http://www.triplepink.org/ This is not a subject that I lean towards. But as I woman with some kind of common sense, I realize I have to pay attention . There is a strain of cancer hitting women 29-years old to about 35.
I personally do not always buy into the "racial" pidgeon-holing of certain ethnic groups as having certain diseases in a broad sense. Never having seen the "scientific" studies,i.e. science journals that focused on research done at the genetic level, I reserved any opinion.
This cancer is called "Triple negative cancer." It is extremely aggressive and it is not treated with the drug Tamoxifin, Herceptin and other well known drugs. While it is not a death sentence, it HAS to be caught early.
The Doctor who discovered the link is Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade.
A Nigerian woman working at the University of Chicago . What sets her apart is that she is also a geneticist. That makes all the difference. She can speak authoritatively on this subject. Not by looking at your phenoptype, (outside coloring, etc.) but by your genotype. Your DNA.
She accidently came upon this new subtype while visiting her country and noticing that a disproportionate number of young women were at an Oncology clinic. The newness of this sub-type's appearance is documented in the fact that in some countries on the the African Continent their language does not have a word for cancer.
While it has been said, that poverty , stress and diet have been looked as the markers of the high incidence of cancer amongst black women, she is saying that her research shows a biological mutation.
This mutation occurs at the Brca-1 marker of our genetic chain. Since women have been told to do mamograms after 40, clearly this new tumor had not been detected in younger women until 5 years ago ,when she did her study. Moreover, the studies are hampered by fear within the African-American community to be part of "clinical experiments" due to the historical facts of the Tuskegee Study. A study which used men as guinea pigs by injecting them with Syphillis.
Black women then are cautioned to start their mammmograms much earlier than 40.
At this time Black women area twice as likely to get cancer as 'white" women, and this type goes undiagnosed because it is appearing 10-30 years prior to menopause.
The link above will send you to the website of Attorney Karen Neely , 35-years old who was diagnosed last year. It is her way of making all of us aware. I wanted to add, that the Ralph Lauren Clinic In New York City, does free cancer testing. I was there for a colonoscopy and have to return for further testing of a mass on my left breast. Which of course. I put off, but after reading this article , even though I am in the other age group :-) I think I better make a concerted effort!
Posted By: Marta Fernandez
Monday, October 6th 2008 at 2:50PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
