Here’s everything about breast cancer symptoms, signs, causes, types, treatment and awareness.
Table Of Content
Introduction
What is Breast Cancer?
Types of Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer Symptoms and Signs
Breast Cancer Causes
Some easy ways to reduce the risk factors
What Is Breast Cancer Screening?
Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast Cancer Treatment
Side-Effects of Breast Cancer Treatment
Commonly Asked Questions About Breast Cancer?
1. Do antiperspirants and deodorants cause breast cancer?
2. Does Breast Cancer Treatment Affect the Ability to Conceive?
Best Cancer Hospitals in Pakistan
Introduction:
Breast cancer is a more common disease in women who do not have children either, and if they have children they do not feed their breast milk.
According to a report by the WHO, at least two million women will die by the end of the 21st century out of which 20 per cent will be from Pakistan and India. Women all across the world are increasingly vulnerable to breast cancer. A positive thing about breast cancer is that it can be cured easily if it is diagnosed at the early stages. If a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer at early stages the tumours can be removed with surgery in order to control it.
Today in this article we will talk about breast cancer, its early signs, symptoms, causes, types, treatment and awareness.
So let’s start with………..
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a nasty rising from the cells of the breast. Though breast cancer mainly occurs in women, it can also affect men.
Breast cancer develops from breast tissue and the cells start growing out of control. It can develop in different parts of the breast.
Basically a breast is made up of three main parts such as lobules, ducts, and connective tissue.
Lobules: These glands produce milk.
Ducts: These are tubes that carry milk to the nipple.
Connective tissue: These are fibrous and fatty tissue that surrounds and holds everything together.
According to scientists’ analysis, cancer tumours do not exceed a millimetre until they have a new blood supply.
In the first stage, breast cancer is limited to a one-inch lump within one breast.
In the second phase, this lump increases up to 2 inches and lumps start to form in the armpit.
The size of the lump increases in the third phase and also the size of the lump in the armpit.
In the fourth phase, the lump reaches the second breast and with this increase liver, lungs and bones start affected.
Types of Breast Cancer:
There are different kinds of breast cancer. Usually, breast cancers develop in the ducts or lobules parts. The development of cancers inside the ducts is known as ductal carcinomas, on the other hand, lobules are known as lobular carcinomas.
But it can also begin outside the breast via lymph vessels and blood vessels. When breast cancer ranges to other parts of the body, it is supposed to have metastasized.
There are some other less common types of breast cancer, such as Paget’s disease, Adenoid cystic carcinoma, Triple-negative breast cancers, External medullary, mucinous, and inflammatory cancer.
External Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a breast malady that may trigger breast cancer. The cancer cells are only in the covering of the ducts and have not spread to other tissues in the breast.
Breast Cancer Symptoms and Signs:
There are lots of breast cancer symptoms and signs that let you easily diagnose it at an early stage. Symptoms of breast cancer in men are parallel to the symptoms in women. Although it can ensue at any age, male breast cancer typically arises in men over 60 years of age.
These symptoms and signs include a lump in the breast, a change in shape, fat of the skin, fluid coming from the nipple like blood, a newly reversed nipple, pain in the breast and redness or scaly patch of skin.
These symptoms may happen due to other conditions that may not be the cancer but if you find any such type of symptoms and signs consult your health care physician right away.
Breast Cancer Causes:
There are a number of causes participate in developing breast cancer including obesity, lack of exercise, drinking alcohol, hormone change therapy during menopause, ionizing energy, early age at first menstruation such as at the age of 12, having children late or not at all, having children after 30s or 50s, older age, previous history of breast cancer, and family history.
Other causes may also include developing breast cancer such as smoking, being exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer, and changes in hormones due to night shift working.
Some easy ways to reduce the risk factors:
Many factors that contribute to developing breast cancer can’t be changed such as getting older or your family history, but you can help to lower the risk factors by practising in the following ways:
Keep a healthy weight.
Don’t drink alcohol, or limit alcoholic drinks.
Cut your calorie intake.
Eat fresh fruit and vegetables.
Always ask your doctor first about the risk factors if you are taking or have been told to take birth control pills.
Avoid Post-Menopausal Hormones.
If you are having children breastfeed them.
If you have a family history of breast cancer or congenital changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 DNAs, you can also consult your doctor about other ways to lower your risk.
What Is Breast Cancer Screening?
Screening can help find breast cancer at an early stage because in earlier stages treating the cancer is easier. Breast cancer screening is checking a woman’s breasts for cancer before there are symptoms or signs of the illness. One of the basic screening tests is a mammogram or an X-ray of the breast.
A mammogram is the ideal way to find breast cancer at an early stage before it is large enough to feel symptoms.
Other diagnoses for breast cancer include Breast ultrasound, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Biopsy.
If breast cancer is diagnosed then the doctor performs further tests to find out if cancer cells have an extent within the breast or to other parts of the body.
BreastCancer Awareness:
Breast cancer awareness is an attempt to promote awareness and decrease the humiliation of breast cancer by educating women about the signs, symptoms and treatment.
