Breast cancer Symptoms, Causes and Prevention

Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts. After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it's far more common in women.

Substantial support for breast cancer awareness and research funding has helped created advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer survival rates have increased, and the number of deaths associated with this disease is steadily declining, largely due to factors such as earlier detection, a new personalized approach to treatment and a better understanding of the disease.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

•     A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
•     Change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast
•     Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
•     A newly inverted nipple
•     Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin
•     Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange

When to see a doctor

If you find a lump or other change in your breast — even if a recent mammogram was normal — make an appointment with your doctor for prompt evaluation.

Causes

Doctors know that breast cancer occurs when some breast cells begin to grow abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass. Cells may spread (metastasize) through your breast to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body.

Breast cancer most often begins with cells in the milk-producing ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma). Breast cancer may also begin in the glandular tissue called lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or in other cells or tissue within the breast.

Researchers have identified hormonal, lifestyle and environmental factors that may increase your risk of breast cancer. But it's not clear why some people who have no risk factors develop cancer, yet other people with risk factors never do. It's likely that breast cancer is caused by a complex interaction of your genetic makeup and your environment.
Inherited breast cancer

Doctors estimate that about 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to gene mutations passed through generations of a family.

A number of inherited mutated genes that can increase the likelihood of breast cancer have been identified. The most well-known are breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which significantly increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

If you have a strong family history of breast cancer or other cancers, your doctor may recommend a blood test to help identify specific mutations in BRCA or other genes that are being passed through your family.

Consider asking your doctor for a referral to a genetic counselor, who can review your family health history. A genetic counselor can also discuss the benefits, risks and limitations of genetic testing to assist you with shared decision-making.
Risk factors

A breast cancer risk factor is anything that makes it more likely you'll get breast cancer. But having one or even several breast cancer risk factors doesn't necessarily mean you'll develop breast cancer. Many women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors other than simply being women.

Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:

•     Being female. Women are much more likely than men are to develop breast cancer.
•     Increasing age. Your risk of breast cancer increases as you age.
•     A personal history of breast conditions. If you've had a breast biopsy that found lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or atypical hyperplasia of the breast, you have an increased risk of breast cancer.
•     A personal history of breast cancer. If you've had breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast.
•     A family history of breast cancer. If your mother, sister or daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, particularly at a young age, your risk of breast cancer is increased. Still, the majority of people diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.
•     Inherited genes that increase cancer risk. Certain gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children. The most well-known gene mutations are referred to as BRCA1 and BRCA2. These genes can greatly increase your risk of breast cancer and other cancers, but they don't make cancer inevitable.
•     Radiation exposure. If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young adult, your risk of breast cancer is increased.
•     Obesity. Being obese increases your risk of breast cancer.
•     Beginning your period at a younger age. Beginning your period before age 12 increases your risk of breast cancer.
•     Beginning menopause at an older age. If you began menopause at an older age, you're more likely to develop breast cancer.
•     Having your first child at an older age. Women who give birth to their first child after age 30 may have an increased risk of breast cancer.
•     Having never been pregnant. Women who have never been pregnant have a greater risk of breast cancer than do women who have had one or more pregnancies.
•     Postmenopausal hormone therapy. Women who take hormone therapy medications that combine estrogen and progesterone to treat the signs and symptoms of menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer decreases when women stop taking these medications.
•     Drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer.

Prevention
Breast cancer risk reduction for women with an average risk

Making changes in your daily life may help reduce your risk of breast cancer. Try to:

•     Ask your doctor about breast cancer screening. Discuss with your doctor when to begin breast cancer screening exams and tests, such as clinical breast exams and mammograms.
•     Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of screening. Together, you can decide what breast cancer screening strategies are right for you.
•     Become familiar with your breasts through breast self-exam for breast awareness. Women may choose to become familiar with their breasts by occasionally inspecting their breasts during a breast self-exam for breast awareness. If there is a new change, lumps or other unusual signs in your breasts, talk to your doctor promptly.
•     Breast awareness can't prevent breast cancer, but it may help you to better understand the normal changes that your breasts undergo and identify any unusual signs and symptoms.
•     Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink to no more than one drink a day, if you choose to drink.
•     Exercise most days of the week. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. If you haven't been active lately, ask your doctor whether it's OK and start slowly.
•     Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy. Combination hormone therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer. Talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of hormone therapy.
•     Some women experience bothersome signs and symptoms during menopause and, for these women, the increased risk of breast cancer may be acceptable in order to relieve menopause signs and symptoms.
•     To reduce the risk of breast cancer, use the lowest dose of hormone therapy possible for the shortest amount of time.
•     Maintain a healthy weight. If your weight is healthy, work to maintain that weight. If you need to lose weight, ask your doctor about healthy strategies to accomplish this. Reduce the number of calories you eat each day and slowly increase the amount of exercise.
•     Choose a healthy diet. Women who eat a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil and mixed nuts may have a reduced risk of breast cancer. The Mediterranean diet focuses mostly on plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. People who follow the Mediterranean diet choose healthy fats, such as olive oil, over butter and fish instead of red meat.

