Breast cancer-symptoms, causes and treatment

Breast Cancer is a disease that affects women specifically, but may also affect men, albeit in a much smaller proportion, as doctors have recently made significant advances in early detection and treatment of breast cancer to reduce the number of deaths from the disease.

Previously, screening for breast cancer meant a complete mastectomy, but today these operations are performed only in rare cases, with a wide range of treatments available.

The classification of cancerous tumor

A cancerous tumor is classified on a table of 0 - 4IV (four), as follows:

* Grade 0

They are also called non-gaseous or localized breast cancer, and although these tumors do not have the ability to invade healthy breast tissue or spread to other organs in the body, it is important to remove them and remove them; they may turn into gaseous tumors in the future.

* Grades from 1 to 4

They are gaseous tumors that have the ability to invade healthy tissue in the breast and then spread to other organs in the body, a cancerous tumor in the first degree is a small and local tumor and the chances of full recovery from it are very large, but the higher the degree the less chances of recovery.

* Grade 4

It is a cancerous tumor that has moved out of the breast tissue and spread to other organs of the body, such as the lungs, bones and liver, and although the cancer cannot be cured at this stage, there is a possibility that it will respond well to various treatments that will cause the tumor to shrink and shrink and keep it under control for

Symptoms of breast cancer

Awareness and vigilance of the early symptoms and signs of breast cancer can save your life, when the disease is detected in its early stages the range of treatments available is wider and more diverse, and the chances of a full recovery are very high.

Most lumps detected in the breast are not malignant, however the most common early sign of breast cancer in both women and men, is the appearance of a lump or condensation in the breast tissue, this lump is often painless.

Symptoms of breast cancer include:

* Secretion of a transparent or blood-like substance from the nipple, sometimes appears with the appearance of a tumor in the breast.

* Nipple retraction or teething.

• Change the size or contours of breast.

* Flatten or tooth the skin covering the breast.

* The appearance of redness or something resembling wrinkled skin on the surface of the breast, such as an orange crust.

Signs of anxiety for breast cancer

Causes and Risk Factors of breast cancer

Breast cancer means that the number of breast cells began to multiply abnormally, these cells divided more rapidly than healthy cells and can begin to spread throughout the breast tissue into the lymph nodes and other organs in the body.

The most common type of breast cancer begins in the milk glands, but it can also begin in one of the sub-lobes or in other breast tissue, in most cases it is not clear why healthy cells in the breast tissue turn into cancer cells.

1. The causes of breast cancer

Doctors know the causes of the disease as follows:

* Heredity

5-only 10% of breast cancer cases are due to genetic causes, there are families with one or two genes that are defective, such as breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA 1) or breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA 2), and their sons and daughters are very likely to have breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

* Other genetic defects

Such as the ataxia - telangiectasia mutation gene, and the P53 gene responsible for clogging tumors all increase your risk of breast cancer, if one of these genetic defects is present in your family, there is a 50% chance that the defect may be present in you, too.

Most genetic defects related to breast cancer are not inherited.

These acquired defects may be caused by radiation exposure such as women who have been treated with radiation in the chest area to treat fibroids in childhood or adolescence, or the stage of breast growth and development, are more likely to develop breast cancer than women who have not been exposed to such radiation.

Genetic changes may also occur from exposure to carcinogenic substances, such as certain hydrocarbons found in tobacco and charred red meat.

Today, researchers are trying to find out if there is any relationship between a person's genetic makeup and environmental factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer, and perhaps prove that many factors may cause breast cancer to develop.

2. Breast cancer risk factors

The risk factor is anything that increases the likelihood of a certain disease, some risk factors such as age, sex and family history, can not be changed while a person can control other factors, such as smoking or poor nutrition.

However, even if you have one or more risk factors, it doesn't necessarily mean you get breast cancer, as the majority of women with breast cancer have been diagnosed just because they're women and don't have any additional risk factors.

Since being a woman is the most important risk factor for breast cancer, although men are also at risk for breast cancer, it is much more common among women.

Highlights include other risk factors that can increase the risk of breast cancer and what comes:

• Age.

* Personal history of breast cancer exposure.

• Family history.

* Genetic predisposition.

• Exposure to radiation.

• Excess weight.

* Menstruation at a relatively early age.

* Reaching menopause at a relatively late age.

• Hormone therapy.

* Take birth control pills.

• Smoking.

* Precancerous changes in breast tissue.

* High density of breast tissue by Mammography.

Age and the specific period of menopause may affect the density of breast tissue, as the density of breast tissue in young women is usually higher than in older women.

The higher the hormone levels, the higher the density of breast tissue, although the risk of developing breast cancer due to the high density of breast tissue increases only slightly.

