Facts About Breast Cancer
What is breast cancer?
Sometimes breast cells become abnormal. These abnormal cells
grow, divide, and create new cells that the body does not need and that do not
function normally. The extra cells form a mass called a tumor. Some tumors are
"benign" or not cancer. These tumors usually stay in one spot in the
breast and do not cause big health problems. Other tumors are
"malignant" and are cancer. Breast cancer often starts out too small
to be felt. As it grows, it can spread throughout the breast or to other parts
of the body. This causes serious health problems and can cause death.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
Different people have different warning signs for breast
cancer. Some people do not have any signs or symptoms at all. A person may find
out they have breast cancer after a routine mammogram.
Some warning signs of breast cancer are—
new lump in or near the breast or under the arm
thickening or swelling of part of the breast
irritation or dimpling of breast skin
redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast
pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area
nipple discharge other than breast milk that occurs without
squeezing
any change in the size or the shape of the breast
pain in any area of the breast
Keep in mind that some of these warning signs can happen
with other conditions that are not cancer.
What are the risk factors for developing breast cancer?
being female
increasing age
having a family history of breast cancer
being older at the birth of your first child or never having
a child
not breastfeeding
beginning menstruation before age 12 or completing menopause
after age 55
drinking alcohol (more than one drink a day)
not getting regular exercise
being overweight
having a personal history of breast cancer or some
non-cancerous breast diseases
having radiation therapy to the breast/chest
using hormone replacement therapy for a long time
using birth control pills
However, almost 75 percent of breast cancer cases occur in
women without any risk factors, so everyone should be checked regularly.
What is a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer?
Excluding skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form
of cancer in American women and the second major cause of death after lung
cancer. One out of eight women will develop breast cancer over the course of a
lifetime.
What does it mean to have a genetic predisposition to breast
cancer?
Genes that contain the hereditary information passed down
from parent to child serve as the blueprint for many human features and
characteristics. The most common cause of hereditary breast cancer is an
inherited mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. In normal cells, these genes
help prevent cancer by making proteins that help keep the cells from growing
abnormally. If you have inherited a mutated copy of either gene from a parent,
you have a high risk of developing breast cancer during your lifetime.
These cancers tend to occur in younger women and are more
often bilateral (in both breasts) than cancers in women who are not born with
one of these gene mutations. Women with these inherited mutations also have an
increased risk for developing other cancers, particularly ovarian cancer.
Can breast cancer be prevented?
There is no sure way to prevent breast cancer, but there are
things all women can do that might reduce their risk and help increase the odds
that if cancer does occur, it is found at an early, more treatable stage. You
can lower your risk of breast cancer by changing those risk factors that are
under your control. If you limit alcohol use, exercise regularly, and stay at a
healthy weight, you are decreasing your risk of getting breast cancer. Women
who choose to breastfeed for at least several months also may reduce their
breast cancer risk. Not using post-menopausal hormone therapy (PHT) also can
help you avoid raising your risk.
How can breast cancer be found early?
Early detection can help save lives. Mammography remains the
most effective means available to detect cancer in its earliest stages. (See
Facts About Breast Cancer, Breast Exams and Mammograms for more information.)
Where can I find financial help to get a mammogram?
Partial or total costs of mammograms are covered by
Medicare, Medicaid and most private health plans. To find out what the law
requires insurance carriers to provide, go to the Illinois Department of
Insurance’s Web site:
http://www.insurance.illinois.gov/HealthInsurance/Women.asp
The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program provides
free mammograms and Pap tests for women who qualify - women age 35 to 64 and
are uninsured. Younger women may qualify if they have symptoms. To find a site
near you that provides this free service
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
Doctors often use additional tests to find or diagnose
breast cancer.
Breast ultrasound. A machine uses sound waves to make
detailed pictures, called sonograms, of areas inside the breast.
Diagnostic mammogram. If you have a problem in your breast,
such as lumps, or if an area of the breast looks abnormal on a screening
mammogram, doctors may have you get a diagnostic mammogram. This is a more
detailed X-ray of the breast.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A kind of body scan that
uses a magnet linked to a computer. The MRI scan will make detailed pictures of
areas inside the breast.
Biopsy. This is a test that removes tissue or fluid from the
breast to be looked at under a microscope and do more testing. There are
different kinds of biopsies (for example, fine-needle aspiration, core biopsy,
or open biopsy).
What is staging?
If breast cancer is diagnosed, tests are done to find out if
cancer cells have spread within the breast or to other parts of the body. This
process is called staging. Whether the cancer is only in the breast, is found
in lymph nodes under your arm, or has spread outside the breast determines your
stage of breast cancer. The type and stage of breast cancer tells doctors what
kind of treatment will be needed.
How is breast cancer treated?
Breast cancer is treated in several ways. It depends on the
kind of breast cancer and how far it has spread. Treatments include surgery,
chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biologic therapy, and radiation. People with
breast cancer often get more than one kind of treatment.
Surgery. An operation where doctors cut out and remove
cancer tissue.
Chemotherapy. Using special medicines, or drugs to shrink or
kill the cancer. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given through an
intravenous (IV) tube, or, sometimes, both.
Hormonal therapy. Some cancers need certain hormones to
grow. Hormonal treatment is used to block cancer cells from getting the
hormones they need to grow.
Biological therapy. This treatment works with your body's
immune system to help it fight cancer or to control side effects from other
cancer treatments. Side effects are how your body reacts to drugs or other
treatments. Biological therapy is different from chemotherapy, which attacks
cancer cells directly.
Radiation. The use of high-energy rays (similar to X-rays)
to kill the cancer cells. The rays are aimed at the part of the body where the
cancer is located.
It is common for doctors from different specialties to work
together in treating breast cancer. Surgeons are doctors that perform
operations. Medical oncologists are doctors that treat cancers with medicines.
Radiation oncologists are doctors that treat cancers with radiation.
