Katy Baumgartner
Mrs. Whitacre
Biology Period 2
11 March 2012
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor; it starts in the tissue of the breast. A malignant
tumor is a group of cancerous cells that can grow into or invade surrounding tissues that
spread to distant areas of the body. Breast cancer can start in other places too. The breast
is made up of lobules, ducts, blood vessels and lymph nodes. Your risk of getting breast
cancer develops, as you get older. Certain risk such as being overweight or using
hormone replacements can increase the chances of getting diagnosed with breast cancer.
Symptoms of getting diagnosed with breast cancer are breast pains, breast discharge,
swelling, weight loss, swelling in one arm, rash on the breast, fluid coming from the
nipple may be clear to yellow green and looks like puss. You might also have a breast
lump in the armpit, nipple turning inward, or nipple pain; you may have blood coming
out of the nipple. Also some symptoms are change in the size or shape of the breast.
Checking yourself at your doctor should occur twice a month. You should have an annual
mammogram, woman of or over the age of 40 are recommended to have a mammogram
every one to two years.
If a person is diagnosed with breast cancer there are many treatment options. If you
find out you’re diagnosed with breast cancer in your earlier stages then you have a higher
chance of beating the cancer. Women should always get a second opinion. Radiation is a
high targeted highly affected way to destroy cancer cells in the breast that may stick
around after surgery; radiation can reduce the risk of recurrence of breast cancer by about
70 percent. Local therapy is intended to treat a tumor at the site without affecting the rest
of the body. Adjuvant and neo-adjuvant therapy is for patients who have non-detectable
cancer after surgery and they are often given treatment to help keep the cancer from
coming back, not every patient needs this treatment.
There are many things that can increase the risk of getting breast cancer. Drinking
more than one to two glasses of alcohol a day may increase the risk of breast cancer.
Many times breast cancer DNA changes happen in single breast cells during a women’s
life rather than having them inherited. Being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer,
Men can also get breast cancer but it is about 100 times more common in women then in
men. About five to ten percent of breast cancers are thought to be linked together to
inherited changes (mutations) in certain genes.
Breast cancer is a very serious thing, many people who have friends, workers, family
members who have all been diagnosed with breast cancer, and maybe some have been
able to beat the cancer or maybe some have not been able to and so they lost a love one.
But with technology and doctors are improving maybe someday we will be able to
prevent breast cancer easier and save the life of millions.
"The American Cancer Society." American Cancer Society. Web.
11 Mar. 2012. <http://www.cancer.org/>.
"Cancer: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S.
National Library of Medicine. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. *
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancer.html>.
"National Cancer Institute." Comprehensive Cancer Information -.
Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://cancer.gov/>.