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38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BREAST CANCER AWARENESS • OCTOBER 8, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM breast cancer awareness Determining breast cancer stage When receiving treatment for breast cancer, women will learn about cancer staging. According to the nonprofi t organization Breastcancer. org, determining the stage of the cancer helps patients and their doctors fi gure 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 aft er careful consideration of a host of factors. Th e 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. Th is 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: Th e 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 Th is is a measurement of how much the cancer cells look like normal cells. Estrogen- and progesterone receptor status Th is 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-receptorpositive cancers may be treatable with medications that reduce hormone production or block hormones from supporting the growth and function of cancer cells. HER2 status Th is 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 Th e oncotype DX score helps doctors determine a woman’s risk of early stage, estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer recurring and how likely she is to benefi t from post-surgery chemotherapy. In addition, the score helps doctors fi gure 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. Th e score also helps doctors fi gure out if such women will benefi t from radiation therapy or DCIS surgery. Determining breast-cancer stage is a complex process, but one that can help doctors develop the most eff ective course of treatment. More information is available at www. breastcancer.org. Regrowing and caring for hair after chemotherapy 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 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. 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