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Breast
Cancer
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Breast
cancer prevention remains an
enigmatic subject. As of right now, there is no
guaranteed way to prevent breast
cancer. However,
breast
cancer prevention is not just a throw away idea
-- many prevention efforts have been found to decrease
the risk of breast
cancer. A man or woman can apply a
preventive health plan to reduce his or her risk factors
for breast
cancer as much as possible. |
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Doing so requires much discipline in the
form of lifestyle changes, exercise, and the taking of
chemoprevention drugs. Engaging in breast
cancer prevention can range
from something as simple as avoiding too much alcohol to
committing to
jogging 5 times a week. |
Breast Cancer Prevention
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Alcohol and Tobacco
Consumption:
The equivalent of 2 drinks a day has been found to
increase breast
cancer risk by 21%. Alcohol increases
estrogen and androgen levels, increasing the risk of
breast
cancer. Reducing the total alcohol intake can
make big strides to breast
cancer prevention. While
alcohol has been determined to cause breast
cancer,
tobacco has been a subject of controversy. Most studies
on the relationships between tobacco use and breast
cancer are inconclusive. As such, there is no causal
relationship between tobacco and breast
cancer.
Nevertheless, smoking has a multitude of negative health
effects, and quitting can provide many health benefits
beyond breast
cancer prevention.
Obesity:
Obesity has been found to increase the risk of
postmenopausal breast
cancer. Women who gained more
than 55 pounds after the age of 18 had an increase of
almost 50% in risk of breast
cancer. Women who gained
more than 22 pounds after menopause showed an 18%
increase in risk, while losing the same amount of pounds
showed a 57% drop in risk. As there are a large number
of women overweight or obese in the United States,
resolving to lose weight and maintaining that weight
loss can help in both breast
cancer prevention and
treatment.
Chemoprevention:
Tamoxifen and raloxifene are two medications that have
been found to reduce the risk for breast
cancer in those
with increased risk. Chemoprevention is the use of
these drugs to reduce the risk of
cancer. Tamoxifen,
used for over 30 years, is a treatment for some breast
cancers that has been proved to reduce the risk of
development. However, it has been found it increases
risks in other cancers and other health problems.
Raloxifene is typically used to prevent osteoporosis,
but has been found to decrease the risk of breast
cancer
as well.
Exercise:
While the evidence for exercise as a preventive measure
or treatment of breast
cancer is still growing, there
has been support for some preventive effect of exercise
on breast
cancer. Post-menopausal women and women with
a normal BMI benefit most greatly from exercise.
Despite the lack of concrete evidence for breast
cancer
prevention, exercise, just like quitting smoking, can
have a multitude of health benefits extending beyond
just preventing breast
cancer.
Hormonal Treatment:
While estrogen and progestin may be beneficial in
treating menopausal symptoms or other health problems,
both hormones increase the risk of developing breast
cancer. They also increase the risk of late-stage
diagnosis, as the increase of breast tissue density
reduces the effectiveness of mammograms. |
There
are two main types of breast
cancer --
non-invasive and invasive. Invasive
breast cancers involve the spread of the
cancer to healthy breast tissue;
non-invasive breast cancers are,
logically, cancers that confine
themselves primarily to the ducts or
lobules of the breast.
The difference between invasive and
non-invasive breast
cancer is a
multitude of treatment options and the
reaction to those treatment options.
Whether a breast
cancer is one or the
other determines the path that a
sufferer must take for treatment. While
invasive breast cancers are
significantly more serious than
non-invasive cancers, it should be said
that non-invasive cancers can grow into
and raise your risk for an invasive
cancer.
There are two main types of non-invasive
breast cancers:
Ductal
Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS):
Ductal carcinoma in situ makes up the
majority of the cases of non-invasive
breast
cancer. Contrary to the
penetrating nature of invasive breast
cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ stays
where it began (hence in situ), inside
the milk ducts of the breast. As such,
the
cancer is not life-threatening,
providing early detection. When an
woman is diagnosed, treated, and cured
of ductal carcinoma in situ, she has
increased risk of developing another
breast
cancer in the future. Similarly,
those who have recovered from the
cancer
without using radiation therapy have
their risk for recurrence raised by up
to 30%.
Symptoms:
Ductal carcinoma in situ usually does
not display any symptoms. A small
number of cases may show symptoms of a
lump in the breast or a discharge from
the nipple. |
Diagnosis:
While most diagnoses come from
mammography, a number of procedures are
used to diagnose ductal carcinoma in
situ.
Physical
examination:
during a physical examination, a doctor
or nurse may feel a small lump in the
breast and/or examine the lymph nodes to
search for abnormalities. It is
recommended to continually be checked by
the doctor. However, few cases of the
cancer are diagnosed in this manner, as
there may be no lump.
Mammography:
mammography uses an x-ray used to
investigate the breast and are the most
common test used to find ductal
carcinoma in situ.
Biopsy:
if there is any suspicion of
cancer, a
biopsy may be needed. A biopsy is
performed by removing the suspected
tissue and examining it under a
microscope.
