Determining breast-cancer stage
Chemotherapy and radiation
are common treatment
options for people
who have been diagnosed
with cancer.
While radiation may be targeted
at specific areas, chemotherapy
is systemic. This means
it affects the entire body.
As a result, as chemotherapy
kills fast-growing cancer
cells, it also kills or slows the
growth of healthy cells, including
hair cells, that divide and
grow quickly, explains the National
Cancer Institute.
When chemotherapy treatment
is completed, the body is
typically capable of regenerating
new hair, but that can take
some time.
Women who consider their
hair a large part of their identity
may have strong concerns
and fears regarding hair loss
and what their hair may look
like when it begins to regrow.
Understanding what to expect
and what they can do to facilitate
the regrowth of hair can
help women better handle what
lies ahead.
New hair typically begins to
grow within one to two months
of the last chemo treatment.
Breastcancer.org says people
who have undergone chemotherapy
may notice soft fuzz
forming on their head roughly
two to three weeks after the end
of chemo.
This will be followed by
real hair growing at its normal
rate one month afterward.
Two months after the last treatment,
an inch of hair can be
expected.
How hair grows back elsewhere
on the body, such as the
eyelashes, eyebrows and pubic
area, varies from person to person.
Experts at the Robert H. Lurie
Comprehensive Cancer Center’s
Dermatologic Care Center
at Northwestern University in
Chicago recommend speaking
with a doctor if hair is not regrowing
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.30 COM | OCT. 9-OCT. 15, 2020
quickly, which can be
the result of low levels of iron or
zinc or even thyroid problems.
To help the process along,
some doctors suggest the use
of supplements like biotin. The
National Institutes of Health
says biotin is a B vitamin found
in many foods that helps turn
carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
into energy.
There is some evidence that
taking biotin can help thicken
and speed up the growth of hair
and nails, but more research is
needed.
Rogaine, the baldness treatment,
also may be advised, as
it’s been shown to speed hair
regrowth in breast cancer patients
who have lost their hair,
advises Health magazine.
It is not uncommon for hair
grown after chemotherapy to
look and feel different from
hair prior to treatment. Someone
who once had straight hair
may develop a wavy mane afterwards.
While drastic changes
are not common, blonde hair
may darken.
As hair grows in, certain areas
on the head may grow faster
than others. Working with
an experienced stylist can help
a person achieve a look that is
evened out and stylish at any
length.
It can be nerve-wracking to
wait for hair to regrow after
chemotherapy. But patience and
understanding the road ahead
can assuage any fears breast
cancer patients may have about
regrowing their hair.
When receiving treatment
for breast cancer,
women will learn about
cancer staging.
According to the nonprofit
organization Breastcancer.org,
determining the stage of the
cancer helps patients and their
doctors figure out the prognosis,
develop a treatment plan,
and even decide if clinical trials
are a valid option.
Typically expressed as a
number on a scale of 0 through
IV, breast-cancer stage is determined
after careful consideration
of a host of factors.
The staging system, sometimes
referred to as the TNM
system, is overseen by the
American Joint Committee on
Cancer and ensures that all instances
of breast cancer are described
in a uniform way.
This helps to compare treatment
results and gives doctors
and patients a better understanding
of breast cancer and
the ways to treat it.
Breastcancer.org notes that
the TNM system was updated in
2018, but before then was based
on three clinical characteristics:
T: The size of the tumor and
whether or not it has grown into
nearby tissue.
N: Whether the cancer is
present in the lymph nodes.
M: Whether the cancer has
metastasized, or spread to others
parts of the body beyond the
breast.
Each of those factors is still
considered when determining
breast cancer stage, but starting
in 2018, the AJCC added
additional characteristics to its
staging guidelines, which make
staging more complex but also
more accurate:
Tumor grade
This is a measurement of
how much the cancer cells look
like normal cells.
Estrogen- and
progesterone-receptor status
This indicates if the cancer
cells have receptors for the hormones
estrogen and progesterone.
If cancer cells are deemed
estrogen-receptor-positive, then
they may receive signals from
estrogen that promote their
growth. Similarly, those deemed
progesterone-receptor-positive
may receive signals from progesterone
that could promote
their growth.
Testing for hormone receptors,
which roughly two out of
three breast cancers are positive
for, helps doctors determine if the
cancer will respond to hormonal
therapy or other treatments.
Hormone-receptor-positive cancers
may be treatable with medications
that reduce hormone
production or block hormones
from supporting the growth and
function of cancer cells.
HER2 status
This helps doctors determine
if the cancer cells are
making too much of the HER2
protein. HER2 proteins are receptors
on breast cells made by
the HER2 gene. In about 25 percent
of breast cancers, the HER2
gene makes too many copies of
itself, and these extra genes ultimately
make breast cells grow
and divide in ways that are
uncontrollable. HER2-positive
breast cancers are more likely
to spread and return than those
that are HER2-negative.
Oncotype DX score
The oncotype DX score helps
doctors determine a woman’s
risk of early stage, estrogenreceptor
positive breast cancer
recurring and how likely she
is to benefit from post-surgery
chemotherapy. In addition, the
score helps doctors figure out
if a woman is at risk of ductal
carcinoma in situ recurring or
at risk for a new invasive cancer
developing in the same breast.
The score also helps doctors
figure out if such women will
benefit from radiation therapy
or DCIS surgery.
Determining breast-cancer
stage is a complex process, but
one that can help doctors develop
the most effective course of
treatment. More information is
available at www.breastcancer.
org.
Determining the stage of the cancer helps patients and their doctors
figure out the prognosis, develop a treatment plan and even
decide if clinical trials are a valid option.
Regrowing and caring for
hair after chemotherapy
/Breastcancer.org
/Breastcancer.org
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/Breastcancer.org
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