Healthy Inspiration: Breast Cancer

Healthy Inspiration: 2010 Breakthroughs

Focused Microwave Thermotherapy.
This new treatment developed by University of Oklahoma not only killed large cancer tumors,it also reduced the need for mastectomies by almost 90 percent.
This therapy is a major advancement for women with later stage breast cancer. Many patients with large tumors lose their breast. With this treatment along with chemotherapy, the cancer is killed and your breast tissue is spared.
These large tumors an inch to an inch and a half in size usually require a mastectomy. When researchers used the heating therapy within two hours of receiving chemotherapy, the tumor was more susceptible to the chemotherapy and it was rapidly reduced in size. The percentage of patients needing mastectomies was reduced from 75 percent to 7 percent.

Oncotype DX is a diagnostic test that can help individualize treatment by selecting which breast cancer tumors are most likely to return and if the you will benefit from chemotherapy. Using a sample of the your tumor tissue the test evaluates the activity of 21 genes to determine a Recurrence Score that predicts how successful chemotherapy is likely to be and the chance of the cancer recurring. Both the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommend the Oncotype DX test.

Healthy Inspiration:
Breastfeeding may reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. Women who had a mother or sister with breast cancer were studied. Those who breastfed their children were 59 percent less likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer. In fact, breastfeeding was found to have the same risk-reducing affect as taking tamoxifen for five years. The length of time you breastfeed doesn't matter: risk reduction was the same.

Dr. Anne Wallace is making sure cancer doesn't spread to the lymph nodes, which is the first place cancer may go.You can take a picture and actually see where the lymph node is, said Dr. Wallace, professor of clinical surgery at Moores UCSD Cancer Center in San Diego, Calif.
By using a new molecule called Lymphoseek your physician can find the right lymph nodes to test. The area lights up, illuminating the nodes that need to biopsied for possible cancer.


Healthy Inspiration: The Normal Breast

Breasts are primarily fat and breast tissue. The chest muscle (the pectoralis) is located behind the breast and in front of the ribs. Breast tissue is made up of lobules and mammary ducts resembling bunches of grapes on their stems.

The lobules are the sacs that produce milk, and the ducts are the tubes that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple openings for breastfeeding. There are between five and ten ductal systems in each breast. Individual duct/lobule systems have a separate opening at the nipple. Each breast has up to about a million lobules.

Muscle tissue in the nipple allows it to become erect. Muscle tissue around the lobules helps squeeze milk into the ducts. Glands on the areola (the shaded circle of skin surrounding the nipple) secrete small amounts of fluid to lubricate the nipple when breastfeeding.

Throughout childhood, girls have immature breast tissue. During puberty breast growth is stimulated by hormones which causes the ducts to stretch out and become more branched. Over time the breast tissue develops into a mature system of lobules and ducts. Once mature, it remains inactive until pregnancy. During pregnancy, the lobules multiply even more and begin to produce milk.

After menopause, the ovaries stop producing hormones and the number of lobules decrease and shrink in size. The breast tissue becomes less dense and a larger proportion is made up of fat compared to the breasts of younger women.

The breasts also contain lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are located near the breast in the axilla (underarm), above the collarbone, behind the breastbone, and in many other parts of the body. The lymph nodes trap bacteria, cancer cells, or other harmful substances.

Healthy Inspiration: Breast Cancer

Cancer begins in cells. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place.

Sometimes something goes wrong. New cells form when the body doesn't need them, and old cells don't die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a tumor.

Tumors can be benign or malignant.
Benign tumors are rarely life-threatening. They can be removed, and usually don't grow back. Benign tumors don't invade the tissues around them or spread to other parts of the body.
Malignant tumors are generally more serious. They may be life-threatening. Malignant tumors can be removed, but sometimes they grow back. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs, and spread to other parts of the body. Cancer cells spread by breaking away from the original tumor and travel through the bloodstream or lymph system. Then they invade other organs and form new tumors that damage these organs. This spreading is called metastasis.

Definition of breast cancer: Cancer that forms in the ducts and lobules of the breast. It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare.

Healthy Inspiration: Symptoms

Breast cancer symptoms vary widely and many breast cancers have no obvious symptoms at all. Symptoms that are similar to those of breast cancer may be the result of non-cancerous conditions like an infection or cyst.

1. A change in how the breast or nipple feels.
2. A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.
3. Nipple tenderness.
4. A change in how the breast or nipple looks.
5. A change in the size or shape of the breast.
6. A nipple turned inward into the breast.
7. The skin of the breast, areola, or nipple may be scaly, red, or swollen. It may have ridges or pitting so that it looks like the skin of an orange.
8. Nipple discharge.

