What is breast cancer?

Breast Cancer

There are number of forms of cancers classified on the basis of the affected body organ. In breast cancer the cancer cells destroy the healthy tissues of the breast. Breast Cancer is considered to be main form of the cancer that accounts for major number of women cases in United States in particular and worldwide in general. Early diagnosis and timely treatment will give you better chances of curing breast cancer and help you in leading healthy life. It has been seen that the cases of breast cases have been observed more in the women in the age group of 20 years and above. However, it is a general assessment and should not be taken as a standard at cancer cells may develop at any age. Usually, women between age of 20 and 39 years are advised to undergo breast examination at least once in three years from a specialist physician. Women above the age of 40 years should undergo breast examination on annual basis.



Fortunately, there is a wide growth in breast cancer awareness. Studies conducted during recent pasts have revealed that the rate of breast cancer deaths shows decreasing graph. Fatality due to breast cancer is associated with other factors such as overall health of the patient, age of the patient, growth and spread of the cancer and body immune system.



Breast Cancer – Symptoms

Occurrence of lumps in the breast is the first symptom of the breast cancer. However, it is not necessary that every lump occurring in the breast must be cancerous. There are some non-cancerous lumps that occur during monthly cycles due to hormonal changes. It is important to consult a specialist/your physician if you notice a lump in the breast that does not change with your menstruation or a persistent lump. The main features of cancerous breast lumps are that these lumps are firm, painless and hard to move. Discharge from nipple, change in size or shape of breast (that is not related to your monthly cycle) and color change or change in texture of breast skin are some of the other symptoms of breast cancer.



Development of Breast Cancer

Following are the four stages in which breast cancer develops.

* Stage-I: In this stage tumors of about 2 centimeter size are noticed. There is no involvement of lymph nodes at this stage.
* Stage-II : The tumors in this stage are between 2 centimeters and 5 centimeters in size. It may spread to the lymph nodes of armpit.
* Stage-III : This stage is considered as the initial stage of advanced stage of breast cancer.
* Stage-IIIa : The tumor is more than 5 centimeters size in this stage. Lymph nodes may be attached to other structures or each other at this stage as cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes, especially the lymph nodes of arm.
* Stage-IIIb : At this stage the tumor spreads to tissues of other adjacent body organs like chest wall, chest muscles and even to ribs. In certain cases the tumor may spread to lymph nodes of chest wall along the breast bone.
* Stage-IV : It is considered to be the advanced stage of breast cancer. At this stage cancer cells spreads to the other body parts like brain, lungs, liver or bones.



Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Certain tests are conducted to ascertain the occurrence of breast cancer apart from the physical examination. If these tests show positive results then another test called biopsy is conducted. It is a type of minor surgery conducted for obtaining tissue extracts from the affected area. Then the extracted tissues are examined with the help of microscope to confirm whether the lumps are cancerous or not. About 80% of the lumps are non-cancerous. If the lumps are cancerous certain other tests are conducted to determine the line of treatment.



Breast Cancer and Men

Though the occurrence of breast cancer is rare still it can not be ruled out in totality. According the statistics released by American Cancer Society about 1% of total breast cancer cases were men in the year 1995. At times breast cancer in men can be life threatening.



Treatment of Breast Cancer

Like other types of cancers, various factors like general health, age, type of cancer are taken into consideration while selecting right treatment for breast cancer. Apart from these factors patient’s menstruation (whether pre-menopausal or postmenopausal) is also considered while selecting the treatment. Following treatments are normally recommended based on the results of the tests.

* Surgical procedures like lumpectomy (removal of tumor) and mastectomy (complete removal of the affected breast).
* Radiation Therapy: In this therapy cancer cells are killed using X-rays.
* Chemotherapy
* Hormone Therapy: In this therapy certain drugs are administered which can change the function of hormones. In some cases hormone producing organs such as ovaries are removed from the body.



Remember there are no preventive measures for combating occurrence of breast cancer. Early diagnosis and immediate treatment are the only options available to you to prevent further complications of breast cancer.