In this week’s blog we speak to the very inspirational Adele Sewell.  Adele was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 and in 2007 was faced with cancer again when she was diagonsed with ovarian cancer.

Adele tells us about her experience with both breast and ovarian cancer, what she has learnt from her experience and why she thinks the black community is hesitant to talk about cancer.

How was your breast cancer discovered?

My breast cancer diagnosis was quite straightforward. I found a lump in my breast, I went to my GP and was referred for a biopsy, a mammogram and an ultrasound. The mammogram and biopsy were both inconclusive but the ultrasound confirmed it was cancer. I was 35 years old at the time, fit and healthy with no apparent risk factors for breast cancer. I had surgery (a lumpectomy which just removed the cancer plus a margin around it to prevent spread or recurrence). A few lymph nodes were removed from under my arm and as no cancer was found in these I did not have to have chemotherapy, just radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was 3 times a week for 6 weeks. I have been lucky and 16 years later this cancer has not returned. Touch wood and fingers crossed!

How was your ovarian cancer discovered?

The ovarian cancer diagnosis was quite a different story and a rather long road from first symptoms to final diagnosis. It took about 18 months and several visits to my GP before I was finally diagnosed. As a result the cancer was a late stage diagnosis. The symptoms I had started in early 2006 and I was not diagnosed until Sep 2007. The symptoms included urinary frequency, vaginal discharge, sciatica, lower abdominal pain, bloating, constipation. Also other random symptoms such as hiccups and a pain when I pressed my belly button, loss of inches around my hips but gained inches around my belly. This is because while the cancer was causing me to effectively lose weight, accumulation of fluid in the stomach, called ascites was stretching my abdomen.

Do your doctors know why you developed both breast and ovarian cancer?

When the diagnosis of ovarian cancer came the doctors said that people don’t usually get two completely separate primary cancers unless there is genetic involvement. I spoke to a genetic counsellor and agreed to have the blood test which came back showing that I had a mutation in the BRCA2 gene which is supposed to repair damaged DNA and so prevent cancer. It turned out that I had inherited this from my father. BRCA mutations in men can cause male breast and prostate cancer and my Dad died of prostate cancer, as did his eldest brother. My Dad’s cousin died of ovarian cancer in February this year and two of her sisters have had breast cancer, as have my sisters. Two of my Dad’s aunts are also thought to have died of cancer.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your journey with cancer?

Being told that my life expectancy was less than 5 years. Being told immediately after completing treatment that there was a 70 to 90% chance that the ovarian cancer would come back…which it did in 2010 and required further surgery and chemotherapy.

What life-lessons have your learnt from your experience?

Learning that each person is an individual and therefore that statistics and prognosis information will differ from person to person. Learning that it is ok to be vulnerable and to admit that you have fears. Learning that there are a lot of kind and generous people in the world.

What advice would you give to anyone who has recently been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer?

Don’t go on the Internet at 2am and search for ‘prognosis stage 3C ovarian cancer. Ask your consultant to tell you about people who have survived despite the odds.

We’ve noticed that the black community are hesitant to talk about cancer, why do think that is and how has talking about your experience helped you?

I have never met another black woman with ovarian cancer and I am sure that I am not the only one. I am not sure why black people are hesitant to talk about cancer. It is as though they are ashamed or embarrassed about it. I don’t know why that would be. I have found it really beneficial to talk to other women who have had breast and ovarian cancer. It is amazing to find that people who come from different walks of life, different ages and experiences find a common thread when they get together and share their experiences. It is very supportive to find others who feel the same way that you do.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

I think the Lake Foundation Is a wonderful initiative which will be of great benefit to many. I am happy to still be alive, despite 3 cancer diagnoses, seven years after diagnosis with ovarian cancer and 16 years after diagnosis with breast cancer.

We’d like to say a big thank you to Adele for speaking to us about her experience. If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the comments sections below and if you’ve been affected by cancer and need someone to talk to, come along to our cancer support group. For more information click here.