Breast cancer risk reduction for women with a high risk

If your doctor has assessed your family history and determined that you have other factors, such as a precancerous breast condition, that increase your risk of breast cancer, you may discuss options to reduce your risk, such as:

•     Preventive medications (chemoprevention). Estrogen-blocking medications, such as selective estrogen receptor modulators and aromatase inhibitors, reduce the risk of breast cancer in women with a high risk of the disease.
•     These medications carry a risk of side effects, so doctors reserve these medications for women who have a very high risk of breast cancer. Discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor.
•     Preventive surgery. Women with a very high risk of breast cancer may choose to have their healthy breasts surgically removed (prophylactic mastectomy). They may also choose to have their healthy ovaries removed (prophylactic oophorectomy) to reduce the risk of both breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Sourced By: mayoclinic

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Cancer Treatment Methods

Treatment of cancer as a rather complex issue, interested people from time immemorial. But thanks to modern medicine, detection of cancer symptoms and treatment of cancer has been made possible. Currently, cancer can be treated a lot of ways. Conducted blood tests on cancer cells. So what is cancer and how to identify the symptoms of cancer

CANCER - a disease characterized by the uncontrolled reproduction of cells are increasing in number, form a tumor growing occupying space. Cancer studies the medical, biological science - oncology, and diseases that cause cancer, including cancer and glands, called cancer, from the Greek nkos -? The tumor. Neoplasms, there are malignant and benign. Benign cancer usually grows slowly and does not spread to other organs. Malignant tumor is growing faster and increasing tumor cancer has spread to nearby tissues and organs, damaging them. Also cancer can spread through the lymphatic and blood vessels in various parts of the body where they form new cancer cells, such as blood.

Prevention of the growth and development of cancer cells

Treatment of cancer depends on the degree of their development. In the later stages require operative intervention to remove cancerous tumors. In the early stages, in our time, it gives positive results in most cases. Now there are different methods when the signs of cancer. Affect cancer (cancer cell growth) can radiotherapy. With this method, particularly breast and uterine cancer in most cases gives good results. Also, cancer may be chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is used to treat breast cancer and prostate cancer. Physicians use any method of treatment of cancer, before the decision to remove a cancerous tumor.

Treatment and prevention of cancer - Causes, Symptoms and signs

Oncological diseases (cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer) cause of these types of cancer is a negative attitude to his life. The man who is constantly angry, afraid, grieving, experiencing one word has negative emotions, opens the door to various diseases, including those which may cause cancer. This is not a new idea that the individual is less susceptible to disease when it is more cheerful. And also does not mean that you should not feel grief or get angry from time to time, in the end, all the emotions inherent in man. The idea is that more would be a good mood, than bad.

Of course, one might ask how to do it, because so many problems: the crisis, naughty children, angry boss, etc. etc. In addition to these problems, there are environmental conditions (which directly contributes to the growth of cancer cells and their development, if the cancer is already present) and bad habits that deprive you of forces.

The solution is simple, to be in a good mood. Achieve your goals and objectives. Maintain an active lifestyle, work out, get rid of bad habits. It is also very important to eat well, which means that you must have as many live foods rich in vitamins and minerals. If you live in the city, where most of the products do not kill cancer cells, but rather, for the most part contain preservatives and pesticides (which causes cancer), you consume extra vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements - is an effective method.

