.:lab:.
Assalamualaikum wrt wbt.

Salam dari laboratory minggu ini. SSC (Student Selected Component) telah bermula secara rasmi Selasa lepas. Alhamdulillah akhirnya supervisor saya yang tersohor berjaya ditemui di pejabatnya. Saya dibawa ke Oncology Research Lab lalu diperkenalkan dengan lebih kurang 6 orang pelajar pHD yang sedang menjalankan research di situ. Mesra sungguh. Saya diberikan tag nama yang comel, buku lab percuma, dan ruang khas (in case u want to check your email or facebook?). Rasa sedikit kekok dengan persekitaran baru yang dikelilingi mesin-mesin gabak dan canggih, tidak lupa botol-botol kimia yang bermacam-macam warna. Sebagai pelajar perubatan yang berwibawa, saya agak rindu dengan suasana hospital yang penuh manusia pelbagai ragam. Di sini cuma ada peti ais simpan cell, mesin PCR, botol-botol kaca, dan pelbagai alatan pelik yang tidak dapat dikenalpasti nama dan keturunannya. Itu la,pilih tajuk lab sorang-sorang sape suruh?

Well,tidaklah sewarna-warni mana. Ini makmal oncology, bukan makmal kimia.

Namun saya bukanlah anti-social. Alhamdulillah masih ada ramai orang di dalam lab cuma masing-masing agak sibuk dengan kerja mereka. Lalu saya pun menyibukkan diri membaca research paper yang berbelas-belas muka surat. Allahu, kaya sungguh ilmuNya. Nama-nama enzyme seperti RNase, tyrosine kinase berlegar-legar mencari kedudukan di dalam hippocampus. Allah,Allah... Nasib baik pelajar pHD yang saya ekori setiap saat dan masa di lab memahami kedudukan saya yang seolah-olah baru menceburi bidang research (sebenarnya dah pernah belajar time 1st year!). Lalu HTC Desire yang baru pulih menjadi sumber rujukan saya. Mudah zaman sekarang ni,nak cari ilmu tekan je Haji Google atau Kak Wikipedia,berjela-jela jawapan. Sarah,nama pelajar pHD yang saya anggap guru saya itu. Sungguh periang dan frank, jadi jangan buat muka atau aksi-aksi blur anda leen. Hari pertama lagi saya sudah diberikan free coffee. Ptosis mata saya menahan kepahitan coffee tersebut apatah lagi saya bukan penggemar coffee. Dengan menzahirkan senyuman, "the taste is nice but I prefer tea actually", jujur cara Irish. :)

Minggu ini tidak banyak yang boleh saya lakukan sendiri. Lebih banyak kepada melihat, bertanya, mencari dan membuat kesimpulan. InsyaAllah minggu depan saya dah boleh buat something insyaAllah. Research saya lebih tertumpu kepada fungsi Ets-2 dan SRC-1 sebagai penyebab ketidakberkesanan rawatan aromatase inhibitor. Proteomic study. Memang menarik namun masih berkecamuk mencari nama dan peranan setiap perkataan pelik yang saya jumpa di dalam research paper. Allah, besarnya alam ciptaanNya! Dari sebesar-besar cakerawala ke sekecil-kecil nucleus yang dipenuhi Ets-2 dan SRC-1. Dulu cuma belajar clinical signs and symptoms, now lets look at the molecular level. Adapun keceriaan berada di lab, teringat juga pesakit-pesakit yang menderita breast cancer ni. Banyak cell sample yang diambil daripada biopsy,maksudnya banyak juga la pesakitnya. Allahu, kadar relapse (breast cancer kali kedua) untuk rawatan Aromatase inhibitor (letrazole) adalah 40% dalam 5 tahun! Allahu, kesiannya. Jadi besar sebenarnya pahala mereka yang mengkaji tentang rawatan breast cancer ni.

Memandangkan saya sudah menulis tentang research breast cancer, mari ULANGkaji semula sedikit sebanyak tentang breast cancer from clinical point of view. Ini topik feveret Prof.Hill ni.

Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. There are two main types of breast cancer:

  • Ductal carcinoma starts in the tubes (ducts) that move milk from the breast to the nipple. Most breast cancers are of this type.

  • Lobular carcinoma starts in the parts of the breast, called lobules, that produce milk.

In rare cases, breast cancer can start in other areas of the breast.

Breast cancer may be invasive or noninvasive. Invasive means it has spread from the milk duct or lobule to other tissues in the breast. Noninvasive means it has not yet invaded other breast tissue. Noninvasive breast cancer is called "in situ."

  • Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or intraductal carcinoma, is breast cancer in the lining of the milk ducts that has not yet invaded nearby tissues. It may progress to invasive cancer if untreated.

  • Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is a marker for an increased risk of invasive cancer in the same or both breasts.

Many breast cancers are sensitive to the hormone estrogen. This means that estrogen causes the breast cancer tumor to grow. Such cancers have estrogen receptors on the surface of their cells. They are called estrogen receptor-positive cancer or ER-positive cancer.

Over the course of a lifetime, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Risk factors you cannot change include:

  • Age and gender - Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older. Most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men.

  • Family history of breast cancer -You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast, uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer. About 20 - 30% of women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease.

  • Genes -Some people have genes that make them more likely to develop breast cancer. The most common gene defects are found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes normally produce proteins that protect you from cancer. If a parent passes you a defective gene, you have an increased risk for breast cancer. Women with one of these defects have up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer sometime during their life.

  • Menstrual cycle - Women who got their periods early (before age 12) or went through menopause late (after age 55) have an increased risk for breast cancer.

Other risk factors include:

  • Alcohol use -Drinking more than 1 - 2 glasses of alcohol a day may increase your risk for breast cancer.

  • Childbirth - Women who have never had children or who had them only after age 30 have an increased risk for breast cancer. Being pregnant more than once or becoming pregnant at an early age reduces your risk of breast cancer.

  • DES - Women who took diethylstilbestrol (DES) to prevent miscarriage may have an increased risk of breast cancer after age 40. This drug was given to the women in the 1940s - 1960s.

  • Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - You have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have received hormone replacement therapy with estrogen for several years or more.
  • Obesity -Obesity has been linked to breast cancer, although this link is controversial. The theory is that obese women produce more estrogen, which can fuel the development of breast cancer.
  • Radiation - If you received radiation therapy as a child or young adult to treat cancer of the chest area, you have a much higher risk for developing breast cancer. The younger you started such radiation and the higher the dose, the higher your risk -especially if the radiation was given during breast development.

Early breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms. This is why regular breast exams are important. As the cancer grows, symptoms may include:

  • Breast lump or lump in the armpit that is hard, has uneven edges, and usually does not hurt

  • Change in the size, shape, or feel of the breast or nipple -- for example, you may have redness, dimpling, or puckering that looks like the skin of an orange

  • Fluid coming from the nipple -- may be bloody, clear to yellow, green, and look like pus

Men can get breast cancer, too. Symptoms include breast lump and breast pain and tenderness.

Symptoms of advanced breast cancer may include:

  • Bone pain

  • Breast pain or discomfort

  • Skin ulcers

  • Swelling of one arm (next to the breast with cancer)

  • Weight loss

Sedikit sebanyak ulangkaji (sikit sungguh). InsyaAllah kena membaca lagi ni,exam pun dah parking kat lot corner sekarang. Harus bersedia lebih awal supaya kurang gementar dan kurang serangan jangkitan homesiccoccus. Sekarang harus membaca tentang RNA extraction untuk esok. Berusaha!


All the best adik-adik dan rakan-rakan! Bitaufiq wannajah. Just a little push. :)


nota metatarsal : hari ni birthday Abah dan Akif. Allah, pelihara mereka dan rahmati mereka ya rabbi kerana kasihMu melebihi kasihku. Dengar cerita berKFC di rumah. Homesicoccus dah mula menyucuk-nyucuk ni.

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1 Response
  1. Qays Says:
    May 22, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    Sangat benar. Sangat besar pahala orang yg mengkaji tentang rawatan breast cancer ni. Gambatte! =.D


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