The 3 Screenings All Men Should Have Today
'I Used Fake Eyelashes To Hide My Black Eye - I Had No Idea It Was Rare Cancer'
For years, a teenager struggled with what she thought was a minor issue, only to later learn it was something far more serious. Daraine Cunningham wore fake eyelashes to cover what she believed was a "black eye," a condition that doctors had reportedly dismissed as normal for years.
It wasn't until later that she discovered it was actually a symptom of a rare form of cancer. Daraine's primary school teacher first noticed her left eye was swollen when she was just nine. Despite this, GPs attributed the issue to her migraines, according to Daraine.
The 19-year-old explained that the dark appearance of her eye led people to assume it was a "black eye," and she simply accepted it as "her flaw," thinking "everyone is different." At 14, doctors informed her they suspected a "harmless" lesion behind her eye and placed her on a non-urgent surgery waiting list.
Feeling insecure, Daraine started wearing large fake eyelashes to cover her eye, even having to reassure nightclub bouncers that it wasn't a black eye. The lesion was finally removed on February 24, but by March 26, doctors informed her that it had tested positive for cancer. Diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS), the devastated teen left her appointment in shock.
Opting against chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she has decided to have her eye removed in June and replaced with a prosthetic that will be "identical" to her other eye. The teenager said: "I went to the doctors and they were just telling me it was the migraines. I just assumed that everybody's got something different about them and this is just my flaw. It could have been a defect or something from birth, I don't know. I was always very insecure about it and I'd do anything to cover it up. I'd wear big false eyelashes.
"The thing I was told the most was, 'have you got a black eye?' At first it annoyed me and I was sick of hearing it but then I was so used to it I'd just laugh because it did look like a black eye. I used to go to a nightclub and when I was showing my ID I'd say, 'I've not got a black eye, I don't know what's wrong with it'. I used to joke about it and I never ever really thought it could be cancer. Nobody ever did.
"I thought most people suffer from migraines so I never really thought that was linked to my eye. I always used to think it was because I was dehydrated but even when I drank enough water they didn't seem to go away.
"Every now and again I'd get a little sharp stabbing pain in my eye but it would literally be there for a second and then it would go away. They (the doctors) said they didn't have to operate on it but they could, just to make me feel better because I was quite insecure about it. It made me feel quite ugly."
Daraine said that, in addition to her swollen eye, she also experienced frequent migraines up to five times a week but thought she was just dehydrated. She says doctors prescribed her beta blockers but she said these did not help.
In the five years that unemployed Daraine was waiting for her operation, she went for a couple of check-ups a year to monitor lesion's growth. She admits she still cries about her upcoming operation but is coming to terms with the reality of losing one of her eyes.
The distraught teen admitted: "I was over the moon when I finally had the operation but then they tested it and found out it was cancerous. I was quite distraught and I walked out as soon as I heard the word cancer. Especially with me only being 18 at the time, it was a lot. In this generation, your looks are everything. I'm coming to terms with it more now because in the end (the operation) is better for me.
"I'm accepting it but then some days I cry. It comes and goes in waves. I need to have it removed for my own sake or it could damage my future. I didn't want to give chemo a go because my grandad had cancer and he had chemo and he's not here anymore so I thought, 'I'm not even chancing it'.
Daraine is warning others to make sure their abnormalities and symptoms get checked out. She said: "If you notice anything unusual, get it checked. It could save your life. Don't let anything go unnoticed, anything small, keep pushing through with the doctors, hospitals, keep trying. Don't let them fob you off."
Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare cancer that starts in soft tissues like muscle and fat. It can occur anywhere in the body and accounts for just 0.15% of all soft tissue sarcomas, with around six cases diagnosed annually in England.
Do you have a story to share? Email ayaan.Ali@reachplc.Com.
What Is Stage 0 Cancer? Here's What You Should Know About This Unusual Diagnosis.
