New Facts about Breast Cancer 2015

Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from the breast tissue. As per the annual report by the cancer.org, it is estimated that about 1,658,370 new cancer cases will be diagnosed and approximately 589,430 cancer deaths will be reported in 2015.

 

Causes:

The actual reason for breast cancer occurrence isn’t clear. But the doctors know that the breast cancer occurs due to abnormal growth of some breast cells. These cells divide more rapidly than the healthy cells do and then starts accumulating thereby continue to form mass or lump. The cells may metastasize through your breast to your lymph nodes or to other body parts.

Most often breast cancer begins with cells in the milk production ducts. It may also begin in the glandular tissue called the lobules or in other tissues or cells within the breast.

According to some researchers, hormonal factors, lifestyle and other environmental factors may increase your risk of breast cancer. But there’s no clear indication why some people having no risk factors develop cancer while some having risk factors never do. Complex interaction of your genetic makeup and the environment may also put you at great risk of breast cancer.

Diagnosis:

Procedures and test for diagnosing the breast cancer includes the following:

1.     Breast exam: Your doctor will examine both your breasts and lymph nodes in the armpit, to feel for any abnormalities and lumps.

2.     Breast Ultrasound: It uses sound waves to produce images of structures deep within your body. This helps to distinguish between a solid mass and a fluid-filled cyst. Often this is obtained as a part of the examining a new lump.

3.     Mammogram: It is an X-ray of the breast that is commonly used to screen the breast cancer. If the report contains any abnormalities then your doctor may recommend a diagnostic mammogram for further evaluation.

4.     Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): An MRI machine uses a magnet and radio waves to generate the pictures of the interior of your breast.

5.     Removing a Sample of Breast cells for testing (Biopsy): The biopsy samples are collected and sent to a laboratory so that the experts could verify whether the cells are cancerous. It also helps to analyze the type of cells involved in breast cancer, whether the cells have hormone receptors as well as the aggressiveness of the cancer.

Other diagnosis and tests may be recommended depending upon your situation. If your doctor has diagnosed your breast cancer then he works to determine your cancer stage for determining the best treatment options. Complete information about the stage of your cancer will not be available until you under breast cancer surgery.

Tests to determine the stage of your breast cancer include blood tests involving a complete blood count, mammogram and bone scan, breast MRI, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan and CT (Computerized Tomography )scan.

·         Symptoms of Breast Cancer

 

1.      Presence of lump in breast or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue

2.      Change in size, shape or the appearance of a breast

3.      Bloody discharge from the n****e or newly inverted n****e

4.      Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast

5.      Peeling, dimpling, flaking or scaling of the pigmented area of the skin surrounding the areola or n****e or breast skin.

·         Stages of Breast Cancer?

 

Stage 0: It is used to describe non-invasive breast cancer like Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). There is no evidence of non-cancerous abnormal cells or cancer cells breaking out of the part of the breast where they began.

 

Stage I: It describes the invasive breast cancer i.e. cancer cells that break through or invade the normal surrounding breast tissue. It is divided into sub-categories IA and IB. IA describes invasive breast cancer in which cancer has not spread outside the breast and the tumor measures up to 2 centimeters. IB describes no tumor in breast, instead small groups of cancer cells-larger than 0.2 millimeter but not larger than 2 millimeters are found in the lymph nodes.

 

Stage II: It is divided into IIA and IIB. In IIA, no tumor is found in the breast but cancer larger than 2 millimeters is found in lymph nodes under arm. In IIB the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters but not larger than 5 centimeters but small groups of breast cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes.

 

Stage III: It is divided into three categories: IIIA, IIB and IIC. IIIA is invasive breast cancer where no tumor is found, IIIB is invasive breast cancer where tumor may be any size and spread to lymph nodes near the breastbones. IIIC is invasive breast cancer with no signs of cancer in breast, but if there is a tumor then it may be any size and cancer has spread through the lymph nodes above or below the collarbone.

 

Stage IV: It is invasive breast cancer than has spread beyond the breast and nearby the lymph nodes to other organs of the body such as liver, skin, lungs or brain.

·         Breast Cancer: Best Treatments to Know!

The best treatment for breast cancer is breast surgery.

Breast cancer surgery: Surgeries include mastectomy in which the entire breast is removed, lumpectomy in which the breast cancer is removed and it is also known as wide local excision or a breast-sparing surgery and removing the entire breasts. Sentinel node biopsy is another breast cancer surgery where a limited number of lymph nodes are removed. Axillary lymph node dissection is a surgery in which several lymph nodes are removed.

Other treatments include chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted drugs and radiation to treat breast cancer. You doctor will recommend the best treatment options for breast cancer depending on the type of breast cancer, its size, grade and stage.

References:

®    "Breast Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)". NCI. 2014-05-23. Retrieved 29 June 2014.

®   Reeder JG, Vogel VG (2008). "Breast cancer prevention.". Cancer treatment and research 141: 149"64.