On Saturday, we attended the Croydon Tabernacle Women’s Breakfast to deliver presentations on both breast cancer and fibroids.  This was a lovely event that brought together the women of Croydon Tabernacle to discuss important health issues over a delicious breakfast.

We were given a one hour slot to discuss two important health conditions. We started with breast cancer and gave attendees some background discussing what is cancer, what happens in breast cancer, the different types of breast cancer, stages, diagnosis, treatment, risk factors and current statistics.  Once we had set the scene with a bit of background we then provided attendees with information on what they can do to prevent breast cancer or ensure an early diagnosis. Here we focused on three areas, understanding the signs and symptoms, taking part in breast cancer screening and adopting a healthy lifestyle.  We finished the breast cancer session with a lively Q&A and then moved on to fibroids.

Wonderful programme. Very educational, informative and interesting. I learnt a lot – Bosola

For our fibroids session we covered what are fibroids, the types of fibroids, causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, facts and figures and prevention. It was stressed that fibroids are not usually life-threatening but can be very painful and affect fertility. We discussed the importance of understanding the risk factors and symptoms and that if they have symptoms they should visit their doctor. Information was also given on the lifestyle changes that women can make to reduce their risk of developing fibroids – being more active and eating a healthy diet.  Furthermore we noted that fibroids are more common in black women and when black women develop fibroids they tend to be more aggressive, bigger, multiple and develop at a younger age than their white counterparts.

We finished off our presentation by stressing that if women are diagnosed with fibroids they should ensure they have enough information to make an informed decision about how they’d like to manage and treat their fibroids. Women were advised to speak to a gynaecologist who specialises in fibroids to get the best possible advice.

After our session, Pastor Yinka Ayeni gave an excellent, inspiring presentation on self-esteem.

We thoroughly enjoyed this event and would like to thank Croydon Tabernacle for inviting us to attend and for their very warm welcome.

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in the UK giving us the perfect opportunity to focus some attention on a disease that gets very little attention. In this week’s blog we would like to share the key things that you need to know about ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer is the 5^th most common cancer in the UK with 7,000 new cases diagnosed each year.  Unfortunately it is the biggest gynaecological killer with just under 4,300 women dying from ovarian cancer each year. Survival rates are pretty poor with only 43% of women surviving  beyond 5 years of their diagnosis compared to 85% of breast cancer patients.  There are many reasons why survival rates are so much lower than breast cancer.  It is a complex cancer which is extremely hard to diagnosis because the symptoms are vague and non-specific with over 50% of patients in the UK being diagnosed at a late stage making treatment challenging.

We can improve these bleak statistics by empowering women with the information that they need to take quick action. Increased awareness leads to early diagnosis and early diagnosis saves lives; over 90% of women diagnosed early will survive beyond 5 years compared to only 4-19% diagnosed at a late stage.

Being aware of the symptoms and acting quickly if you think you have them is thus very important.

There are four main symptoms of ovarian cancer and they are
· Persistent pelvic/tummy pain
· Persistent bloating
· Difficulty eating
· Needing to urinate more frequently

If you have any of these symptoms for more than 12 days per month, then visit your GP. It’s a good idea to make a diary of your symptoms in the days and weeks leading up to your appointment so you can have a really good discussion with your GP. The charity Ovarian Cancer Action provides an easy to use symptoms diary. Download this, complete it and take it with you to your appointment.

It’s also important to be aware of what increases your risk of developing ovarian cancer.  The two main factors that increase a person’s risk of developing ovarian cancer are: age and family history.

Age: As we get older our risk of developing ovarian cancer increases. The majority of ovarian cancers (80%) occur in women who are aged 50 and over. If you are in this age group it’s important that you are aware of the symptoms and visit your doctor promptly if you have any concerns.

Family History/Genetics:  10-20% of ovarian cancers are hereditary. If you have two or more family members who have been affected by breast and/or ovarian cancer then you might be at a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.

