Breast cancer
Breast cancer is a kind of cancer that affects the cells of the breasts

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is a kind of cancer that affects the cells of the breasts and can then spread to other parts of the body. Breast cancer is not a purely female problem, although it is found most commonly in women. Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer in the world. The good news is - over the last several years the incidence of breast cancer has decreased, many attribute it to the increased awareness of women and improved techniques or early examination and treatment. The bad news is - no matter how low the probability is, there is still a chance of getting this disease, and according to the statistics, this is one of the conditions most females fear most. Self-examination of breasts is important as it helps to detect breast cancer at early stages. The following signs should cause suspicion: breast lumps that appeared recently, inverted nipples, dimpling of the skin over the breast, peeling of the nipple skin, change in the shape or size of the breast and bloody discharge from the nipple. Breast cancer is likely to be caused by a complex combination of the environment and genetic makeup. The exact causes of breast cancer are not studied so well to make any conclusions. The one thing that is known for sure is: breast cancer occurs because of the abnormal growth of breast cells. These cells tend to divide more quickly than the regular cells and start to spread to other parts of the body. The cells that are most likely to experience the abnormal growth are cells in the milk-producing duct. Although the exact causes of breast cancer are unknown, the doctors have distinguished certain risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing this type of cancer in some people. The following risk factors have been established so far: being a woman, age (the risk increases with age), a family or personal history of breast cancer, radiation exposure, obesity, giving birth to the first child after 35 and drinking a lot of alcohol.

There are a lot of treatment methods available these days to deal with breast cancer - surgery (breast-conserving surgery, mastectomy, lymph node dissection), chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, complementary and holistic medicine (acupuncture, yoga, medication). Hormonal therapy, also referred to as anti-estrogen therapy, works by lowering the amount of estrogen in the body and blocking the action of this female hormone. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries, and is known to make breast cancers grow. Reducing the amounts of estrogen or blocking it can prevent the recurring of breast cancer and stop its spreading. Another preventive measure that can be taken is removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes. This is done in women at very high risk of developing breast caner. As an alternative, some medications can be used to shut down the ovaries temporarily. Nolvadex (tamoxifen) is one of the most commonly used drugs for metastatic breast cancer (the one that spread to other parts of the body), it is also efficient in treating breast cancer in people after surgery and can reduce the chances in patients at risk of developing it. According to the studies, people from the high risk group taking Nolvadex can reduce the chances of getting the disease by 40%. Besides Nolvadex there are a number of other medicines that can be prescribed, including Abraxane (paclitaxel), Adriamycin (doxorubicin), Arimidex (anastrozole), Aromasin (exemestane), Avastin (bevacizumab), Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), Faslodex (fulvestrant), Femara (letrozole), Gemzar (gemcitabine), Halotestin (fluoxymesterone), Herceptin (trastuzumab), Ixempra (ixabepilone), Menest (esterified estrogens), Taxol (paclitaxel), Taxotere (docetaxel), Trexall (methotrexate), Tykerb (lapatinib), Velban (vinblastine), and Xeloda (capecitabine). The choice of the medicine you need is up to your health care provider, as they all have slightly different side effects, contraindications and mechanism of action. Also, in most cases medications to treat breast cancer are taken for a long time - several years, so all the risks and benefits of the treatment need to be discussed in advance.

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