an introduction to breast cancer

You can be a victim of cancer or a survivor of cancer, it’s a mindset…….

BREAST CANCERAn Introduction to

Understand concept, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options for breast cancer. Educating yourself can make a

huge difference in your fight against this threat

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AN INTRODUCTION TO BREAST CANCER

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Cancer! The name of a Sun Sign, a prominent latitude on the global map, and lastly a dreaded disease. Dreaded?

Having claimed many , this disease continues its onslaught

with the help of rogue malignant cells. And while we do have

means and methods to fight back against this menace, they

fall short in many instances! The result being that the word

‘cancer’ strikes fear into the heart of every person today.

Evil usually has many ugly heads and cancer is no different.

There are more than 200 different types of cancer which can

develop in over 60 different organs of the human body. Like

the legend of Hercules who killed Hydra, a poisonous serpent

in Greek mythology, which grew two heads on cutting off

one, we someday hope to cut off the many heads of ‘Cancer’

and destroy it!

In this ebook we aim to educate you about breast cancer.

Been reported as the second leading cause of death among

women world over, breast cancer, has been declared as a

common diagnosis for women over 20 years.

But while these facts may scare you, there is more hope for

fighting breast cancer today, than there was ever before!

Improvements in detection and treatment of breast cancer

have resulted in an astounding drop of 42% in the deaths due

to breast cancer in the last 20 years.

One way to fight against breast cancer is to be aware

and well informed! They say knowledge is power!

Educating yourself can make a huge difference in your

fight against this threat!

This ebook explores briefly the concept, detection,

symptoms, and treatment options of breast

cancer.

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What is breast cancer01

Breast tumor and types of breast cancer02

Are you at risk of getting breast cancer?03

04 When to see a doctor?

05 How to diagnose breast cancer?

06 How is breast cancer treated?

Surgery Radiation therapy Chemotherapy Targeted therapy Hormonal therapy

Contents..

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CHAPTER 1

WHAT IS BREAST CANCER Cells which multiply without cessation and spread (metastasize) to other

parts of the body are called malignant cells. Malignant cells form tumors

which appear as lumps. When the tumors are caused by cells originating

in the breast tissue, the cancer is known as breast cancer.

Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men have also been

diagnosed with it!

The female breast is made up of milk producing glands called lobules.

This milk is transported by ducts from the lobules to the nipple. The rest of

the breast is made up of blood and lymphatic vessels, and fatty and

connective tissue.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among

American women, except for skin cancers.

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Most breast cancers originate from the cells lining the ducts

and are called ductal cancers. Some originate in the cells lining

the lobules and are called lobular cancers. A small percentage

of breast cancers have been found to originate in the other

tissues present in the breast.

The spread of cancer from the breast to the other parts of the

body occurs primarily through the lymphatic vessels. If cancer

cells from the breast have been found in the lymph nodes

surrounding the breasts, there is a high possibility that the

cancer has spread to the other organs in the body.

CHAPTER 2

BREAST TUMOR & TYPES OF BREAST CANCER

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Not every lump in the breast is cancerous!

Various types of tumors can develop in the breast. It is

but precaution to get them tested to determine if they

are cancerous or not (benign).

Many lumps in the female breasts are caused due to

benign changes that occur in their lives from time to

time. These tumors may either be fluid filled sacs

called cysts or scar like fibrous tissue called fibrosis.

There are other types of benign breast tumors such

as fibroadenomas or intraductal papillomas, which are

abnormal growths. But these are not cancerous and

hence not life threatening and do not spread to other

organs outsides the breast.

However benign tumors cannot be neglected as women

with these conditions have a high incidence of

developing breast cancer.

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Breast cancer can be classified into certain types. Lets try

understanding them;Sarcomas are cancers which start in the

connective tissue like blood vessel, fat

tissue in the breast. This type of breast

cancer is rare. Carcinoma is used to describe cancer of epithelial cells. These are cells

which form linings of organs. For instance ductal and lobular cancers in the

breasts are carcinomas. Nearly all breast cancers are carcinomas.

Carcinoma which is restricted to the tissue where it originated is called

carcinoma in situ. If cancer cells invade neighboring tissues, then the

cancer is termed as invasive carcinoma.

If cancer originates in the cells of a glandular tissue it is referred to as an

adenocarcinoma. In breast cancer ducts of the lobules are glandular

tissues and hence cancers originating from these cells are called

adenocarcinomas.

1

2

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CHAPTER 3

ARE YOU AT RISK OF GETTING BREAST CANCER

While it is impossible, as of today, to determine the exact cause

of breast cancer, certain known conditions are estimated to

increase the possibility of developing them;

Age and Gender 1

The top most risk factor is gender. Being a woman poses you to a

greater threat for breast cancer . Also the possibility of developing

them increase with age.

