Breast Cancer
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor (a collection of cancer cells) arising from the cells of the breast. Although breast cancer predominantly occurs in women it can also affect men. This article deals with breast cancer in women.
Breast cancer symptoms:
- breast lump typically in one breast and not the other, but maybe occuring in both
- firm distinctive breast thickening not diffuse or scattered (which may indicate fibrocystic breast disease)
- an early stage lump may move slightly within the breast tissue
- in a more advanced stage, lumps may have adhered to surrounding tissues and are less mobile within the breast
- in a more advanced stage, swelling and/or sores may develop on the skin of the breast
- breast shape changes
- skin regions on the breast develop an ‘orange-peel’ leathery texture of bumps and/or ridges
- painful lump in the breast (not simply a pain in the breast)
- lymph nodes in armpit are firm and/or tender
- lymph nodes in armpit seem to have adhered to overlying skin
- breast appears to be infected with warmness, redness, and/or swelling
- inversion of the nipple
- fluid discharge from the nipple
What is the treatment for breast cancer?
Surgery :Most women with breast cancer will require surgery. Broadly, the surgical therapies for breast cancer can be divided into breast conserving surgery and mastectomy.
Radiation therapy:Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells with high energy rays. There are two ways to administer radiation therapy:
Chemotherapy:is treatment of cancers with medications that travel through the bloodstream to the cancer cells. These medications are given either by intravenous injection or by mouth.