On Tuesday, December 9, 2014, Roberta Troy, of Tuskegee University, Presented her research on Triple Negative Breast Cancer and its presence amongst African American women. This was the “RCMI Cancer Health Disparities Seminar” presented at CUNY the City College of New York. Triple Negative Breast Cancer, TNBC, is a form of breast cancer that is both a very aggressive unresponsive to tradition cancer treatments, which tend to replicate hormone activity. TNBC is so named because it is not dependent estrogen, progesterone, or HER2, most cancers do depend on one or more of these hormones for their growth. The manipulation of the hormone receptors is a very common and effective cancer treatment. African American women who develop breast cancer are twice as likely to TNBC than any other group, but 10-20% of all breast cancer incidents are a form of TNBC.
For her research, Dr. Troy went to Ghana cancer facilities, because western Africa has the highest incidence of TNBC and most African Americans trace their lineage to West African countries. She went to hospitals that housed women with TNBC, most of whom let the cancer develop into very late stages where the breast was almost completely deteriorated. The pictures of these woman showed that the cancer completely deformed the breast to something that was unrecognizable. Early diagnosis, as with all cancers, is critical in decreasing the mortality risk of the disease. Unfortunately because TNBC is such an aggressive cancer, most women are already in their second stage at the time of diagnosis. However, Dr. Troy did find that lycopene, a chemical compound found in tomatoes, showed promising treatment possibilities. When we eat tomatoes, or other foods with lycopene, we do not consume enough to have a significant impact. Dr. Troy, and her fellow researcher, hypothesize that, if lycopene were directly injected into the cancerous cell, it would slow its reproduction and lower the risk of it metastasizing. She also made an agreement for healthy eating. Past research has shown that diet can greatly affect a woman’s risk of getting cancer and contributes to the patient’s ability to overcome the ailment.
The seminar as a whole was very well presented. It was in a small room in the Marshak Science Hall, which gave the setting a more intimate feel. Dr. Troy was clearly very knowledgeable about her field and was open to any and all questions that the audience posed throughout the seminar. As a non-science major I found the majority of the information provided very comprehensible. Some of the slides for her presentation were too advance for me, but she made her best attempt to put it in laymen’s terms. Portraying a message is just as important as the message itself. I found the topic to be extremely insightful. Prior to attending the seminar I was unaware that this cancer even existed. There are so many forms of cancer that are not “popular” that you never hear about, unless it affects someone you love. As a woman of color I am grateful that someone is researching an ailment that may one day affect me or someone I love.
