My new best friend

There was a good bit of excitement in the world of breast cancer (population: far too many) this week around a study part of the federal project Cancer Genome Atlas.  

The fact is that the topic of genetics makes my head swim. Science in general has always been a tough topic for me academically. But I never thought I'd be in a place in life where genetics would be so fascinating. Where it would both strike fear and enormous hope in my mind. 

In case you missed it on the news Monday, take a quick look at this study. It was on all the news shows Monday and Tuesday of this week. The study focused on my kind of cancer, Triple Negative, on basal cell cancers that start in the milk duct. Now, that's the kind of attention I love!

I still take exception to writers and researchers who publicly call Triple Negative "deadly". Wish they wouldn't do that just to get an emotional response from their readers. But I guess that's what most writers seek from their readers - an emotional response. Anyhow, the bigger point is that even though the risk is higher for me, there are plenty of Triple Negative survivors. Plenty. In fact, I'm going to be one of them. 

So while I wish the writer of this article would be a little more positive, I get the point:  A drug commonly used today to treat ovarian cancer is proving to be very effective against "deadly" Triple Negative cancer in studies and clinical trials. WooHoo!

Friends, give a big hello to PARP Inhibitors! There are many studies and clinical trials going on around breast cancer. I try to stay abreast (get it? A Breast...) of these studies. But this one is special. This one could be reality SOON. This one could potentially save MY life. Not just the lives of cancer victims in the far away future. It's the here and now.

Now that's the sort of science I love!