The organization hold seminars and events in order to make women aware of the education about breast cancer as it supports the hope that the earlier detection of breast cancer will greater the chances of survival. The most prominent symbol of breast cancer awareness is the Pink Ribbon.
The month of October is celebrated in a number of countries across the world as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast Cancer Treatment:
You must be familiar with the breasts’ look and feel so you can easily notice the signs and symptoms if any there including lumps, pain, or changes in the size of the breast.
If you find any of the signs immediately consult your health care physician.
Doctors treat breast cancer in several ways. It depends on the type of breast cancer and how far it has spread within the breast to another part of the body.
Here are some of the breast cancer treatments that the surgeon uses to treat it.
Surgery: It’s a kind of an operation where doctors cut out cancer tissue.
Chemotherapy: it’s a treatment in which doctors use special medicines to shrink or destroy the cancer cells. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given in your veins, or sometimes both.
Hormonal therapy: in this treatment, the cancer cells don’t get the hormones they need to develop.
Biological therapy: This treatment works with your body’s immune system to support it fight cancer cells or to control side effects from other cancer cures.
Radiation therapy: In this treatment, doctors use high-energy rays (similar to X-rays) to destroy the cancer cells.
How to Manage the Side-Effects of Breast Cancer Treatment?
Breast cancer treatment comes with a number of side effects that can be managed with evidence-informed therapies including naturopathic support, nutrition therapy, pain management and oncology rehabilitation.
These are the supportive therapies that may support breast cancer patients to decrease the impact of cancer treatment side effects.
Commonly Asked Questions About Breast Cancer?
1. Do antiperspirants and deodorants cause breast cancer?
Several people ask about the link between breast cancer and antiperspirants and deodorants. There are many researches that have shown there is no association between breast cancer and antiperspirants and deodorants.
A study has shown that antiperspirants and deodorants containing parabens (a preservative used in deodorants) can build up in breast tissues.
A study conducted in 2002 did not show any better risk for breast cancer in women using a deodorant or antiperspirant. On the other hand, a study conducted in 2003 showed an earlier age for breast cancer identification in women who shaved their underarms more regularly and used underarm deodorants.
However, there is a need for more research regarding breast cancer linked with underarm deodorants and blade shaving.
2. Does Breast Cancer Treatment Affect the Ability to Conceive?
It is also a commonly asked question Is breast cancer treatment after the ability to conceive a child in future?
Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a blend of the two may affect fertility.
In treatment with chemotherapy, the function of the ovaries may be affected as the number or the quality of eggs may be reduced. It may also cause infertility in women who haven’t started menopause (pre-menopausal).
Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells by bringing them to an end or decreasing their growth and dissection. As radiation occasionally goes through healthy tissues, organs near the cancer location may be affected, possibly causing provisional or perpetual infertility, particularly if the radiation is transported straight to the genital area.
You may want to ponder your options for preserving fertility before starting breast cancer treatment and discuss your questions and concerns with your oncologist.
Best Cancer Hospitals in Pakistan
Punjab
- Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Lahore.
- Bahawalpur Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Oncology (BINO), Bahawalpur.
- Centre for Nuclear Medicine (CENUM), Lahore
- Gujranwala Institute of Nuclear Medicine (GINUM), Gujranwala.
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (INMOL), Lahore.
- Multan Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy (MINAR), Multan.
- Punjab Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy (PINUM), Faisalabad.
Sindh
- Ziauddin Cancer Hospital Ziauddin University Karachi.
- Baitul Sukoon Cancer Hospital Karachi.
- The Cancer Foundation Hospital Karachi.
- The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
- Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Karachi.
- Atomic Energy Medical Centre (AEMC), Karachi.
- Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN), Karachi.
- Larkana Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (LINAR), Larkana.
- Nuclear Institute of Medicine & Radiotherapy (NIMRA), Jamshoro.
- Nawabshah Nuclear Medicine Oncology & Radiotherapy Institute (NORIN), Nawabshah.
- Cyberknife, jinnah hospital Karachi.
Balochistan
- Centre For Nuclear Medicine & Radiotherapy (CENAR), Quetta.
- Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Northwest General Hospital & Research Centre, Peshawar.
- Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Peshawar.
- Bannu Institute of Nuclear Medicine Oncology and Radiotherapy (BINOR), Bannu.
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Oncology & Radiotherapy (INOR), Abbottabad.
- Institute of Radiotherapy & Nuclear Medicine (IRNUM), Peshawar.
- Swat Institute of Nuclear Medicine Oncology & Radiotherapy (SINOR), Saidu Sharif.
- D.I.Khan Institute of Nuclear Medicine And Radiotherapy, Dera Ismail Khan.
Gilgit-Baltistan
- Gilgit Institute of Nuclear Medicine Oncology, Gilgit
- Islamabad Capital Territory.
- Nuclear Medicine, Oncology & Radiotherapy Institute (NORI) (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences),
- Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital.
- Shifa International Hospital Islamabad, Islamabad.
Disclaimer:
The purpose of this article is just to make the readers aware with the knowledge of breast cancer symptoms, signs, causes, types, treatment and awareness.
By reading this, you concede that you are responsible for your own health decisions.
Do not take anything for sure from any website, including this one, and try it without accurate research and medical observation.