If you are in one of the groups most at risk for breast cancer and your breast tissue density is high, it can be difficult to analyze a radiograph, and then your doctor may advise you to do other scans.

Causes of the appearance of tumors that are not malignant in the breast

There are medical conditions other than breast cancer that can lead to changes in breast size or tissue, as breast tissue naturally changes during pregnancy and during menstruation.

Other possible causes of non-cancerous breast tumors include:

* Fibrous cystic changes.

• Polycystic.

• Fibroadenoma.

• Inflammation or injury.

Complications of breast cancer

Complications include what comes:

* Anatomical changes of the breast.

• Chronic pain.

* Phantom breast pain.

* Axillary web syndrome.

* Lymphedema;

* Fatigue and cognitive impairment.

The diagnosis of breast cancer

If you notice a lump or whatever change, in your breast even if the result of the last mammogram is intact, you should contact your doctor to assess the situation.

If you do not go beyond menopause, it may be better to wait for one menstrual cycle before seeing a doctor, but if the changes in the breast do not disappear after a month it is necessary to go to the doctor to assess the situation.:

1. Photography

Looking for evidence of breast cancer before the first symptoms appear is key to early detection of breast cancer while it is still at a stage where it can be treated.

According to information about the age and risk groups to which you may belong, mammography or other examinations are performed.

2. Breast self-examination

Breast self-examination is only one possibility and should be done on a permanent and regular basis starting at the age of 20, as gaining experience of breast self-examination, and getting to know the tissue and structure of your breast on a permanent and regular basis, may make you able to detect early signs of breast cancer.

You should learn how your breast usually looks and be alert to any changes in sensation or breast tissue, if you notice any changes you should inform your doctor as soon as possible.

3. Breast examination in the clinic

If you have breast cancer in your family, or if you belong to one of the highest risk groups for breast cancer, you are advised to have a mammogram at the clinic once every three years until you reach the age of 40, and then once a year later.

During this examination, the doctor checks the breast tissue to look for lumps or other changes in the breast, where the doctor can detect lumps or changes that you could not pay attention to, and can also notice an increase in the size of the lymph nodes in the armpit area.

4. Mammography

Mammography that examines breast tissue through the production of X-ray images is today the most reliable examination for the early detection of cancerous lumps in the breast, even before the doctor feels them by manual touch of the breast; that is why this examination is recommended for all women over 40 years of age frequently.

There are two types of mammography:

* Screening Mammography.

• Radiography diagnostic mammography (Diagnostic Mammography).

But radiographic examinations are not ideal, there is a certain percentage of cancerous tumors and sometimes lumps that can be felt by self-examination and do not appear in the X-ray image.

This percentage is higher among women in their 40s; this is because women of this age and younger women are more likely to have a higher density of breast tissue, making it difficult to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy tissue.

5. Other tests.

Other highlights include what comes next:

* Computer-assisted detection.

• Mammography digital.

• Magnetic resonance imaging.

6. Diagnostic procedures

Diagnostic procedures help identify and characterize abnormalities in breast tissue that have been detected by routine examinations, such as the detection of a lump in the breast by touch, or by screening with mammography or magnetic resonance imaging.

These tests help your doctor determine if you need a biopsy (which is a medical procedure in which cells or tissue are taken as a sample for analysis and examination in the laboratory), and help develop guidelines for how to perform a biopsy.

7. Ultrasound examination (Ultrasound)

This examination is used to make sure that the lumps detected in the breast are solid or not.

8. Biopsy (Biopsis)

A biopsy can provide vital information about any abnormal or abnormal changes in breast tissue, and help determine whether surgery is needed and what type of surgery is required.

Types of biopsy that may be made:

* Thin needle biopsy.

* Thick needle biopsy (Coreneedle)

* Stereotactic biopsis biopsy.

• Surgical biopsy.

9. Screening for estrogen receptors (Estrogens) and progesterone (Progesterone)

If you find estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or both, then your doctor advises you to take medications, such as tamoxifen, that prevent estrogen from reaching these areas.

10. Staging check

Grading tests determine the size and location of the cancerous tumor and whether the tumor has moved and spread elsewhere.

11. Genetic or genetic testing

If you find one or more genetic breast cancer cases in the family, blood tests will help detect a defective gene or defects in other genes that are passed down from one generation to another in the family.

These tests often produce inconclusive results and should therefore be carried out only in special cases and after consultation with a genetic counselor, if you are not in the risk group for breast cancer or ovarian cancer on a genetic background, there is generally no need for genetic diagnostic tests.

Genetic diagnosis can be useful in most cases only if the results of the examination will help you choose the best way to reduce the risk of cancer.

Breast cancer treatment

 

Being informed that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer is one of the most difficult experiences a person can face, in addition to facing a life-threatening disease, you have to make decisions about a treatment program that is not easy at all.