And as Page about cancer treatments and the site is dedicated to transfer factors for the prevention of cancer and the good functioning of the body the drug is recommended. Transfer factors are molecules that convey to each cell information on diseases, thus creating for the immune system database on adverse threat to the body. This prevents not only the various types of cancer, and treatment of other diseases. If a person already has cancer, transfer factors also have a positive effect on recovery by informing the immune system of the threat of cancer. Of course, cancer therapies should include the full range of necessary measures, including tests on cancer cells. cancer treatment is more successful if combined with the medical treatment of cancer allow the body to fight the cancer, and he was capable of it, if he has information about cancer. The immune system does not distinguish cancer, it can not detect the development of cancer cells, respectively, can not recognize the growth of cancer cells, as long as it has no information about it.

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Stage breast cancer - Classification and symptoms

Stage breast cancer, in accordance with the international classification of malignant tumors classified as an early, late and later.

True diagnosis stage of the disease helps to assign the optimal treatment of cancer, predict the development and consequences of cancer.

Classified as stage breast cancer?

To the stage of breast cancer include several major periods in the development of breast malignancy. They may have some so-called sub-stages, i.e. interim periods, which are characterized by specific symptoms.

At stage 0 find a non-invasive cancer in which the tumor has not gone beyond the limits within which originated and developed. These breast tumors, doctors refer ductal, lobular.

In step 1 begins invasive cancer in which cancer cells start to lesion tissues adjacent thereto. Lymph nodes at this stage has not yet been struck, and the tumor size reaches 2 centimeters.

In step 2, the tumor increases and may reach 5 cm. There comes a defeat lymph that are on the same side of the body as a malignancy. Lymph nodes are not yet soldered to surrounding tissues, and to each other (soldering occurs at step 3).

Stage 3 has two sub - 3A and 3B.

3A for stage characterized appreciable increase lymph which are welded to each other or with other tissues. During this period tumor size of cancer may exceed 5 centimeters.

In step 3B malignancy can have different dimensions. The tumor begins to grow into the chest wall, breast skin, as well as - in the internal mammary lymph nodes.
The characteristic symptom is a breast lump or thickening of the entire gland, which is discernible at palpation.

During this period, 10.6 percent of cases there is the so-called inflammatory carcinoma, which is only in appearance may be mistaken for mastitis (inflammation of the mammary gland mediocre). For inflammatory cancer is characterized by redness of the breast skin, increasing its temperature (felt even when touched) and also - the emergence of the so-called "Orange peel".

At step 4 the tumor beyond the thorax. It affects the internal mammary lymph nodes and armpit area. Tumor penetrates and supraclavicular lymph nodes. May be affected vital organs - brain, lungs, skeletal system, and - the liver.

Characteristics showing stage breast cancer

The early stages of breast cancer include the following: 0, 1 and 2.

Later stages of the development of malignant tumors of the breast - 2 (when the cancer cells have moved to the lymph nodes) and 3 (A and B).

Stage 4 is the later period of the disease.

Among the main characteristics of malignant tumors of breast cancer - malignant tumor size. Determining the period of the disease, doctors pay attention to whether the tumor affected regional lymph nodes.

Stage breast cancer and determined by the absence (or presence) of metastases.

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Breast Cancer Symptoms, Treatment, Causes and risk factors

"The results of breast ultrasound revealed education, suspicious for cancer", "mammography results did not conclusively rule out a malignancy," "biopsy showed the presence of cancerous changes in the breast and require advanced examination." These are just some of the scariest words a woman can hear from your doctor.

Mammary glands consist of three main types of tissues - fat, connective and glandular. Breast cancer (BC) is called a malignant tumor that develops from cells is glandular tissue. Contrary to popular belief, ill with breast cancer, both women and men, but in women it occurs much more frequently.

How does breast cancer

Breast cancer develops in the same way as any other cancer in the body. One or more cells of glandular tissue as a result of these mutations occurred in the beginning of abnormally divide rapidly. They form a tumor that can invade nearby tissues and create secondary tumor lesions (metastases).

Most often, mammary tumors develop from cells of the mammary ducts - in this case, doctors say about ductal breast cancer or ductal carcinoma. Quite often malignant tumors arise from cells of the lobules of the breast, this type of cancer called invasive lobular carcinoma. It is worth noting that the growth of tumors and possible other glandular tissue cells.

