Breast Cancer Overview

Breast cancer is the one of the most most common form of cancer in women and the second most common cause of death in women in the U.S. Regular screenings is exceedingly important, especially in women older then 35, in order to discover cancerous cells early on which can vastly increase survival rate.

The cancerous cells are formed in the tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk). It can occur in both men and women, although breast cancer men very is rare.

With advancing testing technologies and awareness, breast cancer has seen a dramatic decrease in recent years but is still a very common form of cancer that should be thought about with caution.

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer are often  miniscule but if consciously looked for can be noticeable. Some common symptoms may include:

• A lump in or thickening the breast or underneath the arm area.
• A change in how the breast and nipple may feel.
• Changes to the skin over the breast such as color texture or dimpling.
• A change in the shape or size of the breast.
• Inverted nipple.
• Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin.
• Any part of the breast is scaly, red, swollen, or ridged.
• Abnormal discharge from the nipple such as blood.

Generally, early breast cancer can be hard to detect and does not cause pain of discomfort. If any slight noticeable change occurs it’s important to consult with your doctor immediately to greatly increase your chances for early detection and survival rate.

What Causes Breast Cancer

Breast cancer, as with all cancer, starts as a deformity of cell growth. Cells normally grow, die, and divide to replace the dead cells place. When an abnormally occurs in this process sometimes the cells divide too quickly, form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.

There are two types of tumors Benign and Malignant.

Benign tumors generally aren’t life threatening, can be removed, and usually don’t grow back. But benign tumor may still grow, and this growth may cause damage to any organs, tissues, or nerves in its vicinity. Hence, a benign tumor can still cause serious illness and death if it presses on important areas.

Malignant Tumors may be life threatening and often spread to other tissues and parts of the body (this is called metastasis). Many times they can be removed but can grow back. When cancerous breast cancer cells do spread the most common parts of the body that are affected are the lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs, and brain. When these cancerous cells form tumors in a different region they are still abnormal breast cells and are considered and treated as such, this is called “distant” or metastatic disease.

Whether this happens because of heredity or environment isn’t completely known but doctors have identified a number of inherited defective genes that can increase the likelihood of breast cancer. The most common are breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. Therefore a womens chances of getting breast cancer increases if a family member has been diagnosed with it in there life.

Other risk factors that increase the chances of breast cancer include:

• Age of the person when they have their first child. The older you are when you have your first child the greater your risk.
• Age of  first menstrual period Women who had their first menstrual period before age 12 are at an increased risk of breast cancer.
• Race breast cancer is diagnosed more often in white women than Latina, Asian, or African American women.
• Drinking alcohol: Studies suggest that the more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.
• Being overweight or obese after menopause can increase the chance of getting breast cancer after menopause.
• A family history of breast cancer. If you have a mother, sister grandmother, or daughter with breast cancer, you’re at a greater risk of developing breast cancer.
• Exposure to radiation If you’ve received radiation treatments in the past it can increase your chances of developing breast cancer.
• Postmenopausal hormone therapy. Women who take hormone therapy medications that combine estrogen and progesterone increase the chances of developing breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Screenings Testing & Diagnosis

Screening for breast cancer early on can be a life saving event that should be done at least once every one to two years in women as young as 35. Breast cancer screenings include several different methods

Self Breast exams can be done quite easily and can be an effective way to discover signs of breast cancer. Women should start giving themselves breast exams as early as their 20’s but does not substitute for yearly mammography and clinical breast exams by a health professional. Learn how to give yourself a breast exam.

Mammograms are recommended for all women over the age of 40 but can be done at a younger age as part of your yearly check up.

A mammogram is a safe, low-dose x-ray imaging exam of the breasts to look for abnormalities. Mammograms can find changes in the breast tissue before any noticeable physical symptoms can be seen making them a key tool in detecting possible cancerous cells in the breast early dramatically increasing survival rates.

How is a mammogram done?

You stand in front of a special x-ray machine. The person who takes the x-rays, called a radiologist technician, places your breasts, one at a time, between an x-ray plate and a plastic plate. These plates are attached to the mammogram machine and compress the breasts to flatten them. This spreads the breast tissue out to obtain a clearer picture. You will feel pressure on your breast for a few seconds. It may cause you some discomfort; you might feel squeezed or pinched. This feeling only lasts for a few seconds, and the flatter your breast, the better the picture. Most often, two pictures are taken of each breast — one from the side and one from above. A screening mammogram takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Clinical Breast Exams are when your health care provider checks your breasts. You’ll be asked to raise your arms over your head, let them hang by your sides, and press your hands against your hips. They look for differences in the breasts, lumps, and other abnormalities. They’ll check your skin for rashes and other tail tail signs of breast cancer as well as check your nipples and under your arms.

Ultrasounds are another way to take an image of the breast tissue. An ultrasound machine uses sound waves, that are completely harmless, that bounce off tissue and create an image of the breast. They can be useful to find out if lumps are relatively harmless cysts or possibly cancerous tumors.

MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) is a device that uses magnets to generate an image of the breasts to look for possible cancerous abnormalities.

Biopsy is when a a piece of  breast material is taken and tested by a pathologist for possible cancer.

If cancerous material is found the next step is called staging. Determining extent of the cancer, the size of the tumor, and whether it has spread. The stages of breast cancer include:

Stage 0 There are two forms of  stage 0 breast cancer. One is called lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and the other ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

• Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is not cancer. It is just a signal of increased risk of developing breast cancer. Lobular carcinoma lesions usually do not grow to become breast cancer.
• Unlike lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a precancerous condition.

Stage I is an early stage of invasive breast cancer. The tumor is no more than 2 centimeters across and the cancer cells have not spread beyond the breast.

Stage II is when the tumor in the breast is no more than 2 centimeters across and the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the tumor is between 2 and 5 centimeters and the cancer may have spread to the lymph nodes, or the tumor is larger than 5 centimeters and the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes under the arm.

Stage III is locally advanced cancer and is divided into Stage IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC.

• Stage IIIA The tumor is smaller than 5 centimeters and the cancer has spread to underarm lymph nodes that are attached to each other or to other structures, or the tumor is more than 5 centimeters across and the cancer has spread to the underarm lymph nodes that are either alone or attached to each other or to other structures.
• Stage IIIB is a tumor of any size that has grown into the chest wall or the skin of the breast.
• Stage IIIC is a tumor of any size that has spread to the lymph nodes behind the breastbone and under the arm or has spread to the lymph nodes under or above the collarbone.

Stage IV is referred to as distant metastatic cancer (when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Breast Cancer Treatment and Drugs

The different treatment options for breast cancer depend on the type, stage, and place of the cancer. Here’s a great resource we recommend to learn about treatment options.