Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. There are more than 55,000 new cases in the UK each year, and the disease kills 11,500 women. In the United States, it hits 266,000 every year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer develops from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a canal or lobule in one of the breasts.
When breast cancer spreads to the surrounding breast tissue, it is called “invasive” breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with carcinoma in situ, in which cancer cells have not grown outside the canal or lobule.
Most cases develop in women over the age of 50, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although it is rare.
Staging means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage, and stage 4 means that the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
Cancer cells are classified from low, which means slow growth, to high, which grows quickly. High-grade cancers are more likely to return after being treated for the first time.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumor starts in an abnormal cell. The exact reason why the cell became cancerous is not clear. It is believed that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiplies “out of control”.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance of developing breast cancer, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most lumps in the breast are not cancerous and are full of fluid cysts that are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this happens, you will develop swelling or a lump in the armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: The doctor examines the chest and armpits. They can do tests such as mammography, a special x-ray of the breast tissue that may show the possibility of tumors.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The test can confirm or rule out cancer.
If it is confirmed that you have breast cancer, additional tests may be needed to determine if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or an X-ray of the chest.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. A combination of two or more of these treatments is often used.
- Surgery: Surgery to preserve the breast or remove the affected breast, depending on the size of the tumor.
- Radiation therapy: A treatment that uses high-energy radiation rays focused on cancerous tissue. This kills the cancer cells or stops the cancer cells from multiplying. It is used mainly in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: Treat cancer by using anti-cancer drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from growing
- Hormonal treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. People with breast cancer usually use treatments that reduce the levels of these hormones or prevent them from working.
How successful is the treatment?
The prospects are best for those diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage can give a good chance of cure.
Routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 70 means that more breast cancers are diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information, visit breastcancercare.org.uk, breastcancernow.org or www.cancerhelp.org.uk
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