The effects of cancer are detrimental and vary depending on the type of cancer. Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer that has a high frequency of occurrence in women of African descent. Usually breast cancer is a disease that is seen in middle-aged to elderly women. However, triple negative breast cancer is a unique form of the disease that affects young, pre-menopausal women. I attended a lecture on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 titled Triple Negative Breast Cancer across the African Diaspora by Dr. Roberta Troy. The lecture was held in the Marshak Building at City College and presented an exploration of the disease as well as a discussion for preventative measures to help the female community in Africa and women afflicted worldwide.
The lecture began as a presentation that brought attention to what triple negative breast cancer was and how the treatment for the disease comes with several limitations to help those afflicted with it. Triple negative breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer that is not receptive to conventional breast cancer treatments. Additionally, TNBC does not react to hormonal therapies due to the lack of estrogen, progesterone, and other female hormones in the tumor cells.The main problem with triple negative breast cancer is that many of the Western African women who are suffering from it cannot afford proper treatment. Often competent medical facilities are not even available to house and take care of the women who are in their final stages. Chemotherapy is a treatment that can be used to combat the disease, but because many African medical facilities are not equipped with the radiation technologies needed for this, surgery is often the last resort for many patients.
Dr. Troy grasped the entire audience’s attention when she mentioned a Hollywood actress who looked to surgery to save herself from being diagnosed with TNBC. Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy to prevent contraction of the disease because she was a carrier of the BRAC1 gene. A mutation of this gene increases the likelihood of developing triple negative breast cancer. Thus, Ms. Jolie took to the most extreme form of prevention by undergoing surgery but in doing so saved herself despite being at such a high risk to contract the disease.
As a biology major with an interest in cancer research, I found the presentation to be highly informative and interesting from the very beginning. However, the best part of the presentation in my opinion was Dr. Troy’s research on natural ways to prevent TNBC. The diet of cancer patients has been subject to change recently due to the natural anti-cancer activity found in the chemicals in fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is a natural pigment found in tomatoes, watermelon, and other red fruits that has several methods that help to reduce the likelihood of developing triple negative breast cancer. Lycopene can induce apoptosis, or cell death, in tumorous cancer cells as well as decrease the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. Additionally, lycopene helps to prevent DNA damage that can arise from exposure to harmful chemicals in the environment. One such example of this can be found in processed food which can cause free radical damage in the body. Free radicals are atoms that have unpaired electrons and are highly unstable due to their lone pairs. Free radicals are natural byproducts of ongoing metabolic processes in the body. Free radicals often pair up with oxygen by stealing oxygen atoms from proteins and even DNA, thus inhibiting their ability to properly function. Free radicals turn other molecules into free radicals by creating an ongoing chain of oxygen theft in the body. Antioxidants come into play to stop these free radicals that can cause mutations in the body as a result of damaged DNA. Antioxidants such as lycopene help to prevent DNA damage by reducing the amount of highly reactive free radicals present in cells.
After taking in the information presented in the lecture and applying my own knowledge of general chemistry to understand the power of antioxidants, my main takeaway from this experience was to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables in my diet. The best weapon we have against developing such aggressive diseases is by preventing the very source of contraction, that is protecting our DNA from harmful chemicals from the environment as well as our diet. The mention of Angelina Jolie in the presentation brought attention to the fact that cancer plays no favorites and anyone can be affected. Often, the healthier snack is neglected for the cheaper and unhealthy alternative, but in opting for healthier food we can protect our DNA, ourselves, and our future generations and possibly eradicate mutations that cause cancer in the future.
