Breast Cancer: A Speaker's Guide
Many people who experience a life-changing event such as cancer find they want to educate others about their experiences.
Sharing experiences with others can raise awareness and can help women to feel empowered—it reminds them they are not alone.
If this is true for you, you may choose to “start small” by speaking to little groups such as friends in an at-home get-together, for example.
While you may never reach the point of sharing with larger groups, this outline could make it easier for you to prepare what you want to say to others.
Your personal story
- Sharing your personal experiences such as your cancer symptoms, your response to the news that you have breast cancer, and your treatment modalities can help to “draw in” others to be receptive to you and your message.
- If you’re comfortable telling it, you may wish to include the responses of those close to you when they first learned of your diagnosis.
- Being honest with others about the positive and negative changes cancer has brought into your life also endears your message to others.
The connection between ovaries and breast cancer
- A woman’s ovaries create estrogen, the ‘female hormone,’ which not only has a direct effect on the menstrual process (and the development of cells for a conceived child) but also influences the breasts as well. (US News and World Report/US News)
- During puberty, the connection between the ovaries and the breasts is established.
- What do they have in common?
- There is a genetic component which connects ovaries and breasts. It involves the mutated BRCA gene, which exponentially increases a woman’s risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. If you have been diagnosed with cancer and you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, speak with your oncologist about genetic counseling and testing for BRCA. Knowing your status can help you avoid ovarian cancer in the future. (US News)
- There’s a hormonal connection between the breasts and ovaries: Per the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in women still having their periods, their estrogen level varies, in response to the stages of their menstrual cycle.
- Menopause ‘shuts down’ estrogen production by the ovaries. However, the body continues to produce estrogen, at a lower, yet steady pace, in the brain, bones, and fatty tissue of the body, to include those in the breast. (PubMed)
- The amounts of estrogen your body makes before and after menopause are “about the same” but without the “spikes” (US News)
Breast cancer risk statistics
- Women, aged 50 years and older, are those most prone to developing breast cancer. The age factor is at play in the development of the post-menopausal type of this disease. (NIH)
- For the approximate 12 % of native-born US females at risk for breast cancer, the interconnection of estrogen with the breast and ovaries is of great concern. (National Cancer Institute/NCI)
- Research has shown that about 85% of breast tumors are considered “hormonally-driven” (NCI), In other words, breast cells mutate, become cancerous, and lead to a condition whereby hormones actually ‘feed’ the growth of the cancer cells. The hormones leading to this condition are estrogen and progesterone (US News).
- Breast cancer can be fed by hormones manufactured in the ovaries as well as in the fatty tissue of the breasts (US News).
- This news site also explains that the nurturing of the cancer cells is made possible by the development of receptor cells on the tumors. These receptor cells actually bind to the hormones to receive nourishment from them.
- The American Cancer Society (ACS) stresses the importance of breast cell biopsy to test for the presence (or absence) of receptor cell proteins to indicate the best treatment options.
- Breast cancer cells may have one, both, or none of these receptors. “Breast cancers that have estrogen receptors are called ER-positive and those with progesterone receptors are called PR-positive. Keeping these receptors from attaching to the hormones can help keep the cancer from growing and spreading.” There are medications to reduce or prevent this attachment process. (ACS)
Treatment for hormone-receptor positive breast cancer
- Many women with hormone-positive breast cancers respond well to anti-estrogen drugs such as Tamoxin.
- To stop estrogen production in the body, drugs called aromatase inhibitors may also be prescribed. Such drugs include anastrozole, letrozole, or exemestane, which are recommended for post-menopausal women since aromatase inhibitors can't stop the ovaries from making estrogen (US News).
- Hormone therapy is used for early-staged breast cancer, with advanced and metastatic breast cancer, and to reduce the size of a tumor before surgery. (NCI)
- Diagnosis of ovarian cancer is difficult to make; by the time it’s “found: it’s often in the later stages.
- Removing the ovaries may be a recommended course of treatment, especially for women who have a BRCA gene mutation and are thus at a higher risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancers (ACS).
The speaking guide
The information provided above is a rough draft of information relative to the connection between the ovaries and breast cancer.
If you choose to use this guide as an outline, it is suggested you do further research to uncover additional information you may wish to include.
When you have your updated information completed, it is best to first do a “run through” to see how long it takes for the presentation. You can then adjust the content accordingly.
Speakers quite often divide the content into specific time frames to keep the presentation from running too long. One way to do this is to write down how long each section should take.
Some folks outline their information on file cards as a compact and handy reminder of what will be said.
Another hint is to place a time piece within easy eyesight to help make sure your “speech” doesn’t drag on and become long to those in your “audience.”
Unless you are a seasoned public speaker, don’t forget to schedule time before your talk to get rid of any “butterflies” you may experience. The following suggestions come from INC. (online)
Tips for preparing:
- Practice, practice, practice - in front of a trusted friend or loved one, or just by yourself.
- Attend similar speeches
- Work on pauses and breathing
On the day of your presentation:
- Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm: ‘Pump yourself up’ (without excessive caffeine)!
- Arrive early
- Adjust to your surroundings
- Smile
- Meet and greet
- Use positive visualization
- Take deep breaths
- Use a power stance
- Drink water
- Don’t fight the fear
If you don’t yet feel “ready” to do a public presentation, don’t sweat it.
Just know that you have the tools at your fingertips should you choose to speak out in the future.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14623515
https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/risk-fact-sheet
https://www.mayoclinic.org/breast-cancer/expert-answers/faq-20058066
http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/hormonal/aromatase_inhibitors
https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/15-power-up-tips-to-make-you-a-better-presenter.html
