Breast
Breast cancer is caused when breast tissue divides abnormally and causes a lump. Over 80% of lumps in the breast are not cancer, but for the 20% that are, there are a range of treatments that can be offered to stop the cancer spreading.
Breast cancer has increased because of life style changes, such as an increase in drinking alcohol and smoking. The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer is 1 in 8 which means about 13% of women will get breast cancer. The majority (80%) of breast cancer occurs in women over 50.
Since we have improved early detection of breast cancer and have better treatments, over 80% of women survive longer than 5 years after the diagnosis. However, in the UK over 11,000 women die from breast cancer every year. So please read this article and check your breasts as often as you can. Any worries – go to your doctor.
What causes breast cancer
There are several different types of breast cancer and different causes. Our lifestyle, environment and genes can affect our risk. In about 5% of cases there is a genetic link. If your family has a high prevalence of breast and/or ovarian cancer, you may be at a genetic risk and blood tests can be done to check this. If you have a genetic risk there are lifestyle changes you can make to lower your chance of getting cancer. Genes called BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53 or PTEN are linked with breast cancer.
You can reduce the risk of breast cancer
There are lifestyle changes that we can all make to reduce the risk of breast cancer. These include 30 minutes of daily physical activity, lowering your alcohol intake, not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, breast feeding and limiting the dose and duration of HRT.
How is breast cancer diagnosed
You should regularly have breast screening. This involves creating images of your breasts by a mammogram or ultrasound – the method used will depend on your age. Sometimes both methods are used.
Mammograms are X rays of the breasts. A mammogram only takes a few minutes and it can clearly see if there are any abnormal lumps in the breast. In women over 50, they should have a mammogram every three years.
Ultrasound creates an image of your breast using sound waves and is often better suited for younger women.
If a lump is found, a biopsy may be done to remove some of the cells from the lump to determine if the cells are cancerous or benign.
What are the treatments
Breast cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or biological (combined) therapy. The exact treatment given will depend on the stage of the cancer and how it was diagnosed.
Surgery is normally the first treatment in breast cancer. Some women will need a mastectomy to remove all the breast tissue but they may go on to have surgery to reconstruct the breasts. Surgery is usually followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy or, in some cases, hormone or biological treatments.
Chemotherapy involves giving specific chemicals to kill the cancer cells. Radiotherapy involves using high energy rays to kill the cancer cells.
Some breast cancers are stimulated to grow by oestrogen or progesterone – hormone-receptor-positive cancers. Hormone therapy works by lowering the levels of hormones in your body. After surgery, women may be given hormonal therapies to reduce the risk of the cancer returning.
Some breast cancers are caused by a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Biological therapy works by stopping the effects of HER2 and by helping your immune system to fight off cancer cells.
Please share this post with your friends. We should all be aware of our breasts and prevent breast cancer.
Read More:
http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/QS12/chapter/introduction-and-overview
https://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/
http://screening.breastcancernow.org/?_ga=1.84502749.550197159.1455780956#-introduction
