In all part of worlds, breast cancer is the commonly occurring cancer in Women. According to WHO report, this has been estimated that around 508000 women died in 2011 due to breast cancer. And almost 50% of breast cancer occurs in less developed countries.
The survival rates vary all over the world. Like in North American it is around 80%, In India around 66.1%, Japan is 65.2% and 40% in low-income countries.
Medical facilities are improving for breast cancer. But still, it takes time to reach all over the world. After going through interviews of breast cancer survivors it motivated us to write about it. So, we collected all the information about breast cancer’s cause, symptoms, and treatment.
Calm mind knocks inner strength & self-confidence, and that’s important for healthy living
Firstly, we write about the signs and cause of breast cancer-
Cause of Breast cancer
The breast cancer is abnormal and uncontrolled growth of breast cells. Basically, what happens the breast cells start dividing more rapidly than healthy cells do. And this rapid division of cells start accumulating and makes lumps in the breast. Cells also start spreading in other parts of the body too.
Researchers have observed that the hormonal lifestyle and environmental factors increase the risk of cancer. Your daily diet also influences your health so, you must take care of that.
Breast Cancer Symptoms
Breast cancers cause certain changes in the breast that you can observe yourself. Here we have enlisted the breast cancer symptoms and signs that you can check your self.
- The most common sign and symptom of breast cancer are lumps. Lump is feeling like a hard knot or thickening in the breast or under the arm.
- Difference in the shape and size of both the breast.
- Redness and swelling in the breast.
- Unnessasory nipple discharge turns bloody or occurs in one breast only.
- Physical differences may occur, like a sore in the nipple area or nipple turned inward.
- Changes in skin, like irritation, inflammation, scaliness etc.
- Unbearable and nonstop pain in the breast. That might be due to other reason too. But must consult to the doctor.
- Veginal pain is also observed in Breast cancer.
- Extreme weight loss
- Enlargement of one breast.
- Veins are visible on the breast area.
Now move on to the treatment of breast cancer
Deborah a Breast cancer survivor says -remember that only you can fight your cancer. Other people can do the laundry, make meals, and wipe away tears. You should and you must, even if it’s the first time in your life-think of yourself first. No one can fight this battle as you can
Breast Cancer Treatment
Breast cancer treatment is going better and better worldwide. There is a different type of cancer treatment. The main goal of any type of treatment is to remove cancer from the body as much as possible. Another goal is to cure it to happen again. So its good to find more about the treatments.
The choice of treatment also depends on the stage of cancer and the different types of treatment are-
- Surgical
- Radiation therapy
- Systemic therapy
Let’s have a brief about each method.
Surgical Treatment Of Breast Cancer
In surgical treatment, the tissue with cancer is removed from the body surgically with the healthy tissue around it to cure further infection. The procedure is also used to examine the axillary lymph nodes, which are under the arm.
In surgical treatment, there are other options also-
- Lumpectomy- Removal of the cancer cell with a small margin of healthy tissue. After that, general radiation therapy is suggested to the patient. Lumpectomy is also non as breast-conserving surgery, a partial mastectomy, Quadrantectomy, or a segmental mastectomy.
- Mastectomy- Removal of the entire breast surgically. There are several types of mastectomies. Concern your doctor about whether the skin can be save, known as a skin-sparing mastectomy, or the nipple called a total skin-sparing mastectomy.
Radiation Therapy
- As the name suggests, The treatment is done by radiation. It uses X-rays or any other rays to kill the cancer cells. There is a different type of radiation therapy like
- External-Beam radiation- Radiation treatment is apply outside the body through a machine.
- Intra-operative radiation therapy- Treatment done with the probe in the operative system.
- Brachytherapy- A radioactive source is place into the tumor.
Radiation therapy is also recommended after and before the surgical treatment of a cancer tumor. Accordingly, adjuvant radiation therapy is suggested after surgery.
After a mastectomy, there is less requirement of radiation treatment. This also depends on the type of tumor. If you have cancer in lymph nodes, cancer cells outside of the capsule of the lymph node or cancer growing in skin and chest wall them you may need radiation therapy.
Moreover, Neoadjuvant radiation therapy is given before the surgery to shrink a large tumor and remove it easily.
Systemic therapy
It is systemic therapy uses medication to kill cancer cells. This medicine is introduce intravenously in the bloodstream to reach cancer cells in the whole body. There are three types of systemic therapy.
- Chemotherapy-some chemical drugs are used to treat the cancer cell. Basically, these drugs help to stop the cancer cell to grow and divide. The therapy is given before surgery to stop the growth of cancer cells or shrink the tumor for easy removal of the cancer cells. And this is known as neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
- Hormonal therapy– Also known as endocrine therapy. Applicable treatment for the tumors those positive for either estrogen or progesterone receptors. This type of tumors uses to hormones to grow and divide. So blocking the hormones is the way to treat such cancers.
- Targeted therapy-In this kind of treatment of cancer’s specific genes, protein or the tissue used by the cancer cells to grow are targeted. Targeted therapy blocks the growth of cancer cells. To pursue this treatment certain test is ask to identify the genes, protein, and other factors.
Conclusion
We all wish for long and healthy life. But some condition occurs without our choices. It’s hard to accept but the truth is breast cancer is common in women. But the good this is the treatment is going advance and succeed. Meanwhile, Breast cancer awareness workshop is also going everywhere.
Hope you like the information. Share the information with others also.