Understanding Cancer - The Cancer Series part 5

In the latest part of the Cancer Series we discussed how each cancer will get a unique set of genetic changes (i.e. mutations), and how that affects the treatment for cancer. I did also mention that there are two types of genes that are always involved in cancer. And today we'll discuss these in depth.

Oncogenes
Oncogenes are a type of genes that have the potential when changed, i.e. mutated, to cause a cancer. Every gene starts out in a normal way, without any mutations or changes. The genes that then can cause a cancer if changed is in its normal condition called a proto-oncogene. A proto-oncogene that is changed either by mutations of by being expressed at a higher level (higher expression of a gene leads to there being more of the coded protein of that gene) has then become an oncogene. Oncogenes are usually genes that code for proteins that tell the cell to grow. Normally proto-oncogenes are quite silent and dormant, because cells are not supposed to grow all the time, but only sometimes. However, just one mutation in a proto-oncogene can turn it into an oncogene, where the gas is stepped on and the gene cannot be turned off. That's when it gets dangerous. The protein that is coded by the oncogene is stuck in one gear where it constantly signals for the cell to grow and grow and grow...

Cancers are smart, an oncogene, that has been mutated, looks so different that the proteins that are supposed to stop it when it gets out of hand can't recognise it any more, and therefore can't switch it off. So the cells never get the signal to stop growing and dividing, which as you remember from part 2 of the Cancer Series is one of the traits needed to cause a cancer.


Tumour Suppressor Genes
Tumour Suppressors (TS) are genes that protect against cancer development, however these can cause cancer as well. TS are like the opposite of oncogenes, they stop a cell from growing and dividing. You can think of TS as the brake if an oncogene is the gas. You have two copies of the TS, just as with all of your genes (this is because you have two sets of chromosomes, one from your mother and one from your father). What happens in cancer is that one of the copies of a TS gene is mutated and loses its function, and the other is lost in some way (either by mutation or by chunks of the chromosome being lost in division). Losing the function of only one TS is okay, the cells can manage with the gene on the other chromosome that is still normal. When both lose their function though it's like the brakes of a car disappearing. Suddenly there is no stopping the cells growth. Mutations in the TS can usually happen in a wide variety of ways. So it is very hard to stop the cells from losing their TS.


As you remember we said that a cancer usually contains at least five or six mutations. So a cancer cell usually has a combination of different mutations in oncogenes and TS. And as tumours get bigger, there are more mutations in genes, which make the tumour meaner and more aggressive. So there can be thousands of possible combinations of mutations in one single cancer cell. Again, this is why a drug might not work for some patients while being effective for another patient. See part 3 of the Cancer Series for more about treatments.

This time we discussed oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. Oncogenes are genes that act like the gas of the car. Mutations in the oncogenes leads to the gene telling the cell to grow and divide, even when it should not, it's like the car is stuck on the gas, like in the movie Speed. Tumour suppressor genes are the brakes of the car, telling the cell to stop growing. Mutations in the tumour suppressor genes leads to the genes losing their function, and it's like a car loses its brakes.

On to the outfit...

This dress is from one of my favourite brands, Miss Patina. They are on the pricey side, but I usually shop in their sale. Miss Patina has lovely dresses that are vintage inspired and have a very "English air" about them, which I really appreciate. This particular dress made me fall in love with it because of the beautiful pearl buttons. I love it when a fairly ordinary dress becomes so much more with little details like buttons.

Dress: Miss Patina (old)

Earrings: Gift

You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

Since I've discovered Book of Deer I have been a fan.
The brand gets inspiration from nature and fairytales resulting in the most beautiful hand drawn prints that are bound to stand out as something special compared to today's trends. From unique prints to feminine pieces Book of Deer is everything I love with clothes.

The latest collection from Book of Deer "An Ode to Iceland", is inspired by the mystical Iceland. With amazing silhouettes and unique prints, I think this might be my favourite collection from Book of Deer so far. I instantly fell for the Sakna dress in Sky with its alluring print of the northern lights. The northern lights have always fascinated me, the sky wakes up into a whirl of colour and magic. I have been lucky enough to see the northern lights countless of times, as I live in the north of Sweden. When I was younger I didn't really understand how unusual it is, but as I've grown older I've cherished the appearances of the aurora more than before.

The name of the dress strikes a chord in me. Sakna in Swedish means to miss, as in "I miss you". It is a delicate name for a dress that made me reminisce about old times that I miss, when I would walk home from school and see the northern lights. Usually you see the lights on very cold days, and I can remember those days when the cold air brought tears to my eyes and would freeze my eyelashes together. I would tear open my eyes to look at the painted sky above that was alive with magnificent light. It really is a graceful moment of mythical beauty, that has now been captured in cloth by Book of Deer.

Dress: Book of Deer (here)

Socks: H&M (old)

Shoes: La Redoute (old)

Do you have any item of clothing that reminds you of days long past? Anything that brings back memories or feelings of yesteryear?

Much love!

