October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and this year, we’re marking
it by sharing relevant information about breast cancer that we think every girl should have.
We came across this amazing article on webmd.com titled ‘Facts about breast
cancer’. Take a look about the article below.
Cells in the body normally divide (reproduce) only when new cells are
needed. Sometimes, cells in a part of the body grow and divide out of control,
which creates a mass of tissue called a tumor. If the cells that are growing
out of control are normal cells, the tumour is called benign (not cancerous). If
however, the cells that are growing out of control are abnormal and do not function
like the body's normal cells, the tumour is called malignant (cancerous).
Cancers are named after the part of the body from which they originate. Breast cancer originates in the breast tissue. Like other cancers, breast cancer can invade and grow into the tissue surrounding the breast. It can also
travel to other parts of the body and form new tumours, a process called
metastasis.
What Causes Breast Cancer?
Even if we do not know what causes breast
cancer, we do know that certain risk factors may put you
at higher risk of developing it, like one’s: age, genetic factors, personal
health history, and diet.
Who Gets Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women after skin
cancer. Today, about 1 in 8 women (12%) will develop
breast cancer in her lifetime. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of
cancer death in women (lung cancer is first). The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2012, about
226,870 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and about 39,510
will die from breast cancer.
Only 5% to 10% of breast cancers occur in women with a clearly defined
genetic predisposition for the disease. The majority of breast cancer cases are
"sporadic," meaning there is no direct family history of the disease.
The risk of developing breast cancer increases as a woman gets older.
What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
The symptoms of breast cancer include:
- Lump or
thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle.
- A mass or lump,
which may feel as small as a pea.
- A change in the
size, shape, or contour of the breast.
- A blood-stained
or clear fluid discharge from the nipple.
- A change in the
feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or nipple (dimpled, puckered,
scaly, or inflamed).
- Redness of the
skin on the breast or nipple.
- A change in
shape or position of the nipple
- An area that is
distinctly different from any other area on either breast.
- A marble-like
hardened area under the skin.
What Are the Types of Breast Cancer?
The most common types of breast cancer are:
Invasive ductal carcinoma. This cancer starts in the milk ducts of the breast. Then it breaks
through the wall of the duct and invades the fatty tissue of the breast. This
is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for 80% of invasive cases.
Ductal carcinoma
in situ (DCIS) is ductal carcinoma in its earliest stage
(stage 0). "In situ" refers to the fact that the cancer hasn't spread
beyond its point of origin. In this case, the disease is confined to the milk
ducts and has not invaded nearby breast tissue. If untreated, ductal carcinoma
in situ may become invasive cancer. It is often curable.
Infiltrating
(invasive) lobular carcinoma. This
cancer begins in the lobules of the breast where breast milk is produced, but
has spread to surrounding tissues or other parts of the body. It accounts for
about 10% of invasive breast cancers.
Lobular
carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is cancer that
is only in the lobules of the breast. It isn't a true cancer, but serves as a
marker for the increased risk of developing breast cancer later. Thus, it is
important for women with lobular carcinoma in situ to have regular clinical
breast exams and mammograms.
In addition, there are several other less common types of breast cancer.
What Are the Stages of Breast Cancer?
Early stage or
stage 0 breast cancer is when the disease is localized to the breast with no
evidence of spread to the lymph nodes (carcinoma in situ).
Stage I breast
cancer: The cancer is 2 centimeters or less in size and it hasn't spread
anywhere.
Stage IIA breast
cancer is a tumor smaller than 2 centimeters across with lymph node involvement
or a tumor that is larger than 2 but less than 5 centimeters across without
underarm lymph node involvement.
Stage IIB is a
tumor that is greater than 5 centimeters across without underarm lymph nodes
testing positive for cancer or a tumor that is larger than 2 but less than 5
centimeters across with lymph node involvement.
Stage IIIA
breast cancer is also called locally advanced breast cancer. The tumor is
larger than 5 centimeters and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm, or a
tumor that is any size with cancerous lymph nodes that adhere to one another or
surrounding tissue.