If you have a family history of ovarian cancer, visit your doctor to discuss your risk and for more information about hereditary cancer please read our recent blog post.

On Saturday 21^st February we continued with our work to raise awareness of prostate cancer amongst black men in Croydon by organising an Understanding Prostate Cancer session at the Pneuma Christian Centre.

Like our previous sessions at Trinity Baptist Church and Croydon Tabernacle this was a collaboration between The Lake Foundation, Prostate Cancer UK and Eunice Adu-Appiah as part of our drive to reach as many black men as possible with the key messages about prostate cancer and prostate conditions.

Our prostate cancer awareness session formed part of the Pneuma Christian Centre’s  Men’s Week Conference with the theme being: Empowerment for a Healthy Life based on the bible scripture Isaiah 40:28-3.1

The workshop began with a welcome and introduction by Abi Begho of The Lake Foundation followed by an excellent, informative presentation by Georgina Graham from Prostate Cancer UK.  Georgina’s presentation covered what every man should know about prostate cancer and prostate conditions. She explained the three main prostate conditions that affect men, which are an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and prostate cancer and that all of these conditions have similar symptoms such as:

It was stressed that if men experience any of these symptoms they shouldn’t panic as it could be due prostatitis or enlarged prostate, but they must visit their doctor to rule out prostate cancer.

Georgina also covered the risk factors for prostate cancer which are: age (prostate cancer is more common in men who are over the age of 50); ethnicity (black men are twice as likely as white men to develop prostate cancer); and family history (men with father or a brother with prostate cancer are 2.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer compared to men who don’t have a family history).

Georgina finished off her presentation by letting attendees know that they have the right to have a PSA test if they are 50 or over and that it is particularly important for black men to be more vigilant and visit their GP if they have any concerns whatsoever.

Georgina’s presentation was followed by a Q&A where we discussed prostate cancer treatments, the digital rectal examination,  how often the PSA test should be conducted and what causes prostate cancer.

After a quick refreshment break we heard from Eunice Adu-Appiah who spoke about exercise, diet and prostate cancer prevention.

Eunice explained that several research studies have shown that men who regularly exercise were at a lower risk of developing prostate cancer and hence men can take some control over their health and reduce their risk of developing prostate cancer and other diseases by simply being more active. We learnt that regular exercise means taking part in 150 minutes of exercise a week and that this should be both cardiovascular and muscle strengthening exercises. Eunice explained that whilst 150 minutes of exercise may sound like a lot this can easily be achieved by breaking these up into 10-15 minute slots throughout the day. For example we could do a few lunges and squats in the morning whilst brushing our teeth and preparing breakfast, then we could walk part of the way to work, take the stairs instead of the lift and go for a walk at lunch time. Before you know it we would have easily met the minimum requirement of 150 minutes of exercise per week.

Eunice then spoke about diet recommending that we avoid saturated fat, trans fat and red meat. Eunice ended by explaining that we don’t have to make drastic changes but changes to our lifestyle should be gradual with the ultimate goal being to adopt a healthy lifestyle where we are active, we eat a well-balanced diet and we factor in some time for relaxation too.

This was a really useful event with a lively, friendly and attentive audience. We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended, to Georgina Graham and Eunice Adu-Appiah for delivering really informative presentations and to Deacon Dele Ogunlaru and the leadership of the Pneuma Christian Centre for inviting us to host this session.

You can listen to an excerpt from Georgina’s presentation below.

This week’s guest blog post comes from Sydney Ross Singer, Medical Anthropologist and Director of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease. Sydney discusses the recent media headlines that reported that two-thirds of cancers are a result of “bad luck”.

When a single medical study is trumpeted around the world as “truth”, you can be sure you are dealing with marketing and not medicine.

A recent study announcing that two-thirds of all cancers are just a matter of “bad luck” has made its marketing rounds, with the conclusion that all we can do to deal with our rogue mutated cells is to go to the doctor for early detection and treatment. (Variation in cancer risk among tissues can be explained by the number of stem cell divisions, Science 2 January 2015: Vol. 347 no. 6217 pp. 78-81).

