I Survived- ‘It Began With A Lump And Some Discolouration Of My Skin’: Story Of A Woman Fighting And Living With Breast Cancer

Cancer is a disease that has ripped many families apart from their loved ones. Often showing less or no signs, cancer cells grow in the form of tumours, and if not detected can consume the person whole! Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer worldwide. Slowly but surely breast cancer survival rates have increased and this has given people hope with advances in breast cancer screening and early detection. With many breast cancer awareness weeks, workshops and lectures, people are more educated on the matter and how to talk about it. In India, many women face the stigma of not speaking about the matter as it is considered shameful and degrading. The only way to battle this issue is to keep speaking about and not treating this as a ‘women’s issue’ as anyone who has breast tissue is susceptible to cancer. There are many at-home steps you can utilize to keep a check on yourself if you are worried about going to the hospital on a whim. Signs you should look for are lumps and thickened area of skin that feels different from the surrounding tissue. If your nipples look flattened or tuned inwards and there is a change in the colour of your breast skin, you must visit your healthcare professional for a check-up. Many brave survivors have shared their stories and what they went through during the trying times. One such survivor has shared her story with us. *Sunita Rai, a 41-year-old woman from Bangalore spoke about her diagnosis and her treatment after. How It Began“So, I felt a lump at the end of February, around 24th, then I felt a lump at my right breast. I thought it might be an abscess or maybe mastitis or something of that sort or maybe PMS. So, I booked an appointment with my gynaecologist on the following Monday, which was the 26th of February. And her initial thought was also probably an abscess or a lump, mastitis or something of that sort because when I was breastfeeding my child about 4-5 years ago, I had some blocked ducts. So, I thought maybe something unhealthy occurred. However, she also said on physical examination, she noticed some discolouration of my skin.” With the prompt response of her doctor's availability of the correct equipment, Sunita was able to get a sonogram and an X-ray mammogram. The results however did not put Sunita at ease, she was quickly referred to a surgical oncologist. The following days brought forth the diagnosis that the masses were carcinogenic initially with invasive ductal carcinoma, which prompted a deep biopsy, which confirmed the presence of invasive papillary carcinoma. Family History and Genetic TestsWhen there are breast cancer detections, it immediately prompts the question of whether there is a family history. Sunita’s doctors recommended these tests to her as 41 is still a very young age to get breast cancer, citing that it is more common in women above the age of 61. “He recommended that we do the genetic testing specifically for the BRCA1 and 2 gene. But we decided to go ahead and test for the entire genome mapping. We did check for my child's risk because the TP53 also has, I mean, there are multiple childhood cancers which are associated with the TP53 gene which could manifest. So, we did go ahead and get an exemption for my child and get her tested. Other than that, my parents gave it to me for testing, but the result has not yet come out. So, I did it.” Sunita expressed that she had to take some time to explain why everyone in her immediate family needs to get tested. There was pushback, but eventually, they did send the samples. The reason why it was important for them to get tested as it may have been a new mutation, or it may have been inherited from someone in the family, “We were in touch with somebody from the Strand Life Sciences Team, who specialise in advanced genomic technologies that drive breakthroughs in clinical diagnostics, personalise treatment plans, and research. They had a very quick response, they immediately came and took the samples. They were very supportive to help us get my daughter tested and get the results for us. In fact, they went out of the way to send me the result quite late in the night because they knew that I was worried.” How it is GoingSunita is still fighting her cancer vigorously and keeping her spirits high. Currently, she is going through targeted therapy and radiation. Going through stage 2 cancer she is under robust monitoring, especially after the diagnosis of TP53 mutation. As a last piece of advice for the people who are still on the fence about getting diagnosed or not going to the doctors, Sunita shares, “I would say it is okay to feel all the emotions that you're feeling. It's very natural and normal to feel shocked, anger, disappointment, and also fear. Because depending on your family circumstances, if you have children especially, it becomes a big worry for you. Because a cancer diagnosis, no matter what stage you are, is quite a bit of a shock. So it's okay to feel whatever emotions you are feeling. You shouldn't feel like, oh, I have to be strong, I shouldn't cry, I shouldn't speak about what I'm feeling. I think it's better to be able to speak out what you're feeling than bottle everything up. Because that helps a lot. And it's also very important to have a very strong support system around you, whether it's your family or friends.”*Name has been changed for anonymity

I Survived- ‘It Began With A Lump And Some Discolouration Of My Skin’: Story Of A Woman Fighting And Living With Breast Cancer

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