While most of us have heard of stage I, II, and III cancer—and especially the grimmest stage IV—many people don't know there's also an earlier stage of cancer known as stage 0.
Until recently, that included Tina Knowles, the mother of singer Beyonce, who revealed a breast cancer diagnosis in her new memoir. In an interview about the importance of getting screened early and often for cancer she said, "I didn't know that there was a stage 0. I could have caught this at stage 0 if I had not missed my mammogram."
(When should you get screened for breast cancer—and how often?)
It's unsurprising that Knowles didn't know about stage 0 as it isn't as commonly diagnosed as the other stages of cancer. It also isn't detectable for many types of cancer and often goes by a different name.
Here's what stage 0 cancer is, what sets it apart from other stages of cancer, and why regular cancer screenings are probably the only way you're going to catch it.
A colored scanning electron micrograph of breast cancer cells. When stage 0 cancer is discovered in breast tissue, it is typically called ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. DCIS only progresses to stage I, II, III, or IV cancer when it bursts through the milk ducts and starts spreading.
Micrograph by Anne Weston, EM STP, the Francis Crick Institute/Science Photo Library
How many stages of cancer are there?There are typically thought to be four main stages of cancer. Though sometimes determining these stages can be more complex, they are most often settled on by the TNM (Tumor, Nodes, and Metastasis) staging system—a diagnostic method oncologists follow to identify the size and location of a tumor and how far cancer cells have spread throughout the body.
Stage I of most types of cancer means a malignant (cancerous) growth of cells (known as a tumor) has been identified but is still small and confined to the organ where it originated.
This stage also means that, while those cells are invasive within that organ, they have not spread to any lymph nodes, explains Hatem Soliman, a breast oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. This is important because lymph nodes are found at more than 800 convergences of major blood vessels around the body—cancer identified in any of them means it had to spread from its original location to get there.
Stage II cancer means the primary tumor is large enough to meet sizing criteria that varies by cancer type. It usually also means cancer cells have been discovered in nearby lymph nodes.
(Our bodies are unique. Our cancers are too.)
Stage III cancer is more advanced because it means the primary tumor has grown beyond stage II sizing criteria and that cancer cells are spreading to more lymph nodes.
Stage IV cancer is often called metastatic cancer and means the tumor has grown further still and that the cancer has spread to many more lymph nodes and other parts of the body—often including invading vital organs, explains Elena Ratner, a physician and gynecologic oncologist at Yale Cancer Center in Connecticut. This pervasive spread makes it much harder to contain or eradicate the disease.
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What we're learning from lung cancer patients who never smoked How is stage 0 cancer different?Stage 0 cancer is different from these other stages because it means abnormal cells have been identified somewhere in the body, but those cells may not yet be cancerous. And, unlike cancer cells in stage I, they're not invading even the surrounding tissue of the organ where they originated.
These abnormal cells are also usually too small to form a tumor, so they generally cannot be picked up on internal organ scans like an ultrasound or MRI. They can be discovered on external tissue, however, and are frequently identified in breast tissue, thanks to routine mammograms.
Stage 0 cancer is also sometimes called carcinoma in situ because "in situ" is Latin for "in place." Sometimes a prefix is also attached to indicate where the worrisome cells are located—such as adenocarcinoma in situ, which refers to affected cell glands in the cervix, lungs, or gastrointestinal tract.
What is stage 0 breast cancer, or DCIS?When discovered in breast tissue, stage 0 cancer is diagnosed as ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, with "ductal" referring to the milk ducts in the breasts.
(What are dense breasts? How this common condition complicates cancer detection.)
DCIS "only becomes stage I, II, III, or IV cancer when it bursts through the milk ducts and starts spreading," says Mehra Golshan, deputy chief medical officer for surgical services at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital in Connecticut.
That doesn't always happen though. "Not all stage 0 breast cancer becomes invasive," he says, "but over time, some do."
