About Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts. It is the most common invasive cancer in women. After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. The chance of any woman dying from breast cancer is around 1 in 38. Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it’s far more common in women.
Breast cancer is a malignant growth or tumor beginning at the breast cells resulting from an uncontrolled division of cells which can invade into neighboring tissues or spread (metastasize) to different parts of the body. Breast cancer survival rates have increased, and the number of deaths associated with this disease is steadily declining. However, due to advances in treatment, death rates from breast cancer have been decreasing since 1989.
Sometimes breast cancer begins in the cells lining the lobules (lobular carcinoma), and in very few cases it starts in other tissues. There are different factors that contribute to the cause of this disease, such as genetics, obesity, exposure to radiation, dense breast tissue and estrogen exposure, to name a few.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer:
- pitting or redness of the skin of the breast, similar to the surface of an orange.
- Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling.
- A flat indented area on your breast.
- Pain in the armpits or breast that does not change with the monthly cycle.
- A marble like area under the skin.
- A newly inverted nipple.
- a rash around or on one of the nipples.
- Discharge from the nipple (other than breast milk) or change in the shape of nipples, like inverted or sunken nipples.
- discharge from a nipple, possibly containing blood.
- Skin rash, scaly or patchy skin around the breast or nipples.
- A Lump in your breast or underarm that doesn’t go away after your period. Lumps are usually visible on a mammogram long before you can see or feel them.
- A sunken or inverted nipple
- A change in the size or shape of the breast. (You might notice a difference in the size, contour, texture, or temperature of your breast)
- Swelling in your armpit or collarbone could mean breast cancer has spread to lymph nodes in that area
- A change in your Nipple like Dimpled, burn, Itch.ect
Causes for Breast Cancer
After puberty, a woman’s breast consists of fat, connective tissue, and thousands of lobules. These are tiny glands that produce milk for breastfeeding. Tiny tubes, or ducts, carry the milk toward the nipple. What we do know is that breast cancer is always caused by damage to a cell’s DNA.
Stages
The most common staging system for breast cancer is the TNM system. After someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, doctors will try to figure out if it has spread, and if so, how far. This process is called staging. There are different ways of staging breast cancer. One way is from stage 0–4, with subdivided categories at each numbered stage. As a rule, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, such as stage IV, means cancer has spread more. And within a stage, an earlier letter means a lower stage.
TNM System:
- Tumor
- Node
- Metastasis
1 .Tumor
T followed by a number from 0 to 4 describes the main (primary) tumor size and if it has spread to the skin or to the chest wall under the breast.
- Stage 0: Known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the cells are limited to within the ducts and have not invaded surrounding tissues.
- Stage 1: At this stage, the tumor measures up to 2 centimeters (cm) across. It has not affected any lymph nodes, or there are small groups of cancer cells in the lymph nodes. Includes T1a, T1b, and T1c): Tumor is 2 cm (3/4 of an inch) or less across
- Stage 2: The tumor is 2 cm across, and it has started to spread to nearby nodes, or is 2–5 cm across and has not spread to the lymph nodes. Tumor is more than 2 cm but not more than 5 cm (2 inches) across
- Stage 3: Tumor is more than 5 cm across and it has spread to several lymph nodes or the tumor is larger than 5 cm and has spread to a few lymph nodes. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes above the collarbone (supraclavicular lymph nodes).
- Stage 4: The cancer has spread to distant organs, most often the bones, liver, brain or lungs. ( Includes T4a, T4b, T4c, and T4d ): Tumor of any size growing into the chest wall or skin. This includes inflammatory breast cancer.
2. Node
N followed by a number from 0 to 3 indicates whether the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breast and, if so, how many lymph nodes are involved. Lymph nodes in other parts of the body are called distant lymph nodes. As explained above, if the doctor evaluates the lymph nodes before surgery, based on other tests and/or a physical examination, a letter “c” for “clinical” staging is placed in front of the “N.”
- N1: Tiny amounts of cancer are found in internal mammary lymph nodes (those near the breast bone) on sentinel lymph node biopsy. Cancer has spread to 1 to 3 lymph nodes under the arm with at least one area of cancer spread greater than 2 mm across.
- N2:The cancer has spread to 4 to 9 axillary lymph nodes. Or it has spread to the internal mammary lymph nodes, but not the axillary lymph nodes. Cancer has spread to 4 to 9 lymph nodes under the arm, with at least one area of cancer spread larger than 2 mm.
- N3:The cancer has spread to 10 or more auxiliary lymph nodes. Or it has spread to the lymph nodes located under the clavicle, or collarbone.
3. Metastasis
- MX:Distant spread cannot be evaluated.
- M0:The disease has not metastasized.
- M0 (i+):There is no clinical or radiographic evidence of distant metastases. Microscopic evidence of tumor cells is found in the blood, bone marrow, or other lymph nodes that are no larger than 0.2 mm.
- M1:There is evidence of metastasis to another part of the body, meaning there are breast cancer cells growing in other organs.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Tests and procedures used to diagnose breast cancer include:
- Breast Examine: check both of your breasts and lymph nodes in your armpit, feeling for any lumps or other abnormalities.
- Mammogram: A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast.
- Ultrasound: Ultrasound may be used to determine whether a new breast lump is a solid mass or a fluid-filled cyst.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is the only definitive way to make a diagnosis of breast cancer.
- MRI Scan: An MRI machine uses a magnet and radio waves to create pictures of the interior of your breast. Before a breast MRI, you receive an injection of dye.
- Blood Test
- Bone Scan
Treatment
- Removing the breast cancer (lumpectomy): During a lumpectomy, which may be referred to as breast-conserving surgery or wide local excision, the surgeon removes the tumor and a small margin of surrounding healthy tissue.
- Removing the entire breast (mastectomy): A mastectomy is an operation to remove all of your breast tissue. Most mastectomy procedures remove all of the breast tissue the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue and some skin, including the nipple and areola
- Removing several lymph nodes: your surgeon will discuss with you the role of removing the lymph nodes that are the first to receive the lymph drainage from your tumor.
- Removing both breasts: Some women with cancer in one breast may choose to have their other (healthy) breast removed
- Radiotherapy: In the early stages, radiation therapy can help reduce the size of a tumorbefore surgery or kill remaining cancer cells afterward. Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of energy, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. Breast cancer radiation can last from three days to six weeks, depending on the treatment. Radiation therapy is typically done using a large machine that aims the energy beams at your body. Radiation therapy uses waves of energy, such as light or heat, to treat cancers and other tumors and conditions.
- Chemotherapy: Also called “chemo” it’s a way to treat cancer that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is sometimes given before surgery in women with larger breast tumors. Chemotherapy is also used in women whose cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. Unlike radiation or surgery, which target specific areas, chemo can work throughout your body.
- Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy is used to treat breast cancers that are sensitive to hormones. It can be used before or after surgery or other treatments to decrease the chance of your cancer returning. Medications that stop the body from making estrogen after menopause
- Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer. Immunotherapy might be an option if you have triple-negative breast cancer, which means that the cancer cells don’t have receptors for estrogen, progesterone or HER2.
Most women undergo surgery for breast cancer and many also receive additional treatment after surgery, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy or radiation. Chemotherapy might also be used before surgery in certain situations. Breast cancer surgery carries a risk of pain, bleeding, infection and arm swelling (lymphedema). Consider a referral to a plastic surgeon before your breast cancer surgery. Your options may include reconstruction with a breast implant