I need your suggestions!

I know you all are busy studying and revising, but I’m just too excited to share this with you.

For all those who have provided funds through the CostaPG store, and for all the peeps who keep supporting through their positive emails and messages, I’d like to let ya’ll know that your care shall be put to good use to build a website to help folk suffering from Cancer.

Why Cancer?

Because I get too many of Doctors who’re studying for NEET PG with the stress of a relative suffering from this dreaded disease.

If you thought studying for NEET PG was hard, imagine these Docs who persevere with studies regardless- It’s not easy when your mother or father has Breast or Colon Cancer.

I also believe that CostaPG can run on it’s own now, and will continue to do so while supporting it’s sister website: Pure Fire.

Why this post?

Well, I wanted to share one of the first posts that would come up once the website gets formally launched, and I wanted your honest opinions on it. Kindly email at purefireca@gmail.com after your read- All suggestions, especially constructive negative feedback is most welcome.

An Excerpt from an Article by Dr. Sujoy, MD Radio Oncology, AIIMS:

How do Breast Tumors spread and Metastasize?

Here’s a very simple analogy:

Imagine yourself as a tumour cell- You started off alone and now after multiplying, you’ve had to live with your ever growing family(the Primary Tumor Mass), and now there just isn’t enough food and glucose for everyone to live off.

The roads of arterial supply that get you your nutrients have been exploited too far.

So one day, you get kicked off from the main tumor mass to make room for the younger tumor cells.

Pity.

Once you’re separated away from mama tumor, you’ll now need to find a new place to settle.

Breast tumor cells love to ride through a system of vessels in your body known as the lymph vessels. These lymph vessels are filtering systems(for bacteria, etc.) that have watchposts periodically called “nodes” and they eventually carry the excess blood that has naturally “leaked out” from veins back to the heart.

Tumor cells are smart enough to use this lymphatic system to “travel” when looking for a new place to seed.

Here are the paths most little breast tumor outcast cells use to “spread” and create Secondary Tumors:

1. If in case the tumour is in the medial aspect of the breast, they’ll move towards the closest (lymph) nodal group or the internal mammary lymph nodes, or into the contralateral breast.

What this means in simpler terms is that if you had a lump in the center of your chest, it’s more likely to spread to the closest Lymph Node checkpoint it can find or into your other breast directly- because that’s how the lymph vessels run in the body.

2. If it is in the lateral aspect of the breast you move towards the axillary lymph nodes.

In other words, if you have a tumor closer to your chest border, it’s more likely to spread into your armpit(axilla).

3. If it is in the posterior(behind) aspect of the breast you move towards the posterior group of lymph nodes.

4. If it’s in the lower quadrant(inferomedial quadrant) of the breast, you move towards the subdiaphragmatic lymph nodes and further through the caval opening to invade the abdominal organs.

This means that if the tumor was in the lower-central area of the breast, it’d travel downwards and under your diaphragm and enter right into your tummy.

5. A Tumor cell may also dislodge from the primary site and enter the internal thoracic veins- These are vessels which carry spent blood from the chest wall and breast back to the heart.

Unfortunately, these vessels also have connections with your spinal bones(called vertebrae) through a venous vessel system known as the “vertebral plexus”.

This for a tumor cell is like joining the Highway:

Once a tumor cell enters this system, it’s got free flow access to go to the pelvis and even the brain, tracking along your vertebral column.

Scary.

6. Finally, If the tumour is in the upper part of breast, it could move towards the apical nodes to the supraclavicular nodes and then on to cervical group of lymph nodes, and further beyond to parotid lymph nodes.

In essence, the tumor in the upper breast can go through your collar bone lymph vessels, into your neck, and even reach your salivary gland called the parotid.

Thanks for the read, and let us know of your feedback @ purefireca@gmail.com

Here’s where you could start:

Would it be something you’d read?
Do we need more depth? Do we need to go more easy on the reader?
What could we have done better?
Do you know of anyone who’d be interested to contribute?

Happy Studies!