It is preferable to consult with the medical team about available breast cancer treatment options, preferably a second opinion from a breast cancer specialist, and it is also useful to talk with women who have had a similar experience.

Available today, a variety of treatments for each stage of the disease, the majority of women undergo surgical resection of the breast in addition to chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy, as there are also a variety of experimental treatments for this type of cancer.

Treatment highlights include:

1. Surgery

A whole mastectomy has become a rare procedure today, instead most women are excellent candidates for resection of the affected part of the breast, or just for resection of the tumor.

If you decide to have a complete mastectomy, you may later consider a breast reconstruction.:

* Cancerous tumor resection

Surgical procedures to remove a cancerous tumor are always followed by radiation treatments, in order to destroy any cancer cells that may have remained in place.

Types of mastectomy surgeries include:

1. Partial or sectional excision of the breast.

2. Simple excision.

3. Total mastectomy.

* Sentinel lymph node biopsis biopsy

Since breast cancer primarily spreads to the underarm lymph nodes, all women who have been diagnosed with invasive-type cancer should undergo screening for these glands.

• Excision of axillary lymph nodes

If there are signs of a cancerous tumor in the Guardian glands, the surgeon must remove all the lymph nodes under the armpit.

* Breast reconstruction and reconstructive surgery

If you want to undergo breast reconstruction and reconstructive surgery, talk to your surgeon before any surgery.

Not all women are suitable for breast reconstruction surgery, the plastic surgeon can advise on a variety of operations, show photographs of women who have undergone different procedures aimed at Breast Reconstruction, and you can consult with him to choose the type of operation that is most suitable for you and your condition.

Your options may include reconstruction with an artificial tissue transplant or a transplant from your own tissue, and these surgeries can be performed during a mastectomy or later.

Types of breast reconstruction and restoration include:

* Artificial tissue transplantation.

* Fold of personal tissues.

• Deep lower epigastric perforator (Deep inferior epigastric perforator-DIEP).

* Reconstruction of the nipple area and areola of the breast.

2. Radiation therapy

Many people who suffer from cancer is treated today with radiation, some limited signs them only while doctors go to when others combine it with other treatments such as chemotherapy.

While radiation may also target healthy cells, it is not necessary to damage cancer cells, as healthy cells have the ability to regenerate themselves.

3. Chemotherapy (Chemotherapy)

The effectiveness of chemotherapy in eliminating malignant tumors may outweigh both surgery and radiation, due to the ability of chemotherapy to reach all parts of the body and not just specific places such as surgery or radiation.

Sometimes a cancer patient receives doses of chemotherapy to reduce the size of their tumor before surgery to remove it or before starting radiation therapy sessions. 

Chemotherapy targets genes and proteins in cancer cells destroy it prevents the growth of new tumors, as well as prevent the arrival of food to blood vessels. 

4. Hormone therapy

In the case of hormone-sensitive cancer, hormone-blocking therapy may be offered by medications, such as tamoxifen or Aromatase inhibitor.

This treatment works to stop the secretion of the hormone estrogen.

5. Biological therapy

As scientists and researchers gain more knowledge about the differences between healthy cells and cancer cells, targeted therapies are being developed to address these differences, where treatment is carried out on a biological basis.

There are three types of biological therapies available to treat breast cancer, including:

• Trastuzumab (Trastuzumab)

• Bevacizumab (Bevacizumab)

• Docetaxel (Docetaxel)

Prevention of breast cancer

Nothing can guarantee you won't get breast cancer, but there are several steps that can be taken to reduce your risk of breast cancer, including what comes:

1. Prevention by chemical means

Prevention through chemical means using drugs to reduce the risk of breast cancer, where there are two types of drugs used to prevent breast cancer in women who are more likely than others to the disease of breast cancer.

These drugs belong to a class of drugs that selectively activate estrogen receptors ( selective estrogen receptor modulators-SERM)

• Tamoxifen (Tamoxifen)

• Raloxifene (Raloxifene)

2. Surgery as a preventive measure

Although surgery is a straightforward procedure, but the surgery as a preventive measure can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women most vulnerable to the disease.

Options include:

• Mastectomy as a preventive measure.

* Ovarian resection as a preventive measure.

3. Lifestyle changes

Taking some steps to change your lifestyle can be an influential factor in reducing your risk of breast cancer، 

* Avoid consuming alcohol.

* Maintain a healthy weight.

* Avoid long-term hormonal treatments.

* Regular sports physical activity.

• Eat foods rich in dietary fiber.

* Excessive consumption of olive oil.

• Avoid exposure to insecticides.

4. Possible preventive treatments

Scientists continue to research in an effort to develop signs of possible preventive for breast cancer, including:

* Retinoic acid.

• Flax seeds.