Stage IIIB
breast cancer is a tumor of any size that has spread to the skin, chest wall,
or internal mammary lymph nodes (located beneath the breast and inside the
chest).
Stage IIIC
breast cancer is a tumor of any size that has spread more extensively and
involves more lymph node invasion.
Stage IV breast
cancer is defined as a tumor, regardless of size, that has spread to places far
away from the breast, such as bones, lungs, liver, brain, or
distant lymph nodes.
How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed?
During your regular physical exam, your doctor will take a careful
personal and family history and perform a breast exam and possibly order a
mammogram or an ultrasound of the breasts. In certain women who are at
increased risk for breast cancer, an MRI may be ordered.
Based on the results of these tests, your doctor may or may not request
a biopsy to get a sample of the breast mass cells or tissue.
After the sample is removed, it is sent to a lab for testing. A
pathologist -- a doctor who specializes in diagnosing abnormal tissue changes
-- views the sample under a microscope and looks for abnormal cell shapes or
growth patterns. When cancer is present, the pathologist can tell what kind of
cancer it is (ductal or lobular carcinoma) and whether it has spread beyond the
ducts or lobules (invasive).
Lab tests such as hormone receptor tests (estrogen and
progesterone) can show whether the hormones help the cancer to grow. If the
test results show that hormones help the cancer grow (a positive test), the cancer
is likely to respond to hormonal treatment. This therapy deprives the cancer of
the estrogen hormone.
Breast cancer diagnosis and
treatment are best accomplished by a team of experts working together with the
patient. Each patient needs to evaluate the advantages and limitations of each
type of treatment, and work with her team of doctors to develop the best
approach.
Further Reading:
·
Women's
Health Home
How Is Breast Cancer Treated?
If the tests find breast cancer, you and your doctor will develop a
treatment plan to eradicate the breast cancer, to reduce the chance of cancer
returning in the breast, as well as to reduce the chance of the cancer
traveling to a location outside of the breast. Treatment generally follows
within a few weeks after the diagnosis.
The type of treatment recommended will depend on the size and location
of the tumor in the breast, the results of lab tests done on the cancer cells
and the stage or extent of the disease. Your doctor usually considers your age
and general health as well as your feelings about the treatment options.
Breast cancer treatments are local
or systemic.
- Local treatments
are used to remove, destroy, or control the cancer cells in a specific area,
such as the breast. Surgery and radiation treatment are local treatments.
- Systemic
treatments are used to destroy or control cancer cells all over the body.
Chemotherapy; hormone therapy such as tamoxifen; aromatase inhibitors such as Arimidex, Aromasin, and Femara; and biologic drugs such as Herceptin, Perjeta, and Tykerb are systemic
treatments. A patient may have just one form of treatment or a combination,
depending on her needs.
What Happens After Treatment?
Following local breast cancer treatment, your doctors will determine the
likelihood that the cancer will recur outside the breast. This team usually
includes a medical oncologist, a specialist trained in using medicines to treat
breast cancer. The medical oncologist, who works with the surgeon, may advise
the use of hormone therapy or possibly chemotherapy. These treatments are used
in addition to, but not in place of, local breast cancer treatment with surgery
and/or radiation therapy.
Steps to protect yourself from Breast Cancer?
Follow these three steps for early breast cancer detection:
- Annual
screening mammography starting at age 40 or 50. Breast cancer experts don't
agree when women need to begin getting mammograms. Ask your doctor.
- Women in high-risk categories should have screening mammograms every year and
typically start at an earlier age. MRI or ultrasound screening can also be
given in addition to mammograms. Discuss the best approach with your doctor.
- Have your
breasts examined by a health care provider at least once every three years
after age 20, and every year after age 40. Clinical breast exams can complement
mammograms.
Source:
http://women.webmd.com/guide/breast-cancer-arm-yourself-with-facts?page=3