Understanding Cancer - The Cancer Series part 4

Last time we discussed how there is no cure for cancer, because cancer is really many different diseases and there is about as many cancers as there are cancer patients. This time we will look further into that. What exactly do I mean when I say that there are as many cancers as there are cancer patients?

From part 1 and 2 of the Cancer Series you remember that cancer cells are cells that have special traits and can grow uncontrollably. In part 2 we talked about the "hallmarks" of cancer and we said that a cancer cell can grow on it's own and forever, it can ignore signals that tells it to stop growing or that tells it to die. At the same time cancer cells can create new blood vessels and by doing so can spread to the rest of the body. Well, how come a cancer cell can have all these traits and characteristics. The answer lies in the genes.

Genes are snippets of DNA. DNA consists of nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA. If you've studied these things before, you'll remember that there are four nucleotides, A, C, G and T. These nucleotides are arranged in a super specific order and create a certain sequence. Together the sequences tell the cells how to manufacture proteins, and proteins are basically everything we as humans (and other carbon-based life) are made of.

So the gene, the sequence of DNA, is an instruction of how the protein should look and be. Sometimes though, you can have mutations which changes the instructions, and when talking about cancer this is where things go wrong. A mutation in the gene changes the way that the protein it codes for will look. This can alter the protein so drastically that it cannot function normally any more. However just one mutation will not cause cancer. Usually it takes at least five or six genetic changes (i.e. mutations) for a normal cell to become cancerous. And if you think about it, we had six hallmarks of cancer. So a mutation in each of the hallmarks lead to a normal cell being transformed into a cancer cell. And as a tumour gets bigger more and more genes starts to mutate. Some mutations make the cancer more aggressive and "meaner". So there can be thousands of possible combinations of mutations, every cancer is caused by a different set of genetic mutations. And this is why a drug might not work for some patients while it works for others with cancer in the same tissue.

Hopefully now you better understand what I meant when I said that there are as many cancers as there are cancer patients. Each patient will have a unique cancer that has gotten to where it is by taking a different genetic path.

I realise that this part became very science-y so if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask, I will do my best to try and answer them all. And then next time I'll tell you about two types of genes that are always involved in cancer.

On to the outfit...

This pinafore is from Miss Patina and I absolutely love it. It goes with almost anything and is super comfy and very warm (which is good for someone like me that is always cold). I also really like it because another colour of the same pinafore is worn in Doctor Who by the character Clara Oswald in the episode that will air later tonight! The style is very Clara, and with the colour I got that is in tweed it is also very Doctor, so it is a nice pinafore that sums up both the Doctor and Clara in one item of clothing.

I also have to mention the shoes. This is the first time I'm wearing heels in a blog post and that's because I didn't really choose the shoes at all. It was a ModCloth Stylish Surprise. If you're not familiar with the Stylish Surprise that ModCloth hosts every once in a while I'll enlighten you. It's a mystery item that you buy in your size for a fraction of the price. You choose either to buy a dress, an item of clothing (top or bottom), or a pair of shoes, and you have no idea what you are sent until you get it. It is super exciting! I think about what I might get from the moment I order it until I actually receive it (which is usually a couple of weeks, since I live in Sweden). I received these lovely shoes as my Stylish Surprise and I fell in love within an instant. I am so into these shoes. They aren't too high, they're comfortable (which I don't usually think high heels are), and they are so pretty! I was super excited that I received these shoes. Definitely worth the 10 dollars I spent on my shoe Stylish Surprise.

Pinafore: Miss Patina (here)

Blouse: Miss Patina (here)

Tights: Primark

Shoes: ModCloth (sold out, similar here)

I also got some dresses and tops as Stylish Surprises, but I will show you those in another post. For now I will conclude with this: I am lucky in my Stylish Surprises, and have always received pretty things that I like. So I am definitely pro-Stylish Surprise by ModCloth! It's about twice a year, so it's important to keep an eye at ModCloth's social media pages where they announce it. This is by the way a completely non-sponsered post. Just wanted to let you in on the exciting Stylish Surprise if you didn't already know about it.

Have a lovely weekend and a beautiful rest of October.
Much love!

Happy October

Hello all you lovely people! I hope you have had a fantastic start to October! I can hardly believe time goes so quickly and it's already October, but I definitely felt it this morning on my way to work. There's a nip in the air that leaves rosy cheeks and numb fingers.

October is probably my favourite month of the year. I love so many things about October. It is my lovely sister's birthday in October, so I am lucky enough to always get cake in October. Another beautiful thing about this month is the colourful frock that dons the foliage. I also take great pleasure in stepping on fallen leaves. Does anyone else do that? I love feeling the leaves shatter under my shoes, and I enjoy the crisp sound it makes.

Another October favourite is that you can finally start to wear knitted hats and scarves again. I love warm knits in every shape and form. This cute little hat I'm wearing in this post is a new favourite. It's from the new collection "An Ode to Iceland" by Book of Deer (which is a favourite brand of mine) and I could not resist the little beanie with a peaked top and adorable Icelandic elf houses.

I say welcome to October - let autumn come!

Hat - Book of Deer (here)