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Metastatic Breast Cancer Questions about advanced metastatic breast cancer. |
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| 11/19/2011 | Sister (age 50) has had Stage IV in the bone only for six years--still working, very active, but has recurrent sinus infections that the primary care keeps putting her on antibiotics for. Are the antibiotics bad for her condition? Also, I've read about curcumin. Is there a guideline for how much to take? Thanking you in advance. | ||
| Replied | JHU's Breast Center Reply | ||
| 11/19/2011 | Thank you for turning to the Johns Hopkins Breast Center. Thank you for being such a strong advocate for your sister, and supporting and loving her. So glad to hear of her general good health too. In regards to recurrent sinus infections, seek a consult with an ENT (Ear, nose and throat) speciailst for further evaluation. Possibly her immune system is somewhat compromised by medications used to treat her cancer, allowing the infections to recur. And perhaps the antibiotics prescribed by her PCP are not sufficient, and the actual cause (organism) of the infections needs to be identified. Also, consult with an Infection Disease physician specialist. In regards to Curcumin, it is a chemical found in tumeric, which is a plant and is the main spice in curry. Laboratory and animal research suggests that curcumin may slow the spread of cancer and the growth of new tumor blood vessels. It may also cause cancer cells to die. In the lab, curcumin has been studied for use in treating or preventing a number of cancers, breast cancers. Studies of curcumin in people are still in the early stages. Researchers are examining whether curcumin can reduce the risk of cancer in people with precancerous conditions. At this time, there isn't enough evidence to recommend curcumin for preventing or treating cancer, but research is ongoing. As always, your sister should talk with medical oncologist before using any herbal supplement. Hope this helps, and best wishes! | ||
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