BREAST
CANCER
v What
is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is an uncontrolled growth of breast
cells. Cancer occurs as a result of
mutations, or abnormal changes, in the genes responsible for regulating the
growth of cells and keeping them healthy. The genes are in each cell’s nucleus,
which acts as the “control room” of each cell. Normally, the cells in our
bodies replace themselves through an orderly process of cell growth: healthy
new cells take over as old ones die out. But over time, mutations can “turn on”
certain genes and “turn off” others in a cell. That changed cell gains the
ability to keep dividing without control or order, producing more cells just
like it and forming a tumor.
The term “breast cancer” refers to a malignant tumor
that has developed from cells in the breast. Usually
breast cancer either begins in the cells of the lobules, which are the
milk-producing glands, or the ducts, the passages that drain milk from the lobules
to the nipple.
Over
time, cancer cells can invade nearby healthy breast tissue and make their way
into the underarm lymph nodes, small organs that filter out foreign substances
in the body. If cancer cells get into the lymph nodes, they then have a pathway
into other parts of the body. The breast cancer’s stage refers to how far the
cancer cells have spread beyond the original tumor.
Breast
cancer is always caused by a genetic abnormality (a “mistake” in the genetic
material). However, only 5-10% of cancers are due to an abnormality inherited
from your mother or father. About 90% of breast cancers are due to genetic
abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process.
v Breast Cancer Risk Factors
There are two kinds of breast cancer
risk factor :
1.
Risk factors you can control.
a.
Weight.
b.
Diet.
c.
Exercise.
d.
Alcohol
consumption.
e.
Smoking.
f.
Stress and
anxiety.
2.
Risk factors you can’t control.
a.
Gender.
b.
Age.
c.
Family
history of breast cancer.
d.
Personal
history of breast cancer.
e.
Race.
f.
Radiation
therapy to the chest.
g.
Breast
cellular changes.
h.
Exposure
to estrogen. Because the female hormone
estrogen stimulates breast cell growth, exposure to estrogen over long periods
of time, without any breaks, can increase the risk of breast cancer.
i.
Pregnancy
and breastfeeding. For women who do have
children, breastfeeding may slightly lower their breast cancer risk, especially
if they continue breastfeeding for 1 1/2 to 2 years. For many women, however,
breastfeeding for this long is neither possible nor practical.
v Symthom of Breast Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, any of the
following unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer:
·
swelling of all or part of the
breast
·
skin irritation or dimpling
·
breast pain
·
nipple pain or the nipple turning
inward
·
redness, scaliness, or thickening of
the nipple or breast skin
·
a nipple discharge other than breast
milk
·
a lump in the underarm area
These changes also can be signs of less serious conditions
that are not cancerous, such as an infection or a cyst. It’s important to get
any breast changes checked out promptly by a doctor.
v
How to recover Breast Cancer
1.
Mastectomy
a.
Modified Radical Mastectomy.
b.
Total(simple) Mastectomy.
c.
Lumpectomy.
2.
Radiation Therapy.
3.
Chemotherapy.
