There has been a lot of information regarding breast
cancer, but despite this breast cancer is still one of the biggest
reasons for mortality amongst women. It is estimated that a new
case of breast cancer is diagnosed every three minutes and that 1 in
8 women will be diagnosed within their lifetime.
Breast Cancer, what is it?
Breast cancer can arise in different ways. The most
common begins in duct linings and is called ductal carcinoma. As
with other cancers, breast cancer arises from cells that begin
dividing out of control. The dividing gives rise to mass of tissues
called tumors. Some of these tumors are not cancerous (referred to
as benign) however, in some cases the tumor is cancerous (and is
referred to as malignant).
Diagnosis
Eighty percent of breast cancers occur with women
over the age of 50. As a women ages the risk of cancer increases.
As with all cancers early diagnosis is the best way to survive and
treat the disorder.
The best way to diagnosis breast cancer is with the
aid of a mammogram. This low radiation dose x-ray, allows the
physician to view growth that would otherwise be difficult to view.
The physician can also refer back to a series of past x-rays for
comparison (to see if changes occur over time). Current advances in
mammography allow for computer enhancement of tissues thought to be
cancerous (this makes diagnosing easier). This is referred to as
Computer Aided Diagnosis (or CAD).
Though routine self-exams is a good thing it should
not take the place of seeing your physician and having a routine
breast exam. In fact the early stages of the cancer do not show any
symptoms. As the cancer grows changes can be felt in the size and
shape of the breast, feeling of a lump or thickening around the
breast or underarm area, nipple tenderness or unusual discharge
(there is also an instance where the nipple is pulled back –
referred to as a nipple inversion), there can also be a pitting (or
ridges) on the breast – like the skin or an orange.
Treatment
As
with other cancers treatment usually consists with either
chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation or surgery – or a
combination thereof.
