NEGATIVE!

Wahoo! My biopsy results came back as negative. WAHOO! Now, remember these results are not my brain tumour results; they are something different but possibly related to the treatment. BUT I am elated that they are negative. 

WARNING: If you do NOT want to know what it is about, STOP now, because it has to do with lady parts. You HAVE been warned. Got it? STOP NOW if you don't want to read any further. That's it. NO MORE WARNINGS. Okay. Here we go.


We're all adults and I never have a problem with full disclosure. Haha, boy, do I never have a problem with that! :) I've received a new Dr, a gynecologist. Yes, I've never had one and that's the fault of my family Dr who would never refer me. But after experiencing daily excessive bleeding for over a month he decided to give me one. Wasn't that nice of him? I had a biopsy, blood work, all the good stuff and at least it isn't cancer causing those problems. It could be hormone related due to the brain radiation. Go figure. I have the photocopies of the report from the gyno I will be seeing next month, and she apparently wants me to try the Mirena IUD. Well I've done a lot of research on this little device, and on the hormone it releases, progesterone. I've put together the following that I will be discussing with my Oncology Nurse tomorrow to see what she says. From what I'm reading, I won't be partaking of the treatment she is suggesting. I'm not sure how much longer I can take this, though; I'm sitting at almost 60 days of continuous excessive bleeding and it's draining me. Literally. Questions below.

***As per the Mirena website: http://www.mirena-us.com/safety-considerations/

Mirena is not appropriate for women who:  
•Problems with your immune system  
- I have cancer therefore I am immune suppressant/compromised.

***As per the US National Library of Medicine:  
Progesterone (P) participates in the regulation of several reproductive processes such as ovulation and sexual behavior, however, this hormone also participates in non-reproductive processes, such as neural excitability, learning and memory, and pathological processes such as cancer. P mainly elicits its effects by interaction with its intracellular receptor (PR), which is a ligand-activated transcription factor that modifies the expression of genes involved in the control of cell growth and proliferation, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptor. 
Two PR isoforms have been reported: PR-B and PR-A, which present different function and regulation. PR isoforms are expressed in U373 and D54 cell lines, which are derived from grades III and IV of human astrocytomas respectively. In both cells lines P increases the number of astrocytomas cells.


***As per a Research Journal
- Progesterone induces the growth and infiltration of human astrocytoma cells implanted in the cerebral cortex of the Rat. "Progesterone (P4) promotes cell proliferation in several types of cancer, including brain tumors such as astrocytomas, the most common and aggressive primary intracerebral neoplasm in humans."  Progesterone (P4) is a steroid hormone derived from cholesterol that regulates several functions such as sexual behavior, pregnancy, and neuroprotection, and it has also been related to cancer progression.

Now, considering my brain tumour is an oligoastrocytoma, a mixture of astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma cells, why would I want to continuously pump a hormone into my body that is going to contribute to the proliferation of those exact cells that are malignant in my brain? It certainly does not make any sense to me. So we are going to have to figure out a different treatment option. Obviously I am calling my Oncology nurse tomorrow so that I can discuss my concerns with her about everything, but I have discussed this topic with many people, some who are actually nurses themselves, and it seems that my understanding is spot on. My advice guys? Always go with your gut and research whatever your Dr wants to do for you treatment wise.

But the main thing is: Biopsy was negative. YAY!

~Tara