Of course, this is good for the cancer detection and treatment industry. If cancer is out of our control, unrelated to lifestyle and genetics but merely a chance event, then you need repeated and thorough cancer screening throughout your life.

You can see why this one study has been embraced by media worldwide. Media, after all, is about selling products and services, just as the Internet is paid for by ads. Here they are selling cancer services.

However, if you step back from the hype, you can see a clear flaw in the conclusion of this study.

Essentially, the study asserts that tissues with higher rates of stem cell activity have higher rates of random mutations. Stem cells are the progenitor cells of the tissues. Tissues that have higher rates of turnover than other tissues have more frequent stem cell divisions which increase the likelihood of more cellular reproduction errors.

Some of these errors can cause the cells to reproduce excessively, resulting in tumour development and cancer. This sounds reasonable on the surface. However, it ignores part of the equation.

The body has a mechanism responsible for managing cellular mutations and killing these rogue cells. That part is the immune system.

Cancer cells are not normal, healthy cells, and the immune system recognizes these cells as defective and attacks and destroys them. This happens all the time, except when there is some immune system problem that allows these defective cells to continue reproducing. At that point, the mutated cells reproduce and grow, resulting in cancer.

This means that random mutations may cause a stem cell to go rogue. But a poorly responding defense system allows that rogue cell to develop further into cancer.

If we had no immune system mechanism for fighting mutated cells, then you would expect that there would be a direct correlation between stem cell reproductive rates, mutation rates, and the ultimate development of cancers.

However, if we had a perfectly operating and robust immune defence system, where every mutated cell was destroyed, you would expect that mutated stem cells would be killed before they could develop into cancers. There would then be no correlation between stem cell division rates and cancer incidence in those tissues. In fact, there would be no cancer at all.

In other words, stem cell random mutations don’t cause cancer. Immune system dysfunction causes cancer.

While the study did not look at breast tissue, we can see this role of the immune system in the development of breast cancer. It has to do with impairment of a central component of the immune system, called the lymphatic system.

The immune system consists of cells which fight disease and infection, the organs which produce and activate these fighting cells, and a lymphatic system through which these cells travel throughout the tissues. A problem with any aspect of the immune system can result in a reduced resistance against disease, including cancer.

When it comes to breast cancer, the immune system is impaired by constriction of the lymphatic system caused by the cultural habit of wearing tight bras for long periods of time every day. The lymphatic system consists of extremely thin tubules which passively drain lymph from tissues. These are easily compressed by the pressure of a bra.

Compression from the bra is apparent by the red marks and indentations in the skin. This pressure result is chronic fluid accumulation in the breasts, as the lymph fluid that bathes the cells is prevented from properly flushing out of the breast. This increases the toxin load in the tissue, reduces oxygen availability, impairs tissue repair and maintenance, and increases stem cell mutation rates.

Constriction of the breasts also reduces the ability of immune cells to fight infections and cancers within the tissue. White blood cells cannot function properly in stagnant, low oxygenated, congested, and toxic tissue.

Numerous studies have confirmed the link between breast cancer and wearing bras. In fact, it has been shown that bra-free women have about the same incidence of breast cancer as men, and the longer and tighter the bra is worn the higher the incidence rises, increasing over 100 times for 24/7 bra users compared to bra-free women. (Seehttp://www.killerculture.com/breast-cancer-is-preventable/)

Unfortunately, this information does not create a market for products and services. Indeed, it challenges the multi-billion dollar lingerie industry, as well as the cancer detection and treatment industry.

In a world where media exists to sell products and services, information that challenges the sales of products or services is ignored. Hence, news about the bra-cancer link has been suppressed and censored for the past 20 years. If the goal of media was to improve the human condition, the bra-cancer link would have been extensively publicized long ago.

