Table of Contents
What Is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer starts in the breast. This can start in one or both breasts. This is a disease in which cells begin to grow out of control in the breast. There are different types of breast cancer. Breast cancer types depend on which cells in the breast turn into cancer.
Breast cancer can begin to grow in different parts of the breast. There are three main parts of a breast: lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. The lobules are the glands that produce milk. The ducts are the tubes that carry milk to the nipple. The connective tissue (that consists of fibrous and fatty tissue) surrounds and holds everything together. Most breast cancers begin to start in the ducts or lobules.
Breast cancer is an invasive cancer in women. Perhaps the most common symptom of breast cancer is a lump or mass in the breast tissue. Breast examination should be done on your own from time to time. Whenever you see any lumps or changes in the skin color of the breast or changes in the size of the breast, then the doctor must be consulted.
when any disease is detected at the start, it is as easy to cure it. Because breast cancer most commonly shows as a painless lump or thickening in the breast. It is very important that women find an abnormal lump in the breast, then consult a health practitioner without delay, even when there is no pain in the lump. If we identify it at the beginning and start seeking medical attention, then it allows for more successful treatment.
Risk Factors Of Breast Cancer
A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Although risk factors often influence the development of cancer, most do not directly cause cancer. Some people with various risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do.
Approximately half of breast cancers develop in women who have no identifiable breast cancer risk factor other than gender (female) and age (over 40 years). Certain factors increase the risk of breast cancer including increasing age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age when menstrual periods began and age at first pregnancy), tobacco use, and postmenopausal hormone therapy.
Research has found that there are several risk factors that may increase your chances or risk factors of developing breast cancer. These include:
Age. The risk of breast cancer increases with age, with most cancers developing after age 50.
Sex. The risk of developing breast cancer in women is much more likely than in men.
Personal history of breast cancer. If a woman had breast cancer in one breast before, she has a higher risk of developing new breast cancer in the other breast.
Family history of breast cancer. Your risk factor for breast cancer is increased if your mother, sister or daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age. While most people with breast cancer have no family history of it
Inherited genes that increase cancer risk. There are certain inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer that can be transferred from parents to children. The most common well-known gene mutations are referred to as BRCA1 and BRCA2. These gene mutations can mostly increase your risk of breast cancer and other cancers, but they don’t make cancer unpreventable.
Radiation exposure at a young age. Radiation exposure at a young age may increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
During a mammogram, a very small amount of radiation a person receives has not caused an increased risk of breast cancer.
Drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol may increase the risk of breast cancer.
Physical activity. Less physical activity may increase the risk of developing breast cancer and a higher risk of having cancer come back after treatment.
Obesity. Being obese may increase your risk of breast cancer.
Menopause at an older age. Menopause at an older age is more likely to develop breast cancer.
Postmenopausal hormone therapy. Taking hormone therapy medications that combine estrogen and progesterone to treat the symptoms of menopause may increase the risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer decreases when people stop taking these medications.
There are many other risk factors that can increase the chances of developing breast cancer. If you’re at risk or have any of the symptoms, go for an examination.
What Are The Stages Of Breast Cancer?
Stages of breast cancer help with knowing how much cancer spreads in your body. This describes various factors of that cancer including the size and location of the lumps and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of your body. Stage 0 (zero), which is non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and stages I to IV (1 to 4), which are used for invasive breast cancer. The stage of breast cancer provides a common way, so doctors can plan for the best treatments.
The common breast cancer stages are:
Stage 0. In this zero stage, the cancer cells have not spread outside the breast duct. It does not even reach the rest of the breast. Stage zero (0) shows that it is only in the ducts of the breast tissue and has not spread to the other tissues of the breast. It is called non-invasive or in situ cancer.
Stage I. The cancer cells have spread to the nearby breast tissue. In this stage, the tumor is not more than 2 cm wide and the lymph nodes are also not affected. But cancer cells start increasing in size, which starts affecting the nearby breast tissue. However, their size changes from 0.2 mm to 2 mm. In some cases, they can be larger than 2 mm in size.
Stage II. In this stage, breast cancer starts spreading beyond its size to other parts. It may also happen in this second stage that it has spread to other parts.
Stage III. This stage of breast cancer becomes serious. In this stage, it may have invaded nearby tissues and lymph nodes, but it hasn’t spread to distant organs. Stage III is usually referred to as locally advanced breast cancer.
Stage IV (metastatic). In this stage, cancer has spread to areas away from your breasts, such as your bones, liver, lungs, or brain. Stage IV breast cancer is also called metastatic breast cancer.
There are two types of stages of breast cancer; clinical or pathological. Clinical stages include physical examinations, mammograms, ultrasound, and MRI scan testing done before the surgery. Pathological stages are based on what is found during surgery to remove breast tissue and lymph nodes. The results are usually found several days after surgery. In general, pathological staging provides the most information to determine a patient’s prognosis.
Symptoms Of Breast Cancer Include
There are a few common early symptoms of breast cancer that should be known to avoid risk:
- a breast lump or thickening;
- changes in size, shape or appearance of a breast;
- dimpling, redness, pitting or other changes in the skin;
- change in nipple appearance or alteration in the skin surrounding the nipple (areola);
- abnormal nipple discharge.
Breast cancer can also spread to other parts of the body and cause other symptoms. While these can also be cancerous lymph nodes that do not cause pain.
There are many reasons for lumps or masses to develop in the breast, most of which are not cancerous. As many as 90% of breast masses are not cancerous. Non-cancerous breasts include benign masses like fibroadenomas and cysts as well as infections.
There are many ways that breast cancer can be presented, which is why a complete medical examination of the breast is important after seeing lumps. Women with persistent abnormalities like lumps should undergo tests including imaging of the breast and, in some cases, biopsy (tissue sampling) to determine if a mass is invasive (cancerous) or benign.
Breast cancers may spread to other parts of the body and trigger other symptoms also. Often, the most common first detectable sign of spread is in the lymph nodes under the arm, although it is possible to have cancerous lymph nodes that cannot be felt.
Over time, cancerous cells may spread to other parts of the body including the lungs, liver, brain, and bones. Once they reach these areas, new cancer-related symptoms such as bone pain or headaches may appear speedily.
When the disease is identified early, treatment of breast cancer can be very effective. Treatment of breast cancer consists of a combination of surgical removal, radiation therapy, and medication (hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted biological therapy) to treat microscopic cancer that has spread from the breast tumor through the blood. Such treatment can stop the spread of cancer, which can save lives.
Breast cancer is not an infectious disease or not transmissible to others. Unlike some cancers that have infection-related causes, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer, there are no known viral or bacterial infections linked to the development of breast cancer.
As soon as symptoms of breast cancer appear, then immediately show it to the doctor so that the treatment can be done well. These symptoms should not be ignored.
References
Articles on healthnewsall are backed by verified information from academic research papers, reputed organizations, research institutions, and medical associations to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Breast cancer
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer
Breast Cancer: Stages
