BREAST CANCER
Breast cancer starts in the breast tissue but in some rare cases it has been found in other areas of the breast, the 2 main types are known as Ductal carcinoma & lobular carcinoma.
Breast cancer is described as invasive meaning the cancer has spread to surrounding tissue in the breast & non invasive meaning it has not yet spread to surrounding tissue.
Many cancers are sensitive to the hormone estrogen causing it to grow and become more aggressive, cancers sensitive to these hormones have an estrogen receptor on the surface of their cell.
There are some Risk factors that cannot be changed & increase your chance of developing breast cancer.
UNCHANGEABLE RISKS
Family history of breast cancer
Age and gender
Certain genes
Early menstrual cycle
Onset of menopause after 55
Childbirth after 35
Women who took DES
Women who take HRT
Radiation therapy
Some symptoms include a lump in the breast or the arm pit, a change in shape and size of the breast or fluid coming from the nipple. More aggressive cancer symptoms include bone pain, breast pain, skin ulcers, swelling of one arm and weight loss.
Breast cancer treatment depends on the stage of cancer and the type of cancer, the most common ones used are chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Most women are given a number of different treatments before the right one is found.
Breast cancer is one of the deadliest cancers apart from lung cancer, studies have shown that breast cancer affects every 1 in 8 women at some point in their life. Its yet to be proven why some women suffer with the deadly tumours while others are never affected.
There are some known risk unchangeable risk factors these are:
Age- as women age their risks are greater
Genes- there is 2 genes that are known BRCA1 & BRCA2
Personal factors- menstruating before 12 years and going through menopause after 55 years
There are 5 other risk factors that can be changed to prevent the risks of getting breast cancer & these are being overweight, using the HRT, the use of birth control pills, drinking alcohol and having a baby after 35 years.
Breast cancer symptoms include finding a lump in the breast, a noticeable change is shape and size of the breast and discharge coming from one of the nipples.
Self exams and regular mammograms can help find the cancer in its earliest stage when it is more treatable.
Some of the treatment used to get rid of the cancer may include a mastectomy, lumpectomy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy or hormone therapy.
REFRENCES
FOR PAGE 2
‘Breast cancer’ U.S. National library of medicine, national institutes of health, retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000913.htm, accessed 19 January 2012
FOR PAGE 3
‘Breast cancer’ U.S. National library of medicine, national institutes of health, retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breastcancer.html, accessed 22 January 2012
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