But one study on the bra-cancer link was recently publicized worldwide, with similar fanfare as the “bad luck” cancer study. Not surprisingly, the study concluded there was no link. While the study admitted it was flawed by not including bra-free women, along with other problems, it was heralded as the final word on the issue. The conclusion, of course, was the typical sales pitch promoting early detection and treatment.

Of course, early detection and treatment of cancer mean you still get cancer. But when prevention is considered naive and futile, and cancers are considered just “bad luck”, there is nothing you can do but make an appointment for medical tests to see if you have cancer, and then treat it once you do.

Most cancers are not “bad luck”. They are bad immunity. If we are to discover the causes of various cancers, we must look at the reasons why the immune system is being compromised, allowing mutated cells to develop into cancer.

Of course, if any of these discoveries do not result in increased sales of a product or service, you will not hear about them. What you will hear about is any study, even if it is flawed, that concludes that you are helpless to prevent disease and that all you can do is rush to the doctor for early detection and treatment.

It’s not about health. It’s about money. That’s not bad luck, just bad medicine.

The Lake Foundation would like to thank Sydney Ross Singer for his guest blog piece which was first published on 7th January here. If you have any questions or comments please do leave them below in the comments section. 

Today, we had a great time raising awareness of prostate cancer at our Understanding Prostate Cancer seminar at Trinity Baptist Church.

This event was a collaboration between The Lake Foundation, Trinity Baptist Church and Prostate Cancer UK and was organised as part of Prostate Cancer UK’s engagement and empowerment pilot which aims to understand the best methods of reaching the black community with the key messages about prostate cancer.

Understanding Prostate Cancer formed part of TBC’s Men’s Fellowship’s monthly breakfast meeting giving us the perfect forum to discuss prostate cancer and raise awareness.

After a lovely breakfast prepared by the Women’s Ministry (thank you!), the seminar began with a welcome and introduction by Abi Begho from The Lake Foundation. This was followed by an excellent presentation by Georgina Graham, a volunteer from Prostate Cancer UK.

From Georgina’s presentation, attendees learnt that prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the UK with 43,000 cases diagnosed every year and 1 in 8 men expected to develop prostate cancer. We also covered the three main prostate conditions that affect men – an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and prostate cancer. It was stressed that an enlarged prostate and prostatitis are not linked to prostate cancer and do not increase a person’s risk of developing prostate cancer. We then moved on to what symptoms men should look out for and these included:

• Needing to pee more often, especially at night
• Difficulty starting to pee
• Straining or taking a long time to finish peeing
• A weak flow
• A feeling that your bladder has not emptied properly
• Needing to rush to the toilet
• Dribbling urine

Today is the final day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in this week’s blog, we want to end the month by highlighting the key things that women should know about this disease, which are: the signs and symptoms, risk factors, prevention and the screening process.

The Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of breast cancer can be identified by carrying out regular breast self-examinations. These should be done at least once a month. The aim of the self-examination is to do a visual and physical inspection of your breasts. You can do the visual part in front of a mirror and you should look out for changes in the size, shape and texture of your breasts as well as changes to your nipples (inverted nipple or a discharge).

Once you’ve carried out a visual examination, the next step is to do a physical one where you use the palm of your hands to feel both breasts and your armpit area for any lumps.

If you notice any of the symptoms of breast cancer visit your GP or doctor as soon as possible. It may not be breast cancer but it is best to rule it out.

You can find out more about how to do a breast self-examination in the video below.

The Risk Factors

The two main factors that increase a person’s risk of developing breast cancer are age and family history.

Age: As we get older our risk of developing breast cancer increases. The majority of breast cancers (80%) occur in women who are aged 50 and over.

Family History/Genetics: 5-10% of breast cancers are hereditary. If you have one first-degree relative with breast cancer, this doubles your risk of developing breast cancer, and if you have two first-degree relatives with breast cancer, this triples your risk.

If you have a family history of breast cancer, visit your doctor to discuss your risk and for more information about hereditary cancer please read our recent blog post.