Genetic risk 2

Breast cancer has been traced to a faulty gene which can be

inherited from a parent. Hence having breast cancer history

among close relatives and family members increases the risk of

breast cancer.

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Dense breast tissue3

Mammograms reveals the density of the breast

tissue. A woman with denser breast tissue, that is

more glandular, fibrous and less fatty , is more

likely to develop breast cancer.

Previous exposure to chest radiation4

Chest radiation given as a treatment for another

cancer increases the risk of breast cancer in

women.

Benign tumor conditions5

Benign tumor conditions should be carefully monitored as

there lies a possibility of some cells in the outgrowth turning

rogue, thus increasing the risk for breast cancer.

Lifestyle6

Certain factors like alcohol consumption and obesity are said

to increase the risk for breast cancer among women. Exercise

is said to decrease the risk of getting breast cancer. Walking

for 10 hours plus reduced the risk of breast cancer by more

than 18% in women.

Medications7

Oral contraceptives for birth control and hormone therapy

after menopause both increase the chances of breast cancer.

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When to See a Doctor?4

While the risk of breast cancer looms over, it is but wisdom to be aware and educated about symptoms of this disease.

Catching breast cancer early increases your odds of surviving and goes a long way in overcoming the disease. Here are

some symptoms that indicate the need of consulting a doctor without losing time;

Pain in either of your breasts and armpits not related to your period

Nipple tenderness, nipple getting slightly turned or inverted or retracting into the breast

Thickening or a lump in the breast, around it or in the underarms

Dimpling of the skin on the breast

Change in the texture of the skin over the breast. This texture has been described as a ’orange peel’ texture

Change in the texture of the nipple. It develops a rash, scaly, or crusted appearance

Unexplained, recent shrinking, swelling or asymmetry of the breast

Any kind of nipple discharge, particularly bloody or clear

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Ideally a patient detects only one or two of these symptoms. Having any of these symptoms does not automatically

mean you have breast cancer. What it means is you need to go to a doctor and get yourself examined!

?

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CHAPTER 5

HOW TO DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER

The commonly suggested tests for diagnosing Breast cancer include:

Mammograms

A mammogram is a type of x-ray exam that is used to detect and

assess changes in the breast. A mammogram can be done both for

screening or diagnostic purposes .

Screening mammograms are used for women who have no breast

cancer symptoms or signs. In a screening mammogram 2 x-ray pictures

of each breast are taken to examine the breast tissue.

A diagnostic mammogram is done when a woman exhibits one of

the symptoms of breast cancer or if an abnormality has been

detected in a screening mammogram. In this procedure more

images of breast are taken of areas where the breast cancer tissue

is suspected to be present. In addition certain regions are magnified

for easier evaluation. These are known as spots of magnification. A

mammogram is the most basic of screening, monitoring, and

diagnostic procedure for breast cancer.

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Biopsy

while MRI and mammograms along with physical examination

may point a doctor towards breast cancer in a woman. The

final confirmation comes only via a biopsy. In a biopsy a part

of the tissue is taken and examined under the microscope. On

the basis of the cell structure it is confirmed the tumor is

cancerous.

Blood cell counts

Red blood cell, white blood cell, ad platelet counts are carried out

prior to treatment. These are important to detect other medical

conditions before the commencement of the treatment. An

abnormal cell count may also be an indicator that the cancer has

spread to bone marrow where the blood cells are made.

Marker tests

Proteins and circulating tumors cells are important indicators of

breast cancer. The common marker tests are:

a. CA 15.3 is the most important marker and indicates breast

and ovarian cancers

b. The presence of markers like TRU-QUANT and CA 27.29

also indicate breast cancer in the body

c. In addition doctors also do the CEA (carcinoembryonic

antigen) marker test to determine if the cancer has spread

to the colon, lung, and liver

Breast MRI

Breast MRI’s are used to get an image of the breast and

surrounding area to detect a tumor. This test is carried out to

cross check data from Mammograms and breast ultrasounds.

In addition chest X-rays, CT scans, Digital tomosynthesis,

Molecular and Immunological tests, are being used

for detecting, monitoring, and diagnosing

breast cancer, but they are not used widely.

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HOW IS BREAST CANCER TREATED?Successfully treating breast cancer means getting rid of the cancer or getting

it under control for an extended period of time. But because a breast cancer

is made up of many different kinds of cancer cells, getting rid of all those

cells may require different types of treatments.

