How is it that rich women, who probably get a mammo every year, get terminal breast cancer?
I am surprised that Elizabeth Edwards is now facing death from her cancer. I may be naive' about breast cancer but I have always thought that if you get a mammo every year that you can catch a cancer in enough time to be completely cured of it. Does it grow so fast that maybe even annual ck-ups are not enough? Of course, it could be that she just didn't go annually for other reasons besides money. Either way I am amazed at how many women are dying from something that is so easily detected if we have routine exams.
Cancer - 10 Answers
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1 :
Mammograms aren't perfect. A lot of times, a small tumor will quickly spread to the lymph nodes. Once in the lymph nodes, chances of survival are not very good at all.
2 :
Because many poorer women die of other causes before brca has a chance to develop. If you think of the causes of death for other socioeconomic groups, they're things like heart disease, diabetes and infectious disease (if you want to look at societies with standards of living way below ours). The kinds of women who do get breast cancer, the rich, affluent ones of the European lineages that carry BRCA1 and 2 mutations, these women are usually well nourished and take the kinds of precautions that would help them avoid cardiovascular disease and diabetes (healthy diets and lots of exercise). Because they are wealthy, the can afford proper sanitation and health care to protect them infectious diseases as well. What does that leave? A long healthy life until cancer has a chance to develop. If you want to look at genetic factors as well, note that the BRCA 1 and 2 mutations that cause cancer are prevalent in a lot of women of European descent. Yes, you get them too in other races, but it occurs more in some groups than others. I think the best example of everything coming together is in Marin County, just north of San Francisco. Marin County has the highest per capita rate of breast cancer in the US. They also have a very white and affluent population. Much of their cancers are genetic in nature and by coincidence, these women are wealthy (you have to be to afford to live out there). So while these women have the resources necessary to avoid the other leading causes of mortality, they have trouble avoiding what's been coded in their genes. Anyway, I'm not saying we should avoid mammograms. They're very helpful and they really have decreased mortality from breast cancer from what it used to be. Early detection is key, as well as paying attention to your family history.
3 :
Depends on the location of the breast cancer. If it is towards the middle (nipple) area of the breasts and surrounding nodes, it can go undetected for a long time. In some cases though they do catch the cancer when they think it is localized. They remove the tissue surrounding the tumor and there are still relapses. Sometimes the cancer spreads to distant nodes even after treatment. It is hard to say what makes someone have more aggressive types of cancer and it is even harder to predict where it will end up. In her case it was bone, but liver and lung is common too for metastatic breast cancer.
4 :
naive, correct. yearly "mammos" don't prevent cancer, they don't even catch all cancers! If it is in a place that the scan can't see, then it won't show up. Modern medicine is not perfect as most are lead to believe. Most things can't be cured with a shot or a pill. Cancers usually come from years of abuse to our bodies through our western diets, cig smoking, and other environmental toxins we are exposed to.
5 :
well god doesnt give you everything you know that you can be rich but not happy and poor but you have happiness either way just cause you have all the money in the world doesnt mean you can have cancer!!!!
6 :
Cancer can appear & grow very quickly. Especially some types of breast cancer. Also, with METASTATIC breast cancer; this means the cancer has returned and spread to other areas beyone the first site. Once breast cancer spreads, no matter how early they catch it, it cannot be eliminated. That's why it's considered incurable! She will live with it & be on chemotherapy and/or radiation for the rest of her life. All the doctors can do is try to control the spread of the cancer by switching up the types of chemo. And all this has absolutely nothing to do with wealth. This is an ignorant question. You should educate yourself before you make statements like that.
7 :
Unfortunately cancer does not discriminate between the rich and the poor. Any race of people can get it. There are many different types of cancer too. Sometimes people in the medical profession can make mistakes too. I personally think it has something to do with the ingredients they put in the food. Cancer can sometimes be a deadly disease. Being a breast cancer survivor, I know women who have been diagnosed with advanced disease. Many are living fulfilling lives even though they must always be on some form of treatment. Praise God! Some doctors don't tell you what you need to do after you have cancer. You have to do your own research to save your life. Especially if you are poor and a minority. I hope they will find a cure soon. Too many people are dying from cancer. The best solution is to use prevention measures. Exercise, eat healthy (fish, broccoli, soy) and lose weight. Monthly breast exam. Reduce intake of red meat and fast foods. Just to name a few. I applaud Elizabeth Edwards courage.
8 :
If I were to guess, you have never had to deal with breast cancer or had someone close to you deal with it. If you did, you would know that you always run the risk of it returning. Just because treatment is over, doesn't mean that the fear of cancer is. In my case, I have a 15% chance of a recurrence. Cancer is sneaky, and like Elizabeth said, she had no symptoms of it returning. Most doctors do routine blood work and a physical exam. Other than that, they have to rely on the patient reporting symptoms. And it is for this reason that us cancer folk because paranoid hypochondriacs. It is never over for us, and that is what sucks the most.
9 :
I am a 4-year survivor who was diagnosed at 42. It is not in my family, and I had a "clean" mammo 3 months before I found a lump while taking a shower. The lump was not detectable on the mammo. Even if you get mammos, ALWAYS PERFORM MONTHLY SELF-EXAMS. Mammos are not fool-proof, but are still one of the best tools we have. In Elizabeth's case, she had not had a mammo for a few years because of the birth of her son, so the original tumor was already the size of a silver dollar when it was detected- and that size automatically puts the cancer at Stage 2. Anyway, breast cancer is a horrible disease that strikes both the rich and poor equally.
10 :
Every tumor reacts differently and some grow very fast and some slower. Yearly mammograms are very important. Sometimes, if your breasts are very dense (when you are younger) it is sometimes very hard to see a tiny tumor. Therefor, the following year the tumor has grown bigger and is visible and might have already spread to your lymph nodes
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