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Breast Cancer
Note: Much of the following information was taken from pages on our
"sister' website: BestDietForMe.com.
Summary
Also called: Breast carcinoma
Breast cancer affects one in eight
women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States
than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast
cancer, but there a number of risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include
Age - the chance of getting
breast cancer rises as a woman gets older
Genes - there are two genes,
BRCA1 and BRCA2, that greatly increase the risk. Women who have family members
with breast or ovarian cancer may wish to be tested.
Personal factors - beginning
periods before age 12 or going through menopause after age 55
Other risks include being
overweight, using hormone replacement therapy, taking birth control pills,
drinking alcohol, not having children or having your first child after age 35 or
having dense breasts.
Symptoms of breast cancer may
include a lump in the breast, a change in size or shape of the breast or
discharge from a nipple. Breast self-exam and mammography can help find breast
cancer early when it is most treatable. Treatment may consist of radiation,
lumpectomy, mastectomy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Common Kinds of Breast Cancer
There are different kinds of breast
cancer. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into
cancer. Breast cancer can begin in different parts of the breast, like the ducts
or the lobes.
Common kinds of breast cancer are
Ductal carcinoma.
The most common kind of breast cancer. It begins in the cells that line the
milk ducts in the breast, also called the lining of the breast ducts.
Ductal carcinoma in
situ (DCIS). The abnormal cancer cells are only in the lining of
the milk ducts, and have not spread to other tissues in the breast.
Invasive ductal
carcinoma. The abnormal cancer cells break through the ducts and
spread into other parts of the breast tissue. Invasive cancer cells can also
spread to other parts of the body.
Lobular carcinoma.
In this kind of breast cancer, the cancer cells begin in the lobes, or
lobules, of the breast. Lobules are the glands that make milk.
Lobular carcinoma in
situ (LCIS). The cancer cells are found only in the breast lobules.
Lobular carcinoma in situ, or LCIS, does not spread to other tissues very
often.
Invasive lobular
carcinoma. Cancer cells spread from the lobules to the breast
tissues that are close by. These invasive cancer cells can also spread to
other parts of the body.
Kinds
of Screening Tests
Breast cancer screening means
checking a woman's breasts for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the
disease. Three main tests are used to screen the breasts for cancer. Talk to
your doctor about which tests are right for you, and when you should have them.
Mammogram. A
mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are the best method to detect
breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to
feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying
from breast cancer. 1 If you are age 40 years or
older, be sure to have a screening mammogram every one to two years.
Clinical breast exam.
A clinical breast exam is an examination by a doctor or nurse, who uses his or
her hands to feel for lumps or other changes. 2
Breast self-exam.
A breast self-exam is when you check your own breasts for lumps, changes in
size or shape of the breast, or any other changes in the breasts or underarm
(armpit).
Which tests to choose:
Having a clinical breast exam or a breast self-exam have not been found to
decrease risk of dying from breast cancer. 1 Keep in
mind that, at this time, the best way to find breast cancer is with a mammogram.
If you choose to have clinical breast exams and to perform breast self-exams, be
sure you also get regular mammograms.
Doctors often use additional tests
to find or diagnose breast cancer.
Breast ultrasound.
A machine uses sound waves to make detailed pictures, called sonograms, of
areas inside the breast.
Diagnostic mammogram.
If you have a problem in your breast, such as lumps, or if an area of the
breast looks abnormal on a screening mammogram, doctors may have you get a
diagnostic mammogram. This is a more detailed X-ray of the breast.
Magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI). A kind of body scan that uses a magnet linked to a
computer. The MRI scan will make detailed pictures of areas inside the breast.
Biopsy. This is
a test that removes tissue or fluid from the breast to be looked at under a
microscope and do more testing. There are different kinds of biopsies (for
example, fine-needle aspiration, core biopsy, or open biopsy).
Kinds
of Treatment
Breast cancer is treated in several
ways. It depends on the kind of breast cancer and how far it has spread.
Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biologic therapy,
and radiation. People with breast cancer often get more than one kind of
treatment.
Surgery. An
operation where doctors cut out and remove cancer tissue.
Chemotherapy.
Using special medicines, or drugs to shrink or kill the cancer. The drugs can
be pills you take or medicines given through an intravenous (IV) tube, or,
sometimes, both.
Hormonal therapy.
Some cancers need certain hormones to grow. Hormonal treatment is used to
block cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow.
Biological therapy.
This treatment works with your body's immune system to help it fight cancer or
to control side effects from other cancer treatments. Side effects are how
your body reacts to drugs or other treatments. Biological therapy is different
from chemotherapy, which attacks cancer cells directly.
Radiation. The
use of high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill the cancer cells. The rays
are aimed at the part of the body where the cancer is located.
It is common for doctors from
different specialties to work together in treating breast cancer. Surgeons are
doctors that perform operations. Medical oncologists are doctors that treat
cancers with medicines. Radiation oncologists are doctors that treat cancers
with radiation.
Which
Treatment Is Right for Me?
Choosing which kind of treatment is
right for you may be hard. If you have breast cancer, be sure to talk to your
doctor about the treatment options available for your type and stage of cancer.
Doctors can explain the risks and benefits of each treatment and their side
effects.
Sometimes people get an opinion
from more than one breast cancer doctor. This is called a "second opinion."
Getting a second opinion may help you choose the treatment option that is right
for you.
For More Information
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Division of Cancer
Prevention and Control
4770 Buford Hwy, NE
MS K-64
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