Other factors that have been shown to increase a person’s risk of developing breast cancer include: being overweight or obese; alcohol consumption, hormone replacement therapy; smoking; and oestrogen and progesterone contraceptives.

Breast Cancer Prevention

To reduce your risk of developing breast cancer you should adopt a healthy lifestyle. In particular, you should: limit your alcohol intake, stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables but low in animal fat; and if you have the choice, breastfeed.

Breast Cancer Screening

In the UK all women between the ages of 50 and 70 are invited for breast screening every 3 years as part of the national breast screening programme. Women over the age of 70 can still be screened, you’ll have to contact your local breast screening unit to organise this. In England, the breast screening age is being extended to all women between the ages of 47 and 73.

Breast screening involves having an x-ray of each breast (this is a mammogram) which allows a clear image of the inside of the breast to be developed. This technique is capable of detecting breast cancer at an early stage, much earlier than a breast self-examination.

To find out more about the NHS Breast Screening Programme please visit their website

Now that Breast Cancer Awareness Month has come to an end, remember to remain breast aware throughout the year.

On 27th March, we attended the 100 Black Men of London’s event “Keep calm and let’s talk about prostate cancer”. This was a very interesting event that highlighted the many challenges faced by black men when it comes to prostate cancer.

The event started with a presentation by Dr Kingsley Osayi, a Consultant Pathologist at Basildon and Thurrock Hospital. Dr Osayi gave an overview of the role of the prostate, common prostate conditions, the symptoms of prostate cancer, risk factors and treatment.

The most startling statistic from Dr Osayi’s presentation was just how common prostate cancer is in black men with 1 in 4 black men expected to develop prostate cancer compared to 1 in 8 white men. It was unsettling to learn that there still isn’t a clear understanding of why prostate cancer is more common in black men, but the prevailing view is that there is a genetic reason for this rather than it being lifestyle related.

After Dr Osayi set the scene it was time for the debate, which was chaired by Kola Sonaike, President of 100 Black Men of London and featured the following panellists:
· Elijah Ashanti Israel– a prostate cancer survivor
· Rose Thompson – Director, BME Cancer Communities
· Ann Smart – Clinical Nurse Specialist, Prostate Cancer UK
· Dr Kingsley Osayi – Consultant Pathologist, Basildon and Thurrock Hospital

We learnt from the debate that:

1. Black men suffer from a more aggressive type of prostate cancer that develops at a younger age than the less aggressive forms that affect the general population. NHS guidelines recommend PSA testing should be made available, if requested, to men from the age of 50, but this is not helpful for black men and may need to be readjusted to allow black men to easily request a PSA test at a younger age.

2. Black men with a family history of prostate and breast cancer are not being dealt with appropriately by their doctors. Anyone with a strong family history of cancer should be provided with sound advice from their doctor; given the opportunity to discuss regular PSA testing; and also be offered a referral to a genetic counsellor for a discussion about what their family history might mean about their risk of developing prostate cancer and what options are available to reduce their risk or to ensure early diagnosis.

3. There is a low level of awareness of prostate cancer in the black community and a lack of willingness to discuss this issue.This means that black men don’t realise the seriousness of urinary symptoms and don’t visit their doctors soon enough. Furthermore there is an unwillingness to discuss cancer in the black community which means the challenges experienced by black men are not identified so key issues are not addressed at a political level.

The debate ended with agreement that these issues need to be dealt with on two levels. Firstly, GPs need to be made aware of how prostate cancer affects black men and guidelines need to be developed on how GPs should manage black men especially those with a family history of prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. Secondly, the black community needs to be more informed about prostate cancer to ensure we are more proactive on this issue so that more men are diagnosed early.

A lot of the issues raised at the event have been analysed and presented in a report entitled ‘Hear me Now’ written by Rose Thompson. You can read the report here and a follow-up report will be launched in a of couple weeks’ time.

We thoroughly enjoyed this most informative event and The Lake Foundation will continue to raise awareness of prostate cancer and will work with other organisations to address the issues raised.