STANDING UP TO CANCER
Oncologist weighs impact of positive perspectives
When it comes to battling cancer, a Windsor oncologist says remaining hopeful can make a difference.
“Sometimes, people get very disheartened, they lose hope,” said Windsor Regional Cancer Centre medical oncologist Dr. Swati Kulkarni. “For some reason, I have seen people who have a positive attitude and are fighters do much better than somebody who is really giving up hope.”
Friday the 13th may relate to negative superstitions for some, but for regional health-care providers, it’s a day of education. The Erie St. Clair Regional Cancer program held its Cancer Education Day event, which coincides with each Friday the 13th. The series hosted at the Ciociaro Club focuses on a different type of cancer at each event. This week’s focus was on breast cancer.
Why exactly a positive outlook can make a difference remains unclear, said Kulkarni, but it’s something she’s noticed time and time again.
“I am sure there is a chemistry in our body, the way that things work if we are positive versus negative might affect the outcome. But this is a very interesting thing I’ve noticed in my practice.”
Kulkarni spoke Friday about the journey of one of her patients who had early-stage breast cancer, which later developed into metastatic Stage 4.
“She was in a lot of pain when she presented,” Kulkarni said. “She had to spend at least two months in the hospital because the cancer was in her bones and she was getting fractures so she had different surgeries, radiation, and then she had to go through rehab.”
Kulkarni said the patient now only takes oral medication for treatment. She said there have been great strides in her quality of life — going from being bed-bound at one point to working full-time and enjoying a full life.
“She never gave up hope.” Around 120 doctors, nurses, radiation therapists and medical students heard presentations from doctors highlighting the journey of a breast-cancer patient from diagnosis to treatment.
Some of the newer treatment approaches discussed Friday included oral medications used with hormone treatments.
“It’s called CD46K inhibitors,” Kulkarni said. “These pills have made a lot of changes in women’s lives because it adds time to life and they also add some time before the cancer starts progressing.”
She said doctors are also trying to start treatments earlier, at the time of diagnosis for high-risk patients. “That’s called neoadjuvant treatment and we’re giving that treatment to them before the surgery so that cancer doesn’t spread anywhere else,” Kulkarni said. “Then they go for surgery and radiation, if required, so we’re changing that a little bit.”
Other presentations looked at breast surgery options, early detection, shared care and management of symptoms.