Breast Cancer

Until there is a Breast Cancer breakthrough, we are going to need to use the breast cancer facts and statistics, we have now. Not counting skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common among American women.

Who can get breast cancer? Women and men both get breast cancer, it’s just more common in women.

Statistics show, that 1 in 8 women, will have it, in their lifetime.  Advanced breast cancer treatments now shows, that we are more than likely, going to overcome it and eventually turn it in our favor.

What is Breast Cancer?

It is cells in the breast that become abnormal. They grow uncontrollably and multiply and start forming tumors. When they go undetected malignant cells spread to other places in the body, this is called metastasis. This is definitely what we don’t want to happen.

Early detection is a must, that’s why we urge women to have an exam at least once a year. Most places, there are local offices, where you can schedule a mammogram regularly. It is a health issue, that needs to be done, whether you are sick or not, this is a safety precaution. To know early, is the best way to stop or treat breast cancer.

There is no way to prevent getting breast cancer, just ways to stop it with early detection.

 

 

Categories of Breast Cancer

There are a couple of categories of breast cancer, depending on the type of cells they have, malignant or nonmalignant. The reason why breast cancer developes is unknown. We know that the cells become abnormal, but we don’t know why some people get it, and some don’t. livegreaterhealth.com/cancer has more about the disease. The main categories are………………………….

Invasive – This is where the cancer cells spread through other parts of the body by traveling through the bloodstream to the lymph nodes.

Noninvasive – This is where the cancerous cells stay located in one spot and do not spread through the bloodstream.

Types of Breast Cancer

There are many different types of breast cancer, from common ones, to very rare types. We are going to name a few of them………………..

Common Types

Ductal Carcinoma in Situ –  non-invasive cancer cells in the milk ducts of the breasts. That have not spread to the other tissues of the breast and if treated in time will not become malignant. This is the most common type that is non-invasive.

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) – invasive cancer cells that have spread through to the tissues of the breast. IDC can also, spread to other parts of the body. This cancer is most commonly type that affects men.

Lobular Carcinoma – begins in the lobules the milk producing glands of the breast. This is when the cancerous cells have gone outside of the lobules, and spread through the body.

Rare types

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) – This is very rare and aggressive breast cancer, that has started in the soft tissues of the breast, where the malignant cells, spread to lymph vessels of the breast skin, blocking them.

Metastatic Breast Cancer – This might be the worse one of them all, although, they are all serious. This is a stage 4  or a metastases advanced cancer. Where secondary tumors has spread, to other organs of the body. This the last stage of breast cancer.

 

 

Papillary Breast Cancer – This is a malignant tumors that form in the milk ducts of the breast. The cells under a microscope are arranged in finger like projections. This is where the name comes from papilla, which, under a microscope the cells look like fingers. An invasive type, but very rare less than 1-2 {0580942254a8404b9cbb1b1bb95a6f06e3c05404a4a3e100977df26e356e3e53} is invasive and is usually diagnosed in older women.

Paget Disease of the Breast – rare type of malignant cancer of the nipple-areole complex. Where the cancer cells form around the nipple. Outwardly it may look like eczema, with the changes of the skin around the nipple of the breast. It accounts for about 1{0580942254a8404b9cbb1b1bb95a6f06e3c05404a4a3e100977df26e356e3e53} of breast cancer patients.

Male Breast Cancer – malignant cancer cells form around the breast tissues. Its rare that a man gets breast cancer, but they do about 1{0580942254a8404b9cbb1b1bb95a6f06e3c05404a4a3e100977df26e356e3e53} of men get breast cancer. Usually happens with older men around 60 or 70 years old.

Symptoms by Type

– Male Breast Cancer –

Fluids discharging from the breast

Skin around the nipple scaly and red

Lump in the breast

other symptoms may include pain, fatigue, and weight lose

– Paget Disease of the breast –

Burning and itching of the nipple

Redness

Nipple discharge

hardened or oozing skin that looks like eczema on the nipple

Lump in the breast

– Papillary Breast Cancer –

Cyst or lump beneath the skin

Bloody discharge from the nipple

Swelling

Inverted nipple

– Metastatic Breast Cancer –

The symptoms depends on the part of the body that’s affected, with this late stage cancer…….

