Many cellular changes have been associated with the development of tamoxifen resistance, but we still do not fully understand the basis of this clinical problem. After prolonged tamoxifen exposure a selection process may favor cells that have no estrogen receptors 01 cells that produce abnormal or aberrant receptors that fail to recognize tamoxifen. Because tamoxifen is known to have estrogenic effects, scientific studies have shown that estrogenic metabolites of tamoxifen may contribute to the development of cellular resistance to tamoxifen. As in other types of drug resistance, there may be some form of cellular pump that removes tamoxifen from the cell.Other research has focused on the involvement of proteins known as growth factors. Because tamoxifen is understood to increase the release from certain cells of the growth-inhibitory factor known as TGF-b, tamoxifen resistance may also occur when these cells can no longer produce the TGF-b required to continue restraining growth of the breast cancer cells.Much of this new information is speculative, yet it does suggest that several different mechanisms may contribute to the development of tamoxifen resistance. All require further investigation.*43\320\2*
Cancer of the cervix was the most common form of gynecological cancer until the Pap smear. Now cancer of the cervix takes second place to cancer of the uterus, but not by much.
Early intervention as a result of pap smear campaigns reduces the appearance of full blown cancer of the cervix by 20 per cent. Considering that pap smears detect 90 per cent of cervical cancers, pap smear campaigns have a long way to go.
The doctor’s inadequate technique is an ongoing problem with smear tests. One study in the United States shows that 88 per cent of samples taken by doctors were ineffective as anti cancer screens.
Early changes symptomatic of cancer of the cervix occur in a women’s second and third decade of life. In its life threatening capacity cancer of the cervix appears when a woman enters her fifth and sixth decade. In these women the cancer presents as a vaginal discharge or vaginal bleeding between the periods.
The cause of cancer of the cervix is still not clear. 90 per cent of cervical cancer cells display evidence of infection with the Herpes Type 2 virus. Even more common is the presence of the Human Papilloma Wart Virus (HPV). The concurrent presence of both viruses associated with the habit of cigarette smoking probably primes candidates for an early case of cervical cancer.
Given the relationship of cervical cancer to sexually transmitted disease, it is not surprising that cancer of the cervix is more often found in women with a history of early frequent sexual experience involving multiple partners. Nuns rarely if ever suffer from cancer of the cervix.
Detected in its early stages cancer of the cervix allows cure via cautery or cone biopsy. Detected in its later stages treatment begins with hysterectomy. When treated early with a cone biopsy 98 per cent of women contracting cervical cancer will live a further ten years.
Home Remedies
Cancer of the cervix is another case for the regular use of condoms and avoiding cigarettes. The eradication of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and herpes is a difficult exercise. Moderate exercise, a good sleep pattern and dietetic enhancement of the immune system are all recommended interventions. Patchy studies indicate that zinc capsules and Lyceine have a part to play in the battle against the herpes virus.
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The exact figures are different for different cancers, but they all tend the same way. The outlook is best if it is confined to the organ it started in. It is less good if it has spread to the nearest lymph glands. It is even less good if it has spread into adjacent tissues. It is worst of all if it has spread through the blood, in which case hopefully an operation aiming at cure would not have been attempted. Ask your surgeon for the figures which apply in your particular case.
I know I’m asking you to be very brave here. It may seem much easier to say: ‘Well, I’ll just hope for the best—I don’t want to know what my chances are.’ Don’t forget you can still hope for the best when you do know what your chances are! There are disadvantages to being ignorant. It can mean that you miss out on having additional treatment which might improve your chances. It also means that you cannot realistically plan your personal life. I feel very sad when I remember how often people who have been referred to me for extensive cancer have said things like this: ‘My surgeon told me three years ago that he’d got it all. I’ve just kept on leading a normal life. If only I’d known this was likely to happen I would have . . . taken that overseas trip I’ve planned for so long . . . left that job I hated so much and gone back to studying .. . made up with my brother-in-law so I could see more of my sister . . . learnt to drive a car . . . left my husband then instead of waiting till the kids were older . . .’
Perhaps these people would have made the same decisions if they had known the true situation. Perhaps not. Be brave and ask the questions I suggest. Then, you can make decisions about your personal life which do take into account what is likely to happen in the future. Try to keep this information in perspective. Some people go to extremes—they either allow themselves to be overwhelmed by it or they dismiss it from their minds altogether. Remember that, whatever the statistics say, you can still hope that you will be the lucky exception. Most of us thrive on hope and why not? Just try not to let that hope develop into a fixed and unrealistic belief that you will be the exception. Such a belief could prevent you from making the most of whatever life you do have left.
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