Cancer Research Blog

James S. Pendergraft asked:


Reports say that after lung cancer, breast cancer is the second most deadly and common type of cancer, which accounts for 1% of all deaths and 7% of all cancer deaths. Breast cancer is considered to the fifth common cause responsible for cancer deaths.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer

As a woman, you should be well aware of breast cancer, its symptoms and treatment. According to doctors, the subjective and first symptom of breast cancer is a development of a typical lump in your breast. This lump is quite different from the breast tissue surrounding it and you can notice it by careful examination.

But, breast cancer is not only determined by the lump, which appears in your breast. Studies reveal that if you are having lumps located in the lymph nodes in your collar bone or armpits, you are more likely to have breast cancer. It is the mammogram, which is done by doctors in the region of the detected lump to confirm the case of breast cancer.

But all women don’t develop the same symptoms of breast cancer. Other indications of breast cancer apart from a lump include nipple inversion, skin dimpling, spontaneous single nipple discharge or change in the shape and size of the breast. If you are having pain in your breast, don’t take it as breast cancer as it is an unreliable tool for confirming the menace.

After the invasion of the breast cancer cells in the region of dermal lymphatics, you are more likely to get skin inflammation in your breast. This phenomenon is often termed as inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Women, having inflammatory breast cancer, may develop several symptoms, which include an orange peel appearance of the skin in the breast of region, redness and warmth in the breast with extreme pain and swelling. Other symptoms indicating the presence of breast cancer in your body is increased sensitivity, burning, itching and tingling of the breast region.

Look For Immediate Attention from Your Doctor

Women developing the above symptoms of breast cancer should immediately contact their doctor. Cases of breast cancer can be diagnosed with proper examination of surgically removed tissue from the breast. Procedures of removing tissues include local surgical excision, core needle biopsy, ductal cleavage, fine needle aspiration and nipple aspirates. After this, some imaging tests such as bone scan, chest X-ray, PET scanning and MRI are conducted to confirm breast cancer.

Therapies for Treating Breast Cancer

With the advancement of medical studies, women may not worry any more, if they are having breast cancer. Surgery is the mainstay of the treatment of breast cancer, where the tumour in the breast is localised followed by adjuvant hormonal therapies in that region. Some other popular treatment methods of breast cancer are chemotherapy, immune therapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.

One more innovative and modern method of treating breast cancer is Interstitial Laser Thermotherapy (ILT). It is a minimal invasive process and there is absolutely no need for surgical removal of the breast tissue. Doctors also recommend this treatment, as no side effects are noticed in this process and the patient remains healthy.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

Saiera asked:


Breast Cancer

Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there are a number of risk factor

Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the cells of the breast in men and women. Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer (10.4% of all cancer incidence, both sexes counted) and the fifth most common cause of cancer death.

Breast Cancer Causes

In breast cancer, some of the cells in your breast begin growing abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and may spread (metastasize) through your breast, to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body

Women who start their periods early (early puberty) or have a late menopause have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.

Women who are taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or have recently taken it, have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. Detailed information about HRT.
Although the precise causes of breast cancer are unclear, we know what the main risk factors are. Still, most women considered at high risk for breast cancer do not get it, while many who do have no known risk factors.

Breast Cancer symptoms

Breast lumps in general

The first symptom of breast cancer for many women is a lump in their breast. But 9 out of 10 breast lumps (90%) are benign. That means they are not cancers. Most benign breast lumps are not cancers.

A lump or a thickening in the breast or in the armpit: Some lumps or swelling in the breast tissue may be due to hormonal changes. But if a lump or thickening persists, whether it is in the breast or in the armpit area, it may be a cause for concern.

Fluid (not milk) leaking from the nipple: Between ages 41 - 58, there may be a small bit of non-bloody leakage from the nipples of both breasts. This leakage is usually due to hormonal changes and is not worrisome.

Treatments of Breast Cancer

Surgery

Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), mastectomy, and lymph node dissection, and what to expect from each.

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.

Tests on your cancer cells

Your breast cancer cells can be tested to see if they have hormone receptors’ or biological therapy receptors. There are oestrogen receptors and progesterone receptors.

Simple mastectomy. During a simple mastectomy, your surgeon removes all your breast tissue - the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue and skin, including the nipple and areola.

Reconstruction with a tissue flap. Known as a transverse rectus abdominal muscle (TRAM) flap, this surgery reconstructs your breast using tissue, including fat and muscle, from your abdomen, although surgeons.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta

jeniferhobson asked:


Awareness about the different- different types of breast cancer and their difference will help in determining the most excellent mode of cure. If breast cancer is suspected, the subsequently thing your doctor does is distribution a tissue sample of the lump to a pathologist. Such a test will give the accurate picture of the circumstance. The pathological test guides the physician to choose on your cure plan. The biopsy report details on matters such as the type of the disease, if it is invasive or not, evaluation of the tumour based on the likeness of affected cells to ordinary ones, understanding to hormonal therapies, amount of protein called HER-2 present in it etc.

The most widespread type of breast cancer starts also in the breast milk ducts (ductal carcinoma) or in the glands that produce milk (Lobular carcinoma). The opening point is firm by the look of the cancerous cells under a microscope. In case of non invasive breast cancer, the cancer cells stay within their place of origin. They do not increase to the milk duct or lobule. Ductal Carcinoma in Situ is the most normally found kind of non invasive breast cancer. This disease is restricted to the lining of the milk product.

Invasive breast cancers effortlessly spread out of the membrane that lines the milk duct or the lobule. The neighboring tissues are all exaggerated. The cancerous cells still get to the lymph nodes. Around 70% of the total breast cancer patients suffer from Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The cancer cells get transported mostly through blood or lymph.

Invasive Lobular Carcinoma is yet another type of the disease which is comparatively less common. Originate from the milk producing lobules; they break into the nearby tissues as well. In this case, a clear firm lump is not able to be seen, but the full region gets thickened.

Less common types of breast cancer are those that get originate from the fibrous connective tissue, blood vessels or lymphatic system which all serves as supporting tissues. In number of cases, the cancerous cells get increase to the breast from other parts like lymph, lungs, skin, colon etc. Rare types of breast cancer include inflammatory breast cancer, phyllodes tumor, and angiosarcoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma Paget’s disease of the breast, osteosarcoma and metaplastic breast cancer. Strange subdivision of invasive ductal carcinoma is classified as mucinous, tubular, medullary and papillary.



Posted by Nikhil Gupta