There are over 200 Different types of Cancer. Each of these has it's own specific treatment. Cells which normally develop in a very controlled way, manage for some reason to get out of control and do not stop developing. They build forming a lump known as a tumour.
Tumours are either benign which means they do not have the ability to travel to new sites in the body or Cancerous which means they can travel to a new site and form a secondary cancer. You may hear the word metastasis which also means secondary cancer. The original tumour is known as a primary.
As with many types of cancer our knowledge is far short of complete. We do know that some women seem to be at greater risk. If several members of a family have had cancer of the breast. If close members of a family have had cancers of the ovary and colon, as well as cancer of the breast. If a close relative has had cancer of the breast when under forty. The following are considered to cause a slightly higher risk of breast cancer. Women who have not had children or had children later in life. Women whose menopause started occurred late or whose periods started at a very early age If you take the contraceptive pill you could be at a slightly higher risk.Most women it has no effect at all as far as breast cancer goes. Taking HRT (Hormone replacement therapy for 10 years or more may incur a slightly increased risk of breast cancer Their is no suggestion of evidence to associate bangs or knocks to the breast with breast cancer.What causes Cancer of the Breast
The first thing most women notice is a lump in the breast. Other signs to look for are: -
Breast - change of size or shape. dimpling of the skin. Thickening.
Nipple - becomes inverted. Lump or thickening. Bloodstained discharge. Rash on nipple or surrounding area
Arm - Swelling in the armpit.
Please note these symptoms can be caused by other, less seroius conditions but always get them checked.
There are various tests that are used to diagnose breast cancer theses are: -
Mammography and Ultrasound - Mammograms are special x-rays they are used to examine the breast a mammogram can be painful for a short period of time as pressure is applied to the breast. Many women describe it as the breast being squashed, this is not harmful to the breast. Mammograms make up part of the screening program they are very good for detecting early changes to the breast and can show things long before the can be detected externally. - Ultrasound helps detect if a lump contains fluid and is a cyst or is solid. A gel is smoothed over the breasts and a device like a small speaker emits sound waves> Pictures are made according to the echoes received by computers. A special type of ultrasound can be used called a colour doppler, this gives doctors a colur picture which shows the blood supply to the lump which can distinquish between cancers and benign lumps. Liver Ultrasound this is done to check the liver is free of cancer it is exactly the same as for breast ultrasound except the abdomen is smeared with the gel and that area is scanned, it does not hurt.
Needle aspiration and needle biopsy - Needle aspirations are where a doctor will take a sample of cells from the lump using a fine needle and syringe this may be done in conjunction with an ultrasound or xray. Needle biopsy, a slightly larger needle is used and is done with a local anaesthetic and the tissue taken is examined in a lab for signs of cancer.
Excision biopsy - This is where the whole lump is removed under general anaesthetic so the laboratory can examine it. This can mean a short stay in hospital or a day procedure. When the lump is very small a wire is inserted to guide the surgeon to the exact location of the lump. The wire is inserted under local anaesthetic.
Bone Scan - A tiny amount of radioactive material is injected into a vein, this does not mean you become radioactive, the radioactivity goes in a few hours. Then follows a three hour wait, so something to read or a friend to chat to is a good idea. The scan detects any abnormal areas of bone because these areas absorb more of the substance and are highlighted
Most women who have breast cancer will have surgery. The surgery will vary according to size and scope of the cancer. Surgery ranges from lumpectomy, which just removes the cancer and the surrounding tissue to masectomy some women will have reconstructive surgery at the same time. This operation is very long and women need to be fairly fit to have the all in one option.
For Information about after Surgery please click here
Common causes of benign lumps in the breast are cysts, which are sacs of fluid) or fiboadenomas(solid tumours made up of fibrous and glandular tissue.
Men can get breast cancer but it is not common
If it does happen to be cancer the earlier it is treated the more chance their is of successful treatment. That goes for anything unusual in the breast.
DCIS is when the cancer cells are completely contained within the ducts that carry milk to the nipple. It has not spread to the surrounding tissue. DCIS is almost always cured.
Stage One Tumours: Measure less than two centimetres. The lymph glands are not affected and there are no indications that the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body.
Stage Two Tumours: Measure between two and five centimetres, or the lymph glands in the armpit are affected or both. There are no indications that the cancer has spread further.
Stage Three Tumours: larger than five centimetres the lymph glands are usually affected, but there are no signs that there has been any further spread.
Stage Four Tumours these are of any size, but the lymph glands are usually affected and the Cancer has spread to other parts of the body This is secondary Cancer
Different treatments are used for each of these stage. Use of a suitable treatment propgram will lead to it being less likely that the cancer will go to another stage.