Drstevegeist.com

Archive for the ‘Breast Cancer’ Category

Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the breast, usually in the inner lining of the milk ducts or lobules. There are different types of breast cancer, with different stages (spread), aggressiveness, and genetic makeup. With best treatment, 10-year disease-free survival varies from 98% to 10%. Treatment includes surgery, drugs (hormone therapy and chemotherapy), and radiation.

Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer (10.4% of all cancer incidence, both sexes counted)[ and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. In 2004, breast cancer caused 519,000 deaths worldwide (7% of cancer deaths; almost 1% of all deaths).

Breast cancer is about 100 times as frequent among women as among men, but survival rates are equal in both sexes.

Some breast cancers require the hormones estrogen and progesterone to grow, and have receptors for those hormones. Those cancers are treated with drugs that interfere with those hormones, usually tamoxifen, and with drugs that shut off the production of estrogen in the ovaries or elsewhere; this may damage the ovaries and end fertility. Low-risk, hormone-sensitive breast cancers may be treated with hormone therapy and radiation alone. Breast cancers without hormone receptors, or which have spread to the lymph nodes in the armpits, or which express certain genetic characeristics, are higher-risk, and are treated more aggressively. One standard regimen, popular in the U.S., is cycophosphamide plus doxorubicin (Adriomycin), known as CA; these drugs damage DNA in the cancer, but also in fast-growing normal cells where they cause serious side effects. Sometimes a taxane drug, such as docetaxel, is added, and the regime is then known as CAT; taxane attacks the microtubules in cancer cells. An equivalent treatment, popular in Europe, is cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF). Monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab, are used for cancer cells that have the HER2 mutation. Radiation is usually added to the surgical bed to control cancer cells that were missed by the surgery, which usually extends survival, although radiation exposure to the heart may cause damage and heart failure in the following years.

Breast cancers are described along four different classification schemes, or groups, each based on different criteria and serving a different purpose:

Pathology - Each tumor is classified by its histological (microscopic anatomy) appearance and other criteria.
Grade of tumor – The histological grade of a tumor is determined by a pathologist under a microscope. A well-differentiated (low grade) tumor resembles normal tissue. A poorly differentiated (high grade) tumor is composed of disorganized cells and, therefore, does not look like normal tissue. Moderately differentiated (intermediate grade) tumors are somewhere in between.
Protein & gene expression status – Currently, all breast cancers should be tested for expression, or detectable effect, of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2/neu proteins. These tests are usually done by immunohistochemistry and are presented in a pathologist’s report. The profile of expression of a given tumor helps predict its prognosis, or outlook, and helps an oncologist choose the most appropriate treatment. More genes and/or proteins may be tested in the future.
Stage of a tumor – The currently accepted staging scheme for breast cancer is the TNM classification. This considers the Tumor itself, whether it has spread to lymph Nodes, and whether there are any Metastases to locations other than the breast and lymph nodes.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there were more than 2.5 million women in 2006 who had a history of any type of breast cancer, and have managed to survive the ordeal.

To give you an idea about just how serious this disease is, take a look at some other statistics:

- Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer (next to lung cancer) in both men and women.

- Breast cancer is the 5th most common cause of cancer-related deaths.

- Breast cancer is 100 times more frequent in women than in men – although the survival rate is equal in both sexes.

As you may already know, breast cancer is a type of cancer which starts in the cells of the breasts in both men and women. Although it does occur more frequently in women, the severity of the illness is just as serious where men are concerned.

Here, we will try to learn a few more things about women’s breasts that you may not necessarily have known about. How do these facts about women’s breasts affect the probability of having breast cancer? Read on to find out.

7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Breasts

As mentioned earlier, what we will provide you with is a list of the top 7 things that you probably didn’t know about breasts.

Half of these facts do not necessarily have anything to do with breast cancer, but half of them are related to the incidence of this serious disease. Take a look at the following list:

1. A woman’s breasts swell during sex.

Traditionally, a woman’s breasts represent her femininity and it’s also a symbol of motherhood. Now, if you are tangling the sheets with your significant other, do you feel as if your breasts are swelling when you are already sexually aroused? There is a basis to this and it actually does in fact physically swell.

According to the British Medical Journal, women do experience up to 25% of swelling in their breasts when they are indulging in sexual activity. This is caused by the feeling of arousal and the hormonal surge in a woman’s body. In addition, swollen breasts become the body’s natural way of boosting its seductive powers from a man’s point of view.

2. Breastfeeding can actually help you lose weight.

Whether you’re a first-time, second-time or third-time mom, you will notice significant changes in your body during your entire pregnancy – especially when it comes to your breasts.

During the pregnancy stage, the breasts become larger in size due to lactation.