Causes and risk factors

Unfortunately, information on the causes of breast cancer among scientists yet. There is a list of risk factors that affect the probability of occurrence of the tumor, but some disease diagnosed in the absence of these factors, while others remain healthy in the presence of many of them at once. However, scientists still associated with the development of breast cancer with certain circumstances, most often preceded by its appearance. These include:

• old age;
• the use of hormones;
• breast injuries;
• a history of breast cancer cases;
• diagnosed with breast cancer at some of the relatives;
• radiation exposure, for example, during radiotherapy used to treat other types of cancer;
• overweight;
• early onset of menstruation and late - menopause;
• no children or late (after 35 years), first birth;
• smoking and alcohol abuse;
• diabetes;
• work on schedule with night shifts.

Breast Cancer Symptoms

Quite often in the early stages of breast cancer are asymptomatic. But in some cases, signs indicating the presence of the disease is still there and can be overlooked.

First, the symptoms of which should alert, include breast lumps, or next to them in the axilla. In 9 cases out of 10 seals can be benign, but it certainly can be set only by means of mammalogy.

Independently verify the presence of breast nodules or any other changes worth once a month, at the end of menstruation. Home Diagnostics is most conveniently carried out while taking a bath or shower. Any changes that were found, it is necessary as soon as possible to tell the doctor.

Besides breast lumps, the symptoms of breast cancer include:

• clear or bloody discharge from the nipple;
• changing the size or shape of the mammary glands;
• changes in the structure of the skin on the breast;
• retraction of the nipple;
• peeling, redness, inflammation of the mammary glands of the skin, the appearance of "orange peel".

If the above symptoms, as well as any other changes in the mammary glands (eg, unusual or painful sensations) you should immediately consult with by a breast.

Diagnostics

To confirm or exclude the diagnosis of breast cancer in the first place be manual breast examination. Then, if there is suspicion or as a screening procedure can be assigned to mammography, X-ray examination of mammary glands. As a rule, women under 35 years of its execution is not recommended in young breast tissue is particularly sensitive to radiation exposure.

Ultrasonography (US) of the mammary glands to evaluate the structure of the tissue and differentiate, for example, a tumor from a cyst filled with fluid.

If the results of your mammogram or ultrasound indicate the presence of tumors in the breast, the doctor usually appoints biopsy, laboratory sample of tissue from the breast. Biopsy allows us to determine whether the tumor is malignant, as well as to determine the type and stage. In addition, the study of biopsy material provides an answer to the question whether the tumor is hormone-dependent, which also affects the treatment regimen.


Once diagnosed with the main task of the attending physician is to determine the stage of cancer, that is, the size of the tumor, its location, the presence of metastases and aggressiveness. From these factors, treatment and prognosis depends on the selection of optimal therapies. As a rule, to clarify the steps are carried out blood tests, mammography other breast, bone scan, . In some cases, one can determine the stage of the tumor during surgery only.

Treatment of breast cancer

Treatment strategy for breast cancer depends on many factors - the type of cancer, stage of the tumor cell sensitivity to hormones, as well as the general health of the patient.

The main treatment for breast cancer - surgery. If able to diagnose the disease at an early stage, the surgeon can perform a lumpectomy, the removal of the tumor tissue, and a small portion of the surrounding healthy tissue. When larger breast tumors removed entirely (this operation is called a mastectomy), as well as coming to her lymph nodes. If the physician to assess the risk of developing cancer in the second breast is relatively high, the patient may be advised removal of both breasts at once.

Radiation therapy (i.e., exposure to ionizing radiation on a tumor) breast cancer is usually used after surgery. Therapy is to kill cancer cells that may remain in the body.

Chemotherapy, that is, the use of drugs to kill cancer cells, may be performed after surgery to remove the tumor, as well as radiation therapy. In some cases, the chemotherapy treatment is carried out before the operation to reduce the size is too large for the removal of the tumor.

For the treatment of breast cancer that is sensitive to hormones, hormone therapy is used - it is several different methods, stopping the production of hormones in the body, or scripts are being blocked flow to the tumor. Hormone therapy can reduce the likelihood of recurrence of the tumor, as well as, in case of an inoperable tumor, helps to control its growth.

For the treatment of breast cancer is also used targeted therapy - drugs that come directly to the tissues of the tumor and minimal effect on healthy cells. Targeted therapy is used either alone or in combination with other treatments - depending on which scheme is best suited to the patient.

The available arsenal oncology therapies for breast cancer, in most cases allows to achieve remission of the disease or at least prolong its life while maintaining quality. However, be aware that the effectiveness of the treatment as a whole depends on whether treatment is initiated in a timely manner, that is in the early stages of the disease.

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