Lobular
carcinoma in situ (LCIS):
Lobular carcinoma in
situ is a non-invasive breast
cancer
that develops and remains in the
milk-producing lobules of the breast
(hence lobular). Lobular carcinoma in
situ also tends to affect more than one
lobule in each case. The
cancer is not considered a true breast
cancer, but instead predicts a higher
risk for developing breast
cancer in the
future. As such, it is mislabeled as
carcinoma and is occasionally named
lobular neoplasia instead. It is
commonly found in women between the ages
of 40 and 50. Lobular carcinoma in situ
displays no symptoms and is hard to
detect on a mammogram.
Symptoms:
As there are no displayed
symptoms of lobular carcinoma in situ,
most cases of it go unnoticed, even with
breast examinations and mammograms.
Diagnosis:
Physical examinations and mammograms
often do not diagnose lobular carcinoma
in situ. A biopsy, however, can
diagnose LCIS. In fact, the pathologist
may confuse the cells of lobular
carcinoma in situ with those of ductal
carcinoma in situ. |
Breast Cancer Genetic Testing:
Breast
cancer genetic testing is
a very complex process, but does not require
much from the person receiving the test.
However, breast
cancer genetic testing is
something that should be thought about in depth
before having the test done. Anyone who goes for
breast
cancer genetic testing should consider
both the positive aspects of the test, as well
as the negative. The main purpose of breast
cancer genetic testing is to determine if an
individual has a family history of breast
cancer. A positive result from this testing will
result in a higher risk of obtaining breast
cancer by that individual.While it might be
tempting to have a better knowledge of your own
chances of being diagnosed with
cancer, there is
not too many productive measures one can take in
preventing the disease completely. There is the
option to eat a healthier diet, high in fiber
and less alcohol intake. However, some would
argue that those are positive diet practices
that should be executed anyway. Also, very few
cases of breast
cancer are inherited. Therefore,
if there is a genetic history of breast
cancer
in one's family, that does not definitely mean
that breast
cancer is imminent. In addition, if
there is no family history of breast
cancer,
then there is still risk for breast
cancer as
well.
Breast
cancer genetic testing is a process for
which the results can take several days or
possibly weeks. All that is required from the
patient is a sample of blood. The tests search
for multiple genes. Breast Cancer Gene 1 and
Breast Cancer Gene 2 are the genes that the
tests look for. If these genes are detected in
any way, that would result in a positive test
result. (Positive, meaning there is a greater
risk of obtaining breast
cancer.) Results tell
the patient whether their Breast Cancer Genes
are altered. There is no definitive answer one
can receive from breast
cancer genetic
testing.Breast
cancer genetic testing is
popular, however, there is a lot of opposition
to the testing as well. Many women feel that
there is no point of breast
cancer genetic
testing. These people feel that if you know you
have a greater risk of getting breast
cancer, it
will only cause anxiety and not much can be done
about the situation. Either way, breast
cancer
genetic testing is an incredible advance in
technology. |
Treatment: omen
suffering from breast
cancer may need to
go through a procedure called
lumpectomy, also known as re-excision,
biopsy, or wedge resection. The
procedure is a common breast
cancer
treatment that involves the removal of
the lump, which is the suspected
cancerous tumor. Technically, a
lumpectomy is considered a partial
mastectomy, as it part of the breast
tissue is removed along with the lump.
The amount of breast tissue removed
depends on the exact procedure. For
example, a quadrantectomy, another type
of partial mastectomy, removes
approximately a quarter of the breast.
Lumpectomy is a breast
cancer treatment
preferred by some women due to its
ability to conserve or preserve the
breast. As such, the procedure is
generally followed with a reconstruction
of the breast by a plastic surgeon. To
rid the
body of potential
cancer cells
that would usually be removed by a
mastectomy, the procedure is usually
followed with 5 to 7 weeks of radiation
therapy. Even so, between 6 to 13
percent of women have a recurrence of
breast
cancer in the same breast. There
are a number of risks associated with a
lumpectomy, as with all other breast
cancer treatments. The procedure may
cause some numbness and loss of
sensation in the breast. The sensation
returns most of the time, either
partially or fully. Furthermore, the
procedure may cause a physical
inequality between the two breasts. As
one breast has undergone surgery, it may
swell or appear smaller due to the
removed tissue.
During the procedure, a doctor cleans
the breast, chest, and upper arm. |
The surgeon than makes an
incision and removes the tumor and
marginal surrounding tissue, while
making an effort to preserve the breast
tissue as much as possible.
Additionally, the surgeon may choose to
remove a sample (or the entirety) of axillary lymph nodes to be tested for
cancerous cells (staging). The surgeon
may use sentinel node biopsy or axillary
lymph node sampling to sample or remove
the lymph nodes. When a lumpectomy is
performed as breast
cancer treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a lymph
node biopsy and radiation therapy may
follow. Conversely, for invasive ductal
carcinoma, chemotherapy is usually
recommended. The effectiveness of the
procedure is dependent on the location,
size, and severity of the lump.
As an effective breast
cancer treatment, lumpdectomy may save the patient's
breast while properly isolating and
removing the dangerous
cancer cells from
the
body |
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