What is Breast Cancer?

Generally body cells divide when there is need of new cells in the body. But sometimes the division of the cells goes out of control in any part of the body and creates a bunch of tissue called tumor or cancer. Breast cancer develops in the breast tissue itself. You should not take it lightly as breast cancer can grow into the tissues surrounding the breast and also can infect other parts of the body and form new tumors. This process is called Metastasis.

Risk factors of Breast cancer

The actual reasons are not known but certain risk factors are there which can cause it.

• A person’s age.
• Diet.
• Genetic factors.
• Personal health history.

.Breast cancer risk.

Generally the breast cancer affects women more than men. Mainly the women are the ones who suffer the most. You can check it with these available data:

Symptoms

The symptoms of breast cancer include:

• Abnormal Mammogram without a palpable mass.
• Axillary Mass.
• Bone pain. (very rare)
• Breast Enlargement.
• Color change.
• Dimpling.
• Nipple Retraction.
• Palpable Mass.

Special Tests for breast cancer detection

There are some special tests available for the detection of the breast cancer.

• Assessment of Estrogen receptor (ER) and Progesterone Receptor (PgR).
• Evaluation of HER-2/neu expression and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGF-R).
• Cathepsin D, Ploidy analysis and S phase activity.
• Mammography which detects 80% of the breast cancers, the best detection technique for breast cancer.
• Ultrasound which is used to confirm whether a suspicious lump is solid or cystic.
• After diagnosis tests these tests are often performed:
  1. Baseline bone scan.
  2. Chest X-ray.
  3. Liver Imaging.

Breast cancer diagnosis

The diagnosis process for breast cancer works step by step.

• Doctor will take your personal and family history and will take a breast inspection and possibly one or more other tests like Mammography or Ultra-sonography.
• Complete blood counts and blood tests of liver and bone function are performed at the time of diagnosis.
• After seeing the results of these tests the doctor may ask you to give a sample of your breast mass tissue for biopsy.
• A pathologist reviews your sample tissue in the laboratory and if the cancer is sited, he will tell the type and stage of your cancer.

Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment are generally made by a team of experts who work together with the patient. Each patient has her own complaints and stage of disease so the team evaluates the patient and give treatment best suited the patient.

Breast cancer Treatment

If the breast cancer is diagnosed, you have to follow a certain treatment plan under your doctor’s observation. The treatment works in two ways. It helps in reducing the chance of cancer to return in the breast and also works to reduce the cancer traveling to other locations outside of the breast. Generally the treatment has to be started within a few weeks after the diagnosis.

The nature of the treatment depends on

• The size and exact location of the tumor in the breast.
• The results of lab report of cancer cells at what stage the disease is extended.
• Patient’s age and general health.

Breast cancer treatments can be given in two ways: local and systemic.

Local treatments: These types of treatments used to remove or control the cancer cells located in an exact location just like the breast. Surgery and Radiation treatment are types of local treatments.

Systemic treatments: These types of treatments used to remove or control cancer cells which spread all over the body. These treatments include:

• Biologic therapies such as Herceptin.
• Chemotherapy.
• Hormone therapy such as Tamoxifen and Aromatase.
• Inhibitors such as Arimidex, Aromasin, Femara.

The patient may have given one of these treatments or a combination of more than one treatment depending on his/her condition.

Drugs to be given

• Adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy is given to the patients with Stage 1 or Stage 2 to prevent cancer recurrence.
• Therapeutic cytotoxic chemotherapy is given to the patients with advanced or metastatic disease.
• Through metastatic disease is supposed to be incurable, the treatment can benefit 30 to 40 % of the patients.
• Combination of chemotherapy with drugs like anthracyclines, cyclophosphamide, fluorouracil, or methotrexate is often used.
• Tamoxifen is the most common drug used against breast cancer.

Possible Complications from

Chemotherapy: Alopecia, bladder irritation, fatigue, leukopenia, menstrual abnormalities, nausea, stomatitis and vomiting.

Irradiation: Arm edema, brachial plexopathy, fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, rib fracture, skin reaction and occasionally second breast malignancy.

Post Operative: Lymphedema, limited shoulder motion, seromas, and wound infection.

Tamoxifen: hot flushes, hypercalcemia, menstrual irregularities, skin rashes, vaginal discharge and endometrial carcinoma.

Situations after Treatment

It is not 100% sure that after the breast cancer treatment, the chances of cancer to be recurred outside the breast are decreased. So it is advised to continue the use of Tamoxifen or Chemotherapy if needed.

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