Why early cancer diagnosis mattersBecause stage 0 cancer can evolve unexpectedly—sometimes months or even years after the abnormal cells are first discovered—patients "need to be followed closely to determine that this area doesn't develop into cancer," says Syma Iqbal, a physician and gastrointestinal oncologist at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles.
Sometimes doctors and patents decide not to wait to see though, she says, and choose to target the abnormal cells with localized radiation or surgical interventions.
While preventive treatments like these are not ideal, they are greatly preferred over cancer that isn't discovered until it has spread and is wreaking havoc on multiple organs and systems throughout the body—requiring more invasive treatments like chemotherapy.
This is why the American Cancer Society recommends for women to get screened for cervical cancer beginning at age 25 and for breast cancer starting between ages 40 and 45. The organization also suggests colorectal cancer screening for everyone beginning at age 45; for some men to get screened for prostate cancer at age 45; and for people who smoke or those with a family history of cancer to consider getting checked even sooner.
When caught and treated because of early screening, "stage 0 breast cancer has a survival rate approaching 99 percent," says Golshan.
Ratner agrees. "Both doctors and patients get very lucky if the cancer is caught in stage 0 as it is much easier to cure," she says. "It is the most favorable stage of cancer by far and has the best prognosis."
Which Antihistamine Does Not Cause Dry Eye?
Medications used to treat allergy symptoms can lead to dry eye. However, an eye drop form of antihistamine may be the best option to avoid this side effect if you're concerned about dry eyes.
Many people will take an oral antihistamine medication to help relieve allergy symptoms, which might include congestion, sneezing, or itchy, watery eyes. But they may not be the best options when it comes to avoiding dry eyes.
In this article, we will address how antihistamines affect your eyes and do not lead your eyes to drying out.
Eye drops that help to alleviate allergic symptoms typically soothe the eyes and do not cause dryness. If you're experiencing dry, itchy eyes, eye drops made specifically for allergic symptoms may help to relieve your discomfort.
Some of the eye drop versions of antihistamines include:
On the other hand, oral antihistamines can often reduce the ability of the eyes to produce tears and can make dry eye worse. As the medication works to dry a runny nose, it can also dry the natural moisture of the eye.
If you already have dry eyes and are experiencing allergy-type symptoms, it's important to talk with your healthcare team or pharmacist before taking an antihistamine.
While taking an antihistamine will likely help to alleviate your allergic symptoms, it could make your dry eyes worse. Using over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription eye drops to help treat dry eyes could be beneficial.
If your dry eye symptoms get worse, contact your healthcare team immediately.
If you're taking an antihistamine and want to help lessen the symptoms of dry eye, there are some key steps you can take. Remember, everyone's body reacts differently, and while some preventive steps may help some people, not every step is guaranteed to help every individual.
Tips to avoiding dry eye on antihistaminesSuggestions to avoid dry eye while taking this type of medication include:
Many healthcare professionals recommend using second- or third-generation antihistamines to treat mild to moderate allergy symptoms, including congestion, runny nose, and watery, itchy eyes.
However, these antihistamines, due to their drying effect, can result in dry eye. Your doctor or pharmacist may recommend OTC eye drops to help alleviate dry eye caused by taking an oral antihistamine.
If you begin to experience prolonged discomfort from dry eye or your symptoms begin to worsen, it's important to talk with your doctor. Since there are many potential causes of dry eye, your doctor can check for other possible causes of the dryness.
Generally, OTC antihistamines are safe and reliable. However, your doctor may suggest stopping the oral antihistamines if your dry eye symptoms persist.
Many people will take an antihistamine to help relieve the discomfort of the allergy symptoms. However, because of the medication's drying effect, they can cause dry eye or cause dry eye symptoms to worsen.
Antihistamines are considered to be safe and effective, however, if you're experiencing prolonged dry eye symptoms from the medication, you may want to consider consulting your healthcare team and asking if an eye drop formulation is right for you.
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