Breast Cancer
Detailed Guide: Breast Cancer (click here for more information)
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What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has developed from cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that may invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too.
Normal Breast Structure
The female breast is made up mainly of lobules (milk-producing glands), ducts (tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels).
Most breast cancers begin in the cells that line the ducts (ductal cancers), some begin in the cells that line the lobules (lobular cancers), and the rest in other tissues.
Blood vessels (arteries and veins) carry plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to and from the breast. Lymphatic vessels are like veins, except that they carry lymph away from the breast, instead of blood. Lymph is a clear fluid that contains tissue fluid and waste products and immune system cells (cells that are important in fighting infections). Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped collections of immune system cells that are found along lymphatic vessels. Cancer cells can enter lymphatic vessels and begin to grow in lymph nodes. This becomes important when we talk about staging (see below).
Most lymphatic vessels in the breast connect to lymph nodes under the arm (axillary lymph nodes). Some lymphatic vessels connect to lymph nodes inside the chest (internal mammary nodes) and those either above or below the collarbone (supra- or infraclavicular nodes).
Knowing if the cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes is important because if it has, we know that there is a higher chance that the cells could have also gotten into the bloodstream and spread to other sites in the body. This spread is called metastasis. The more lymph nodes that are involved with the breast cancer, the more likely it is that the cancer will eventually be found in other organs as well. It is important to know if you have metastatic cancer when you are choosing a treatment plan. Not all women with lymph node involvement develop metastases, and it is not unusual for a woman to have negative lymph nodes and later develop metastases.
Benign Breast Lumps
Most breast lumps are not cancerous, that is, they are benign. Still, many need to be biopsied (see below) to prove they are not cancer. Most lumps turn out to be fibrocystic changes. The term "fibrocystic" refers to fibrosis and cysts. Fibrosis is the formation of fibrous (or scar-like) tissue, and cysts are fluid-filled sacs. Fibrocystic changes can cause breast swelling and pain. This often happens just before a period is about to begin. Your breasts may feel nodular, or lumpy, and, sometimes, you may notice a clear or slightly cloudy nipple discharge.
Benign breast tumors such as fibroadenomas or intraductal papillomas are abnormal growths, but they are not cancer and cannot spread outside of the breast to other organs. They are not life threatening. Still, some benign breast conditions such as papillomas and atypical hyperplasia are important because women with these conditions have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
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What treatments are available for Breast Cancer? |
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In recent years, there's been an explosion of life-saving treatment advances against breast cancer, bringing new hope and excitement. Instead of only one or two options, today there's an overwhelming menu of treatment choices that fight the complex mix of cells in each individual cancer. The decisions—surgery, then perhaps radiation, hormonal (anti-estrogen) therapy, and/or chemotherapy—can feel overwhelming.
What types of treatment are available and which might be appropriate for you.
Surgery
Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), mastectomy, and lymph node dissection, and what to expect from each.
Radiation Therapy
What it is, who it's for, advantages, side effects, and what to expect when you get it.
Targeted Therapies
Including Herceptin: How they work, who should get them, how they're given, side effects, and major studies.
Hormonal Therapy
The link between hormones and breast cancer and how different groups of drugs—including ERDs, SERMs, and aromatase inhibitors—can affect that link.
Chemotherapy
Who should get it, how it works, different types, side effects, and how to manage them.
Complementary Medicine
How complementary medicine techniques such as acupuncture, meditation, and yoga could be a helpful addition to your regular medical treatment. Includes research on complementary techniques and ways to find qualified practitioners.
Building Long-Term Health
Why it's so important to stick to your treatment plan, take the full course of medications, and continue with regular tests and doctors' visits to keep yourself healthy into the future.
Click below for Video News Reports, Testimonials and general information regarding Breast Cancer
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What are the Key Statistics About Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, except for nonmelanoma skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is about 1 in 8 (13% of women). It is estimated that in 2007 about 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States. At this time there are slightly over 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Women living in North America have the highest rate of breast cancer in the world.
In addition to invasive breast cancer, carcinoma in situ (CIS) will account for about 62,030 new cases in 2007. CIS is noninvasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer. Breast cancer also occurs in men. An estimated 2,030 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2007.
Breast cancer incidence rates showed a rapid increase in the 1980s, although the rate of increase slowed in the 1990s, compared to the 1980s. In the years from 2001 to 2003, incidence rates decreased.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman’s death is about 1 in 33 (3%). In 2007, about 40,460 women and 450 men will die from breast cancer in the United States. Death rates from breast cancer continue to decline, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.
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SYMPTOMS
Common symptoms of breast cancer include:
- A change in how the breast or nipple feels
- A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
Nipple tenderness
- A change in how the breast or nipple looks
A change in the size or shape of the breast
A nipple turned inward into the breast
The skin of the breast, areola, or nipple may be scaly, red, or swollen. It may have ridges or pitting so that it looks like the skin of an orange.
- Nipple discharge (fluid)
Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. Still, a woman should see her health care provider about breast pain or any other symptom that does not go away. Most often, these symptoms are not due to cancer. Other health problems may also cause them. Any woman with these symptoms should tell her doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
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