See your health care provider about breast pain or any other symptom that does not go away. Remember, most often, these symptoms are not due to cancer. Other health problems may also cause them.

1. Being female
2. Getting Older. From birth to age 39, 1 woman in 231 will get breast cancer (<0.5% risk). From ages 40–59, the chance is 1 in 25 (4% risk). From ages 60–79, the chance is 1 in 15 (nearly 7%). The risk of getting breast cancer over the course of an entire lifetime, assuming you live to age 90, is one in 7, with an overall lifetime risk of 14.3%.
3. Inherited genetic mutations
4. Family history of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer
5.High breast density on a mammogram. Breast tissue may be dense or fatty. Older women whose mammograms (breast x-rays) show more dense tissue are at increased risk of breast cancer.
6.Radiation exposure in youth. Women who had radiation therapy to the chest (including breasts) before age 30 are at an increased risk of breast cancer. This includes women treated with radiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Studies show that the younger a woman was when she received radiation treatment, the higher her risk of breast cancer later in life.
7.Benign breast disease
8.High levels of estrogen in the blood
9.Personal history of breast cancer
10.Menopause at age 55 or older
11.Not having children or having first child after age 30
12 High bone density
13.Overweight or weight gain. The chance of getting breast cancer after menopause is higher in women who are overweight or obese.
14.High socioeconomic status
15.Ashkenazi Jewish heritage
16.Drinking alcohol. Studies suggest that the more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.
17.Lack of exercise
18.Postmenopausal hormone use
19.First period before age 12
20.Current or recent use of birth control pills
21.Being tall
22.Not breastfeeding

Smoking is associated with a small increase in breast cancer risk.
Race: Breast cancer is diagnosed more often in white women than Latina, Asian, or African American women.

Healthy Inspiration:Diagnosis

Your doctor must find out whether you have cancer or to some other disease.
Your doctor will ask about your personal and family medical history.
You will have a clinical breast exam.
Your doctor may order a mammogram or other imaging procedure.
Your doctor may decide no other exams are needed.
Your doctor may suggest that you have a follow-up exam later on.
You may need to have a biopsy to look for cancer cells.

Your doctor may refer you to a specialist, or you may ask for a referral. Specialists who treat breast cancer include surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists. You also may be referred to a plastic surgeon.

Healthy Inspiration:Breast self exam

Breast self-exam should be part of your monthly health care routine. Breast self-exam is a tool that will help you become familiar with the way your breasts normally look and feel. You must know what is "normal" for you. Only routine monthly exams will prepare you for the "out of the ordinary" that you need to talk to your doctor about. If you notice any changes such as thickening, lumps, spontaneous nipple discharge or skin changes, such as dimpling or puckering see your health care provider right away.

Many women may find that their breasts feel lumpy. Breast tissue naturally has a bumpy texture. For some women, the lumpiness is more pronounced than for others. The kinds of lumps that are of concern are ones that are firmer than the rest of the breast. When such a lump is found, there is more of a risk that it may be cancer, although cysts can cause similar lumps. Any time you discover a new lump that feels different from the rest of your breast or one that is different from what you felt before, you should have it checked by a health care provider.

Healthy Inspiration: Susan G Komen for the Cure® recommends that you :
1. Know your risk
2. Get screened.
Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk.
Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at 20, and every year starting at 40.
3. Know what is normal for you.
4. Make healthy lifestyle choices.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Add exercise into your routine.
Limit alcohol intake.

Healthy Inspiration: Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s Breast Care Helpline (1-877 GO KOMEN or 1-877-465-6636) can help put patients in touch with local social support services.

Healthy Inspiration: The American Cancer Society offers many support resources on their website, including the Cancer Survivors Network, an online community in which cancer survivors and caregivers share their experiences and recommend resources that have been helpful to them. Other resources include the “I Can Cope” program for patients and their loved ones, and the “Reach to Recovery” program that connects newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and their families with trained volunteers in their area who are also breast cancer survivors. To find out more about these and other programs, visit the American Cancer Society’s Support Programs and Services page or call 1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345).

Healthy Inspiration: Gilda’s Club offers support services to people with cancer and their family and friends through a network of physical clubhouses across the country. For more information, visit their website or call 1-888-GILDA-4-U (1-888-445-3248).
Healthy Inspiration: Breast Cancer :This link will provide much more information about Breast Cancer.

Other topics of Healthy Inspiration can be found on this page.
Home
Clicking above will return you to the home page.