Sunday, November 26, 2006
What is Breast cancer?The human body is made up of billions of cells. Normally, these cells grow, divide and die in a controlled way to produce and replace the body's tissue. If something disrupts this controlled process a cancer can grow. Breast cancer is caused when the cells that make up the breast tissue fail to die, instead they endlessly divide and eventually grow into tumours. Once a tumour has formed, some of the cells can break off and travel to other parts of the body, and then form other tumours. If the problem can be detected early on, then there is a good chance it can be successfully treated. The more the cancer has spread, the more difficult it is to treat.
Are there different types of Breast cancer and what are they?
Breast cancer is not just one single disease. There are several types of breast cancer. It can be found at different stages of development and can grow at different rates.
DCIS - Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
DCIS is an early form of breast cancer. You may hear it described as a pre-cancerous, intraductal or non-invasive cancer, which means the cancer cells are inside the milk ducts or 'in situ' and have not developed the ability to spread either within or outside the breast.
Invasive lobular breast cancer
Breast tissue is made up of ducts and lobules where milk is made, stored and carried through to the nipple during breastfeeding. Breast cancer starts when a single cell in the breast begins to divide and grow in an abnormal way. Put very simply, invasive lobular breast cancer starts in cells that make up the lobules at the end of the ducts.
Invasive lobular breast cancer is uncommon, and affects about 10-15 per cent of all women with breast cancer. It can occur at any age, but more commonly affects women in the 45-55 year age group. Men can also get invasive lobular breast cancer but this is very rare.
Invasive lobular breast cancer is generally no more serious than other types of breast cancer. However, it is sometimes found in both breasts at the same time and there is also a slightly greater risk of it occurring in the opposite breast at a later date.
Inflammatory breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is so called because the overlying skin of the breast has a reddened appearance - similar to that seen with some infections of the breast. In patients with inflammatory breast cancer, the reddened appearance is caused by breast cancer cells blocking tiny channels in the breast tissue called lymph channels. The lymph channels are part of the lymphatic system involved in the body's defence against infections.
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type of breast cancer. Only 1-2 per cent of all breast cancers are inflammatory breast cancer.
Paget's disease
Paget’s disease of the breast is an uncommon form of breast cancer that first shows as changes to the nipple. It occurs in fewer than 5% of all women with breast cancer. Men can also get Paget’s disease but this is very rare.
What are the main treatments for Breast cancer?
Breast cancer is not just one single disease. There are several types of breast cancer. It can be found at different stages of development and can grow at different rates.
It is difficult to predict what course the disease will take. Factors such as your age and your general health will all be considered by your specialists when they are working out the best treatment for you. The 'best treatment' may involve surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy, either given alone or in any combination or order.
What are the survival rates in the UK for Breast Cancer sufferers
Of women diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991-1993, around 80 per cent were alive five years later
How many women in the UK have Breast cancer?
Every year around 40,790 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and approximately 290 in men
Are the incidence rates of breast cancer increasing, stable or decreasing
Over the last five years there was a 12 per cent increase in the incidence rates for breast cancer in the UK.
Is the breast cancer mortality rate in the UK increasing, stable or declining
Good news! Earlier diagnosis and better treatment have led to a 22 per cent fall in breast cancer mortality rates in the last 10 years.
Who is most at risk of breast cancer?
Age is the single most important factor in influencing breast cancer risk - 80 per cent of all breast cancers occur in post-menopausal women (based on the average age of menopause being 50).
Women who have previously had breast cancer, face an increased risk in developing the disease again.
Women with a genetic susceptibility account for between five and 10 per cent of all breast cancer cases - they tend to have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer and these cancers usually occur in close family members, such as their grandmother, mother, aunt or sister, at an early age.
Hormones play an important role in the development of breast cancer:
Women who do not have children are 10 to 30 per cent more likely to develop the disease.
Women who have their first child in their thirties are 63 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer before the menopause and 35 per cent more likely to develop the disease afterwards than those who have their first child at 22.
Women whose periods began at the age of 15 are at only two thirds the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer of someone whose periods started at 11, with a decrease of seven per cent for each year that periods were delayed.
Women who have a late onset of the menopause (after the age of 55) are twice as likely to develop the disease as those women who experience the menopause before the age of 45.
Can you reduce your risk of breast cancer?
Although it is not possible to prevent breast cancer, it is possible to reduce the risk of developing the disease.
At present the best way to influence your chance of surviving breast cancer is to detect the cancer early. Earlier diagnosis and better treatment have led to a 22 per cent fall in breast cancer death rates in the last 10 years.
Diet
Diet is likely to play a part in the development of breast cancer but its role is not yet understood. However eating a healthy, well-balanced low-fat diet, with plenty of fruit and vegetables, is beneficial to overall health and therefore recommended.
Exercise
Regular exercise is also recommended to contribute towards a healthier lifestyle.
Obesity
Postmenopausal women who are overweight have an increased risk of breast cancer. Obese women have a risk about 50 per cent higher than women of a normal weight. However obesity does not appear to increase the risk of breast cancer in women before the menopause.
Alcohol
There is increasing evidence to suggest that drinking alcohol increases the risk of developing breast cancer. The Department of Health advises that per day women should drink no more than two to three units1 of alcohol and men should not drink more than three to four.
What are the common myths surrounding breast cancer?
MYTH: Breast cancer can be caused by injuring the breast
FACT: There is no evidence that a knock or bump to the breast increases the risk of breast cancer.
MYTH: Women with small breasts are less likely to get breast cancer
FACT: Having small breasts does not reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.
MYTH: Breast screening prevents breast cancer
FACT: Breast screening aims to find breast cancer earlier, it does not prevent breast cancer.
MYTH: Breast cancer mainly occurs in women aged between 30 and 50
FACT: Research shows 77 per cent of breast cancer cases occur after the age of 50
What is Breast screening?
Breast screening is a method of detecting breast cancer at a very early stage. The NHS Breast Screening Programme provides free routine screening every three years for all women aged between 50 and 70. You will be invited to a breast screening unit, either in a hospital or mobile unit, near to where you live. Here an x-ray or mammogram is taken of each breast. These x-rays can detect small changes in breast tissue which may indicate cancers too small to be felt either by the patient or by a doctor. If a problem is detected you will be referred to a breast clinic within the hospital for further investigation. Posted by beautiful soul at 11:12 AM
