems the main common thread is STRESS! 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Renae Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jun 11 2012 at 7:05pm

I took birth control pills 2 years leading up to finding a large lump (which I thought was a cyst) this year in January. I cannot tell you how bad I feel right now. I am 48 years old. I do not know why I thought it was okay to take the pill at this time of my life, it was decision that I will now have to live with for the rest of my life. I will have to learn to forgive myself, I didn't know I was playing with fire. My GP said it was okay to take the pill if I didn't smoke and didn't have any heart problems. I thought I was preventing the possibility of ovarian cancer, I had some ovulation issues and thought the pill was a good idea. Just wondering if anyone out there feels that the pill gave them TNBC? Regards, Renae 

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3 kids before 28
Unknown vit D
Stress but not overstressed
Fillings- several
Overweight most of my life
Birth control - none in 28 years

Ive been thinking environmental stuff like microwaving in plastic- all the frozen meals we eat on night shift, heating on styrofoam plates and stuff- all that im trying to change. Who knows but it seems alot more cancer out there since microwaves.....
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No children - did try fertility treatments though - don't remember the name
oral contraceptives - yes, in my 20s (ironic?)
hereditary illness:  mother had ER+ BC 20 years ago - she's doing fine now except for Parkinson's
lack of Vitamin D:  no - tested normal range
filings in teeth:  yes - but not many
stress:  not really, I'm a leave it at the office kind of person (usually)
weight:  I could stand to lose 15 lbs.
tobacco:  not for 12 years
alcohol:  yes, I like a glass of wine when I get home from work
 
 
DX IDC TNBC 10/12 age 48, Stage 1, Grade 3, 1.5cm
Lumpectomy DD AC & Taxol BRCA- rads X30 finished 5/13
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2 kids - age 33 and 35
Oral contraceptives - yes, 18 years ago
Hereditary - adopted, BRCA tested negative
Lack of D - wasn't tested, live in north, now taking D
Fillings - yes, who doesn't have fillings?
Stress - yes, who doesn't have stress? No more or less than others
Weight - same as high school - 120 lbs - no fluctuation or diets - average weight
Tobacco - no
Alcohol - glass of wine when I get home from work
Other - love sweets, chocolate, cheese, pasta and good bread
Eat relatively healthy - salad, veggies/fruit, poultry, fish

I do have a sedentary job and long commute. Find myself sitting for long periods of time. Only walk/exercise on weekends.


DX 8/14/12, age 51, right lumpectomy, 1 8cm, tnb, stage 1, grade 3, 0/7 lymph nodes, BRCA -    11/2/12 4 rounds T&C
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nonna1642 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jul 05 2013 at 6:52pm
Hi Mike,
 
Very interesting!
 
First child at 24
 
early menarche
 
surgical menopause & HRT
 
lived in city of history of  environmental factors
 
family history a cousin with bc & other cousins with other cancers
 
stress/ some
 
exposed to 2nd hand smoke cigarettes & mariajuanna
 
no smoking
 
no alcholol/ a little several years before
 
history of abnormal mammograms
 
do not fall under normal criteria for TNBC yet got it.
 
fillings & root canals
 
 
 
could be a mi;;ion things that we are not aware of
 
 
Dx: age 70 IDC TNBC Grade 3 5/10 left mastectomy Stage IIB 5.1 cm no reconstruction followed by chemo of Taxotore & Cytoxin then radiation
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