The affected breast, most will likely have pain, nipple discharge, or a lump in the breast or underarm

Swelling in the neck or armpit

– Inflammatory Breast Cancer –

Change in skin color of the breast

Itching or burning

Tenderness or pain

Warm feeling of the breast

– Lobular Carcinoma –

Less likely to form a lump

Breast swelling

Change in color

A thickening in the breast

Dimpling or skin irritation

Nipple discharge

– Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) –

Lump that is hard and irregular feeling beneath or around the nipple

Nipple discharge

Breast pain

Skin irritation

Redness, scaliness of the nipple area

– Ductal Carcinoma in Situ –

Bloody nipple discharge

Lump in the breast

Pain

Red scaly rash

Treatments

understanding my diagnoses

– Hormone Therapy –

It is also called endocrine therapy and is used to control the hormones in breast cancer patients. Not all breast cancer patient cancer cells have hormone receptors in them. Doctors will have to run test to see if hormone therapy will work.  or at least the ones sensitive to hormones. Some breast cancers feeds on estrogen and progesterone hormones, so reducing them will slow the growth of the cancer cells. Doctors can do this by either medication or surgery.

– Targeted or biological Therapy –

The immune system tries to fight off the cancer cells, but are not able to. Due to the targeted therapy that is a type of immunotherapy. That is concentrated on the immune system by drugs or other medicines being directed to the cancer cells. The good thing about targeted therapy is it does not hurt as many good cells as other treatments. This would reduce side effects that may occur.

Personalized Treatment Guide

– Surgery –

The way I understand it most women that have breast cancer will have some type of surgery. Depending on the type and where it is located. The deciding factor will be, the stage the cancer is in, whether or not surgery is needed. There are different types of surgery for different types of breast cancer. Your doctor can make the right choice after test are done.

common surgeries are…….

Mastectomy – partial or complete removal of one or both breast.

Breast conserving – where only part of the breast is removed with some affected tissue.

After the cancerous tissues of the breast have been removed there are reconstructive surgery that can be done also.

– Chemotherapy –

Drugs are giving to kill the cancer cells. You can have this done in a doctors office, by giving the drug threw veins in the form of an (IV)  Intravenously. The drugs may even be taken by mouth. What ever works the best in your situation.

Chemo can be used before or after surgery, also. Depending on, if the doctors think they, might still be some cancer cells that are still growing.

– Radiation –

Uses radiation, or very high energy waves to kill the cancer cells. Treatments that kill the cancer cells, also, does damage, to some of the good cells, but is it minimized. There is usually side effects, when radiation is used, but they can be different, from patient to patient. Radiation effects people in different ways, depending on your health, and immune system.

Side Effects

Breast Cancer treatments, will have many side effects. Side effects will very from patient to patient, no to people will have the same side effect usually. We do know that the type of treatment that you have, plays a big role, in what the side effects will be. You will want to get with your doctor, before the treatment, to go over how to manage your side effect. Sometimes the side effects, are worse than the treatments.

Conclusion

 

Our article contains just basic information on Breast cancer.  It may not be all the info, but it is the most revelant and will help for us to be aware and take action. The decisions you make, maybe based on what we have gathered for you, on what, you can do, and what you may go through. This is an informational website, to help the reader, to have more knowledge of, the subject they are dealing with. We are not physicians, we only give information, that may be helpful to the reader.

Here at livegreaterhealth.com/breast cancer we want to get this information out to all people. We know that many people does not have the opportunity to get this information. So we encourage you to spread the word around about this website. Here at livegreaterhealth.com/breast cancer we want to thank all, who read this post, and got some useful information for themselves.

These health topics are designed to inform and help the people that may have or know someone that may have a sickness or disease. We want you, to tell us, what you need, or want to know about, by leaving us a comment below.

 

To learn to build a blog like this Click Here