Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. There are many
different types of cancer that are affecting people all over. Breast Cancer is one of these, and is
found in man and women. Over 200,000 women and 1,300 men have been diagnosed with
breast cancer this year. One in eight women will detect breast cancer in their lifetime. Men are
less than one percent of the cases of breast cancer that are detected. Although prevention is not
yet available, early detection is the best way to handle breast cancer, which can be treated in
many ways.
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor found in the glandular tissue of the breast. This tumor
is called a carcinoma, which causes a single abnormal cell to multiple at rapid rates. A malignant
tumor damages tissue and can spread. Cancer spreads when it breaks away and gets into the
bloodstream. The tumor can be removed but there is still a possibility that they will grow back.
When breast cancer spreads it is called metastatic breast cancer. If it is a benign tumor it is non
cancerous, will not spread, but could damage some tissue. They are also not life- threatening
and can be removed, which they rarely grow back.
Breasts are glands that can produce milk. There are two main types of breast cancer,
ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma. Ductal carcinoma is cancer in the lining of milk ducts
of the breast. Lobular carcinoma is cancer in the lobules where breast milk is produced.
There has not been a way detected to prevent breast cancer yet. The best way to protect
you against breast cancer is by getting a mammogram at age 35 and once a year after age 40.
Also you should perform a self-exam of the breast each month after age 20 for protection.
Finally go to a health care provider every three years after age 20. One type of prevention that
scientists are looking into is SERMs, selective estrogen receptor modulators. SERMs is a drug
that has estrogen-like properties and anti-estrogen properties that is used to help prevent the loss
of bone density in postmenopausal women and causes pre-menopausal women to be more fertile.
This will help to block the effects of estrogen on breast tissue that will reduce the risk of breast
cancer. Also a clinical breast examination or a screening mammogram by a physician is a way to
detect breast cancer at early stages. By giving yourself a self-breast examination, by means of
using your hands to feel for bumps or tumors is a way to help prevent breast cancer from
spreading. It is best if it is detected early.
The biggest symptom of breast cancer is finding a lump on your breast. This doesn’t
actually mean that you have breast cancer, but it is something you should get checked right away.
It could by a cyst, which is a fluid filled sac that is not cancerous. A change in how the breast or
nipple feels, such, as tenderness is also a symptom. Even a change in the size of your breast or
nipple should be something to look out for.
Recent studies have shown that women who use antibiotics double their chance of the
risk of breast cancer. Scientists say that women should not stop using antibiotics to cure
infections. Antibiotics affect the bacteria in the digestive system in ways that interfere with the
ways the body uses food to protect against cancer. This is not a proven fact, but it is getting
highly looked into.
These symptoms occur from certain risk factors that are involved in breast cancer.
Although scientists have no figured out exactly what causes this cancer. It is linked to the
prolong exposure of female sex hormones, estrogen. Also those with a long menstrual period,
having children after age 30, and the use of birth control pills can be at risk of breast cancer.
Factors that attribute to many things, such as our diets and everyday health for example exercise,
amount of alcohol in take, and what you eat also affect breast cancer.
The women who are at the greatest risk of breast cancer are the ones who have a family
history of it. There is genetic testing that can be done to determine if women have the BRCA1 or
BRCA2 gene, and it is mutated. Breast cancer occurs five percent of the time due to a mutation
to the gene, BRCA1. Mutation to the gene, BRCA2, affects mostly Jewish women of eastern
and central European decent. A percentage of 50 to 60 women who have the mutated gene will
develop this disease by the age of 70. Then it is advised that these women lower their fat in their
diets, eat more fruits and vegetables, and reduce the amount of alcohol that they drink. Also an
option for these women, which some prefer is to have a prophylactic mastectomy. This is when
the doctor removes both breasts, so there is no way the tissue can be detected with breast cancer.
Doctors normally perform a biopsy to determine if breast cancer has affected the tissue in
the breast. There are three ways that they do this: fine-needle aspiration, core biopsy, and
surgical biopsy. A fine-needle aspiration is when doctors use a fine needle to take out fluid, and
send it to the lab to see if cancer cells exist. Removal of the breast tissue for checking is a core
biopsy. Surgical biopsy is removal of part of the lump or the whole lump for detection of cancer
cells.
Once breast cancer is detected, there is treatment available. The treatment is most
successful if the cancer is detected at the early stages. Treatment depends on a women’s age,
health, size of tumor, location of tumor, if the tumor has spread, etc. Some types of treatments
that are being used are chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, hormone therapy, or combinations of
these treatments. A mastectomy is when the tumor is removed with the damaged tissue and the
breast is still left in tact. A radical mastectomy removes the whole breast, lymph nodes, and
chest wall muscle. If the cancer cells spread to lymph nodes, the doctor recommends
chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is when cancer cell fighting drugs are released to stop the cancer
cells growth or kill them. There is a down side to chemotherapy which is that is also affects your
healthy cells. There can be many side affects of this treatment such as pain, fatigue, nausea, and
anemia.
There is a five-year survival rate for women with breast cancer. The percentage of
survival has risen from 72 to 96. If the cancer has spread to other tissue then the rate goes down
to 78. The hope of recovering from the diagnosis of breast cancer is extremely high. Women are
becoming a lot more optimistic about being diagnosis with breast cancer. It is highly
recommended that they see a physician regularly and give them themselves self-breast
examinations.
Breast cancer kills about 39, 800 women a year and about 400 men. Self-examination is
one way to detect breast cancer early and give you a better chance of recovering from it. Many
treatments are available and can help get rid of breast cancer. Even though there is no prevention
for this cancer yet, detecting symptoms early and receiving treatment is the best way to get rid of
breast cancer.