In a world where most of us fear the ‘C’ word, 29-year-old Yasmine Gloria, who is currently a law graduate, small business owner, and digital content creator, is fighting and taking on multiple cancers simultaneously. Her battle began when she was just an 11-year-old child. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that affected her left femur bone, following which she underwent several bone replacement surgeries and nine cycles of chemotherapy, pre and post-surgery.
In general, childhood cancers affect an estimated 4 lakh children and adolescents of 0-19 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The most common types of childhood cancers include leukaemias, brain cancers, lymphomas and solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumours. The global health body suggests that the likelihood of surviving a diagnosis of childhood cancer depends on the country in which the child lives, meaning in high-income countries, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, but in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) less than 30% are cured.
Yasmine not only survived cancer but also thrived in her education and as an entrepreneur. She worked hard to become independent and for 16 long years, she has been fighting to be accepted for who she is.
Also Read: Accepting The Diagnosis Was Most Challenging: Digital Creator Esha Dhingra On Her Breast Cancer Journey
When The Cancer Came Back
A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, not just for the patient but for everyone around them. Imagine having to relive it.
In an exclusive interaction with the OnlyMyHealth team, Yasmine said, “Last year, during January 2022, I felt a lump on my breast. I did not think much of it because we usually get lumps during menstruation. Over time, it became very hard. I got a bit scared, so I went for a checkup. When the results came, it turned out to be breast cancer.”
When she underwent a CT scan, the doctors found that it was not only breast cancer, but she also had a tumour in her stomach.
“It was very devastating for me since it was the second time I was diagnosed with cancer. It was very difficult for me to accept the fact that I was going through it all over again,” she remembered.
“For the four months initially, when I had cancer, I did not talk to anyone, I was very isolated and sad. Also, during this whole situation, I got parosmia, a condition where your sense of smell is altered. You smell very bad things; the food smelled bad, I couldn't eat at all. I was living on protein powder during that time,” she added.
She was 28 then.
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Understanding Second Cancer
What Yasmine had was a case of second cancer or second primary cancer, which the Cancer.Net describes as the occurrence of new cancer that occurs in a person who has already had cancer in the past. It should not be mistaken for cancer recurrence, which Dr Sajjan Rajpurohit, Senior Director, Medical Oncology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, defines as cancer that comes back after it has been treated.
"Second cancer may be a late effect of your first cancer or its treatment, or it may be unrelated to your first cancer. Second cancers are becoming more common since more people are living longer after their first cancer diagnosis than ever before. About 1 in every 6 people diagnosed with cancer has had a different type of cancer in the past," the health body shared.
On Battling Multiple Cancers
Unfortunately, Yasmine’s cancer diagnosis did not stop at the breast and stomach. A PET scan revealed that she had developed cancer in her jawbone too. Another follow-up examination revealed that the cancer had metastasized to her liver, which according to Dr Rajpurohit, occurs when cancer cells break away from the primary tumour (the original site of cancer) and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body, where they can form secondary tumours.
In Yasmine's case, the cause of multiple cancers is a condition called Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects 5 in 20,000 families worldwide, according to research.
She underwent seven cycles of two sets of chemotherapy, one major surgery, and two more surgeries, which involved a Breast Conservation Surgery (BCS) that does not remove the entire breast like mastectomy but removes just the cancerous area in the breast, and jaw bone and liver ablation procedure.
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On being asked about the likelihood of multiple cancers, Dr Rajpurohit said, “It is possible for an individual to develop multiple cancers at the same time. This is known as multiple primary cancers or multiple primary tumours.”
“These are distinct, unrelated cancers that originate in different parts of the body. The occurrence of multiple primary cancers is relatively rare, but it does happen,” he added.
Metastasis occurs when cancer cells break away from the primary tumour (the original site of cancer) and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body, where they can form secondary tumours.
The Difference Between Primary And Secondary Cancer
According to the doctor, the main difference between primary and secondary cancer is where the cancer starts.
“A primary cancer is a cancer that starts in a specific organ or tissue. Secondary cancer, also known as metastasis, is a cancer that has spread from the primary cancer to another part of the body,” he explained.
The Will To Live, Love, Laugh
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Yasmine is indeed a ‘Warrior Princess’. Every day, she strives to be happy, to be content. A little scared, a little uncertain, she still believes.
“Doctors don't say much, because in cancer, they can't give you an ultimatum. They can’t tell you if you're going to be fine or not. They say that we can only hope that the medicines work.
“I get scared. But whatever time I have left, long or short, I don't want to waste it,” she shares.
