Breast Cancer Treatment
What is Breast Cancer?
The term breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. The breast is composed of two main types of tissues: glandular tissues and stromal (supporting) tissues.
There are several types of tumors that may develop within different areas of the breast. Most tumors are the result of benign (non-cancerous) changes within the breast. For example, fibrocystic change is a non-cancerous condition in which women develop cysts (accumulated packets of fluid), fibrosis (formation of scar-like connective tissue), lumpiness, areas of thickening, tenderness, or breast pain.
Breast Cancer Risk factors
Other factors that may make you more susceptible to breast cancer include : -
Age : – Your chances of developing breast cancer increase with age. Close to 80 percent of breast cancers occur in women older than age 50. In your 30s, you have a one in 233 chance of developing breast cancer. By age 85, your chance is one in eight.
A personal history of breast cancer : – If you’ve had breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast.
Family history : – If you have a mother, sister or daughter with breast or ovarian cancer or both, or a male relative with breast cancer, you have a greater chance of also developing breast cancer
Genetic predisposition : – Between 5 percent and 10 percent of breast cancers are inherited.
Radiation exposure : – If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young adult, you’re more likely to develop breast cancer later in life. Your risk is greatest if you received radiation as an adolescent during breast development.
Excess weight : – The relationship between excess weight and breast cancer is complex. In general, weighing more than is healthy increases your risk, particularly if you gained the weight as an adolescent. But risk is even greater if you put the weight on after menopause. Your risk also is greater if you have more body fat in the upper part of your body.
Early onset of menstrual cycles : – If you got your period at a young age, especially before age 12, you may have a greater likelihood of developing breast cancer. Experts attribute this risk to the early exposure of the breast tissue to estrogen.
Late menopause : – If you enter menopause after age 55, you’re more likely to develop breast cancer. Experts attribute this to the prolonged exposure of the breast tissue to estrogen…
Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. In fact, when it first develops, breast cancer may cause no symptoms at all. But as the cancer grows, it can cause these changes:
A lump or thickening in the breast or armpit A change in the size or shape of the breast Discharge from the nipple A change in the color or texture of the skin of the breast or areola (such as dimpling, puckering, or scaliness).
Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Imaging for Breast Cancer : – Imaging is an important component used to diagnose breast cancer and to evaluate the stage and extent of disease in breast cancer patients
Screening Mammography : – A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breast. This is the best test we have to screen women for breast cancer. A Screening Mammogram consists of two “pictures” of each breast. If an area on the mammogram looks suspicious or is not clear, additional mammograms with different views may be needed. Annual screening mammography is recommended for all women over 40 years old.
Diagnostic Mammography : -This is a mammogram used for problem-solving, rather than for screening. For instance, if a patient has a lump in her breast, a directed investigation of that area is performed. This is also done when a particular finding in the breast is being followed over time. A diagnostic mammogram is tailored to the patient’s case and is carefully monitored by a radiologist, who interprets the images and determines whether there is any need for further tests.
Ultrasonography : -Using high-frequency sound waves, ultrasonography can often show whether a lump is solid or filled with fluid. This exam may be used along with Diagnostic Mammography or MRI to answer questions about a specific area of the breast. Because it uses sound waves instead of X-Rays, ultrasound provides information that is different and often complementary to the mammogram.
Breast MRI : -Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to look specifically at the breast. Each exam produces hundreds of images of the breast, cross-sectional in all three directions (side-to-side, top-to-bottom, front-to-back), which are then read by a radiologist. It is non-invasive and no radioactivity is involved. The technique is believed to have no health hazards in general.
Biopsy for Breast Cancer
One way to find out if a breast lump or abnormal tissue is cancer is by having a biopsy. During a biopsy, a surgeon, a pathologist or a radiologist removes a portion or all of the suspicious tissue. The suspicious tissue is examined under a microscope by a pathologist who checks for cancer cells and makes the diagnosis. The following are different types of biopsies as well as how you can best prepare yourself for each of them. The following are different types of biopsies.
Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Biopsy : – FNA samples a woman’s lump using a thin small needle that leaves a mark no bigger than a needle stick from a blood test. FNA often allows us to diagnose a lump within two to three days
Stereotactic Core Biopsy : – This procedure was developed as a less invasive way to obtain tissue samples for diagnosis. It involves removing tissue with a biopsy needle while your breast is compressed in a way similar to a mammogram. This biopsy requires less recovery time than surgery and causes no significant scarring
Needle (Wire) Localization Biopsy : – This type of biopsy involves the use of a needle and wire to locate the abnormal tissue and surgery to remove it. Needle localization is performed when you have an abnormality on a mammogram that cannot be felt. It is an outpatient biopsy that is done in two steps on the same day….
Treatment of a Breast Cancer in India
Mastectomy in India
Mastectomy is the surgical removal of a breast. Surgery is presently the most common treatment for breast cancer. Following mastectomy, immediate or delayed breast reconstruction is possible in many instances….
Types of Mastectomy
There are several different types of surgical procedures used to treat breast cancer. Depending on the location or surgeon who performs the procedure, different terms may be used….
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