LYME DISEASE TO TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER - Is there a link?

 I was diagnosed with Lyme disease from tick bite/s contracted in 2003 and 2005 see my story in right hand column of the web version of this blog.

My daily symptoms have been noticeable by inflammation just about everywhere but variable. 

I have tried a variety of treatment and combination treatment over the years many helped but none cured daily symptoms.

I have had gall bladder removed, appendix removed and hospitalised with pneumonia in 2019 found to have Bronchiectasis and I developed diverticulitis in recent years.

I found a breast lump in January 2021 and had a mastectomy in February 2021( no lymph node involved) followed by a diagnosis of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Chemo 4 x TC (Taxotere and Cyclophosphamide ) which was grim.

I had been referred to Chest Consultant following pneumonia in 2019 because of constant coughing which had gone hand in hand with my Lyme journey. Certain antibiotics relieved symptoms most especially Bactrim/ Septra/Co-Trimoxazole call it what you like. This is medication which can be used in treating Lyme so double benefit but try getting a doctor to prescribe on NHS. Despite constant request chest consultant would not prescribe without evidence of bacterial infection and as I struggled to cough out sufficient for a sputum sample she decided to do an investigation to remove samples from my lungs. Prior to this she arranged a scan of my chest. This scan showed swollen lymph nodes in my right lung and bronchial branch entering right lung. I was referred back to Breast Consultant in view of history of TNBC. The needle biopsy wasn’t sufficient to define what type of cancer I had  TNBC or a different lung cancer which might be treated differently.  I was referred to St Georges for a mediastinoscopy. I was given my results yesterday and it is a Triple Negative Breast Cancer metastasis.

One of the first things I read about TNBC metastasis was even with treatment prognosis was not much more than a year and without treatment maybe 3 months.

Everyone who has seen me in the NHS has been lovely but it took from December 2021 until June 2022 6 months to be referred for chemo therapy – unacceptable.

I am waiting to hear what Oncology will offer but I know there are no good treatments for TNBC.

I joined a Facebook group Triple Negative Warriors UK   which is a lovely group of ladies sharing their journeys and treatments, but so very sad to hear so many young mums struggling to survive this dreadful cancer. At 72 I am lucky to have had a good life.

19 years struggling with inflammation so no real surprise to end up with cancer, but I was aware of research Eva Sapi was involved with:-

Effect of Invasion of Borrelia burgdorferi in Normal and Neoplastic Mammary Epithelial Cells

Abstract