Breast cancer happens when abnormal cells grow out of control in one or both breasts. They can spread to nearby tissues and organs; this is a malignant tumor that is dangerous because they can take over major organs and hurt you severely. The most interesting is that men can get breast cancer as well and is not only something that women can get. There are many reasons to what might cause breast cancer. One is that most breast cancer occurs in women older than 50 and it is even more riskier if they are older than 60.
Another is that if a family member has had it there is a high risk to get it. Also women who have inherited certain genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2 are more likely to get it. It’s easy to figure out if you have breast cancer by looking for the symptoms. The first symptom is if there is a change in the way the breast feels, mostly a painless lump or thickening in the underarm. A second symptom is if the breast has liquid coming out of the breast. Another change is in the skin color might change and might turn to an orange peel color.
If this should happen you must see a doctor immediately and 1 out of 100 cases of breast cancer occurs in men and so if men find any lumps they should be checked also. Once at a doctor to be checked out there are a series of ways to diagnose is there is breast cancer. Fist when having a regular physical exam the doctor will check for any lumps or changes in the breast or underarm. Then depending on the age and risk factors, the doctor may recommend that you have a mammogram performed. It is an X-ray of the breast. And can find a lump that is often too small to be felt.
Then as soon as the lump is found the doctor will take a sample of the breast cell. This is called a biopsy, another way is to take some fluid from the lump or cut a piece of the lump out, the result of the biopsy helps so they can tell if you have cancer and what type it might be. Then there are tests where you can figure out the stage of the cancer, the stage is a way for doctors to see how far the cancer has spread and the type of treatment is based on the stage of the cancer and the earlier the better.
There are many risk factors and who breast cancer is most common for what nationality, age, gender and area in the world and many more risks. It is the most common form of cancer, other than skin cancer, and the most leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States. Breast cancer rates in the United States are among the highest in the world.
The most experienced is white women in the San Francisco Bay Area, with an annual rate of 104. 2 per 100,000, adjusted to the world standard population. Also women of higher socioeconomic status, married women, women living in urban versus rural areas, and women in northern states have the highest rates.
Both genetic and environmental factors are believed to play a role in a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Then there are the treatments after being diagnosed; most people who have breast cancer have surgery to remove the cancer. Also the surgeon can take out all or part of ue lymph nodes under the arm to see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. After the operation surgery, then you have to get radiation therapy to destroy the rest of the cancer cells. There are also two other types of treatments chemotherapy or hormone therapy to kill the cancer cells.
There powerful medicines that go and travel through the body to get rid of all cancerous cells. Or you can have theses treatments before the surgery to shrink the cancer and then take it out through surgery. In the past to get rid of breast cancer the breast needed to be removed but that’s not true any more. If the cancer I s detected at an early stage a certain mix of treatments can help remove the cancer without the breast. Chemotherapy is almost like any drug (such as aspirin or penicillin) and one of the first things to help cure cancer was mustard gas.
Chemotherapy is mainly the first choice for treating many cancers. It’s different than surgery or radiation because that it almost always used as a systemic treatment. This means the medicines travel throughout the whole body and not being used to one certain area, like the breast, lung, or colon. This is important because chemotherapy can reach cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body. In radiation therapy, also know as radiotherapy, uses high-energy rays are used to get rid cancer cells and stop them from growing and spreading.
A specialist in radiation therapy is called a radiation oncologist. It’s like surgery; radiation affects cancer cells only in the treated area. Radiation comes from a machine, external radiation. It can also come from an implant, a small machine of radioactive material, placed directly into or near the tumor, internal radiation. You cannot fully control something for breast cancer like sex and age but there are other ways to have a better chance to not get breast cancer. The main thing is to stay as healthy as possible, must eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Also must be active, and must get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week, staying at a healthy weight, getting regular exercise and watching what you eat will help. And one last thing if you drink alcohol the less you drink the more the risk go downs. There is not sure way to stop breast cancer, to its good to have regular check-up and mammograms. Also if you have a strong family history of any types of cancer go ask a doctor about genetic testing. A blood test can see if you have a higher risk of getting cancer.