Breast cancer is harmful to women and men, can lead to the loss of a breast or can be fatal. Breast cancer refers to a type of cancer that originates from the tissues of the breast especially the inner lining of the milk duct or lobules that are involved in the supply of milk to the ducts (Sariego). Breast cancer just like the other cancers takes place through an interaction between environmental factors and the host who is genetically susceptible. Normal cells usually become cancerous after losing their ability to stop the division process. Breast cancer is divided into two main types depending with their tissue of origin. The ductal carcinoma is the breast cancer that starts in the tubes that take milk from the breast to the nipple. This type of breast cancer is the one that commonly diagnosed in most people. Lobular carcinoma, on the other hand, starts in the lobules, which is the part that is involved in milk production. Breast cancer may either be invasive or noninvasive. The invasive breast cancer usually spread from its area of origin, milk duct or lobule to the other breast tissues. The noninvasive breast cancer does not invade other breast tissue (Majure).
The cells of breast cancer are very sensitive to estrogen, and high levels of estrogen have been associated with increased growth of breast cancer. The breast cancer cells have receptors for estrogen on their surface known as estrogen receptor-positive cancer (ER-positive cancer). Various factors that have been associated with increased risk of developing breast cancer include age and gender, with the older people being at a higher risk of having breast cancer as compared to the young people. Women are also at a higher risk of having the cancer as compared to men. Family history for incidents of breast cancer also increases the chances of one having the cancer. People who have genetic mutations associated with breast cancer are at a higher risk of having cancer. This is mainly found in people who have a defect in the genes that produce proteins that are involved in cancer protection (Chen).
Women who either get their first periods early or go through menopause after age 55 are at an increased risk of having breast cancer unlike those who start their periods late and have early menopause. Other risk factors are alcohol use, lack of children or having them after age 30, having hormone replacement therapy, obesity, and radiations (Meister and Morgan).
The early periods of breast cancer have no symptoms that are associated with them. This is the reason why regular exams for any indications of breast cancer are important. As the cancer proceeds, some of the symptoms that may be seen include breast lump that occur in the armpit. The lump is hard, uneven, and in most cases it does not hurt. There is also a change in the shape, size or even the feel of the nipple or the breast. The breast may show some redness, puckering or dimpling. There is also the symptom of fluid coming from the nipple, which may be bloody, pus-like and has a clear to yellow or green color. Some of the symptoms that may be seen in men include breast lumps, pain and tenderness. Other advanced symptoms are bone pain, skin ulcers, breast pain, loss of weight, and armpit swelling (Chen).
There are various tests that are used in the diagnosis and monitoring patients having breast cancer. Mammography as a testing technique uses low-energy X-rays to do an examination on the human breast and is mainly used in the early breast cancer detection. The breast MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a technique that is used for better breast lump identification and in the evaluation of the abnormal changes that are observed on a mammogram. The other test that may be done is the breast ultrasound, which shows whether the breast lump is fluid-filled or solid. A breast biopsy may be done using either needle aspiration, stereotactic, or open to determine the malignancy of the cancer. CT (computer tomography) and PET (Positron emission tomography) scan may be used to check whether the breast cancer has spread (Jacobs and Finlayson).
Breast cancer treatment is usually based on various factors such as type of breast cancer, the stage of breast cancer, sensitivity of cancer and whether the cancer over expresses HER2/neu gene. Some of the cancer treatments are chemotherapy, which is the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells and radiotherapy, which is the use of radiations to destroy the cancerous cells. Surgery is also used in removing the tissues that are cancerous such as the lumpectomy which removes the breast lump and mastectomy, which removes either part or the whole breast. Hormone therapy is also applied especially on women having ER-positive breast cancer in order to block the hormones that stimulate cancer growth. Cancer treatment may be systemic, affecting the whole body or local, affecting only area that has the disease (Pasqualini).
There are new and improved breast cancer treatments that have been developed. These drugs are helping individuals with breast cancer to live a longer life. However, even after the breast cancer has been treated, there are chances that breast cancer may spread to other body parts. There are also chances that the cancer may return even after the whole tumor has been removed and the lymph nodes that are near the tumor have been confirmed to be cancer-free. There are many factors that determine how well a patient will perform after going through the breast cancer treatment. The more the cancer had advanced, the poorer the outcome after treatment (Chen).
Other factors that are used in the determination of the recurrence risk and the chances that the treatment will be successful include the tumor location, the extent at which the tumor had spread, whether the tumor is positive or negative for the hormone receptor, tumor shape and size, rate of tumor growth, and the presence of tumor markers. Presence of gene expression for the proteins that enhance the growth of the tumor is the other factor that determines the recurrence and success of the treatment (Chen).
After the treatment, there are various side effects that may be experienced. For instance, having radiotherapy may result in temporary lymphedema (swelling of the breast), pains and aches around the breast area. The lymphedema may begin occurring 6 to 8 weeks after surgery procedure or radiation treatment. Lymphedema may start slowly after the completion of breast cancer treatment. The effects may be experienced until 2 years after the treatment was complete. There are various symptoms that would require attention from a health care provider if they develop after the breast cancer has been treated. These symptoms include nipple discharge, appearance of new lumps in the breast, rash on the breast, swelling in the breast area, chest pain, abdominal and bone pain (Pasqualini).
Efforts have been made in the development of drugs that may be used in the prevention of breast cancer. Some of these drugs are the Tamoxifen, which is approved for the prevention of breast cancer in women who are aged 35 and above who are the ones at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Other measures that are used in preventing the development of breast cancer are the use of preventive mastectomy, which is a surgical operation that removes the breast early before the breast cancer can be detected. Those women who can benefit with such an operation include women who have had one of their breasts removed as a result of cancer, women who have a strong family breast cancer history and women who have either gene or genetic mutations that may make them be at an increased risk of having breast cancer. Although mastectomy may be a way of reducing the risks of having breast cancer, it does not eliminate all the risks of having cancer. Other risks such as gene and family history are not controllable, and there is thus a need to have a healthy lifestyle that may help in reducing the overall likelihood of having breast cancer. Some of the healthy lifestyles include eating food that promote a healthy weight, eating whole grain rather than refined grain products, having more fruits and vegetables in the diet, limiting the amount of processed and red meat as well as limiting the amount of alcohol consumed (Chen).
Works Cited
Chen, Yi-Bin. Breast cancer. 2012. Online. 2 July 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001911/#adam_000913.disease.causes>.
Jacobs, Lisa and Christina Finlayson. Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer Series: Breast Cancer: Expert Consult. Philadelphia: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2010. Print.
Majure, Janet. Breast Cancer. New Jersey: Enslow Pub Incorporated, 2000. Print.
Meister, Kathleen and John Morgan. Risk Factors for Breast Cancer. New York: American Council on Science and Health, 2000. Print.
Pasqualini, Jorge R. Breast Cancer: Prognosis, Treatment, and Prevention. New York: CRC Press, 2002. Print.
Sariego, J. "Breast cancer in the young patient." The American surgeon 76.12 (2010): 1397–1401. Print.