The treatment follows two kinds of style ; 1} Local Therapy & 2) Systematic

Therapy

Local Therapy treats cancerous tissue at the site itself with little or no effect.

on the rest of the body. It includes surgery and radiation . However,

Systematic Therapy includes drugs that not only targets the cancerous tissue

at the site, but other body parts as well. Chemotherapy, hormonal therapy

and targeted therapy are approaches for systematic therapy.

CHAPTER 6 Your treatment plan may include a combination of the

following treatments:

Surgery

Radiation Therapy

Chemotherapy

Targeted Therapy

Hormonal Therapy

1

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3

4

5

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Surgery is the most common treatment option for breast cancer.

Surgeries can be of three types;

Lumpectomy in which only a lump (tumor) and a small margin of

tissue around it is removed.

Quadrantectomy in which a larger portion of the breast is

removed. In quadrantectomy, one quarter of the breast is

removed.

Mastectomy also called as total mastectomy, involves surgical

removal of the entire breast, including the nipple, but the underarm

muscle tissue or lymph nodes are not removed. Sometimes both

breasts (double mastectomy) may be removed in women with high

risk of breast cancer.

In mastectomy with small tumors that are not close to the surface, a

woman can opt for immediate reconstruction. In this approach, a skin

sparing mastectomy can be done. The amount of breast tissue

removed is the same as that in a simple mastectomy

but most of the skin is left intact (excluding the

nipple and the areola).

SURGERY

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Radiation therapy

Radiation destroys cancer cells with high

energy rays or particles. Radiation therapy

is usually administered after breast surgery

to prevent the reoccurrence of cancer in

the breast or the nearby lymph nodes.

Chemotherapy, usually known

as chemo involves oral drugs &

injections which travel through

the blood stream & kill cancer

cells. Chemo administered

after a breast surgery is called

adjuvant therapy and aims to

kill any cancer cells that may

have been left behind. Chemo

is also given to a patient before

the surgery. This procedure

called neoadjuvant

chemotherapy aims to shrink

large tumors so that they are

small enough to be removed

with less extensive surgery.

In terms of survival, chemo

given before the surgery is the

same as chemo given after the

surgery.

Chemotherapy

Breast cancer cells may contain receptors for the hormones

estrogen (ER-positive cancers) and/or progesterone (PR-

positive cancers). These hormones stimulate the growth of

breast cancer cells. It is seen that approximately 2 out of 3 of

breast cancers possess receptors for estrogen. Hormonal

therapy reduces the estrogen levels thus preventing the growth

of the cancer cells. Hormonal therapy is not administered to

those patients whose tumors lack both ER as well as PR

receptors.

Hormonal therapy

Targeted therapy identifies features unique to breast cancer cells and controls them in order to contain the growth of

the tumor. An example of this is a growth promoting protein called HER2 present on the surface of breast cancer cells.

This protein stimulates the aggressive growth of the tumor cells. Hence drugs have been developed to target this

protein specifically to treat the cancer.

Targeted therapy

THERAPIES


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I am very thankful to people who helped me heal both physically

and emotionally and win a battle I believe I would have lost

otherwise. Lastly, I am thankful to MY CANCER which

redefined my life."

A lump growing in my left breast was always a secondary

concern, the primary being to be able to provide good

schooling, tuitions and clothes to my twin daughters. Being a

single divorced parent, I put myself at the backburner and

shifted my attention towards my girls. Things had just begun

to look green as both of them entered high school and my

pay pocket weighed heavier. It had been a year or so but the

lump hurt more than ever; as I noticed the change in its color.

I had to approach my doctor to relieve me of the pain and

soreness.

As I had my breast examination done, doctor could not hide his

discomfort of suspecting something unusual. He asked for my

detailed family history and suggested to run a few tests. Caught

up in a very busy schedule, one week later I got my tests done. I

turned up at the clinic after another two weeks with the

mammogram, ultrasound, FNAC reports only to discover that I

had some ‘Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma of Breast, Grade 3’. All I

could understand was, it was Breast Cancer and a bad one

which needed urgent surgery.………..

READ FULL STORY OF CHIGOZA

A 40 year old working mother from Kenya shares her story of fighting breast cancer against all odds……

“

“

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GET A FREE CONSULTATION

You can be a victim of cancer or a survivor of cancer, it’s a mindset..

Be it cancer screening, treatment management or rehabilitation. Rely on our expertise & support to pull you through this.

Ready to start your medical travel abroad? get a head start. Request a call back from us and learn how we can help you plan a hassle free medical travel with finest Onco specialists and great postoperative care. We urge you to speak about your case in detail & get your Personalized Treatment Plan.

Note: It is important to know that your chances for having the best possible outcome are highest in the hands of a medical team that is experienced in treating Breast cancer

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