Detecting and Treating Breast Cancer
What Every Woman Should Know
Jul 24, 2009 Jacqueline Trovato
Unfortunately, this is a common occurring scenario. Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it's far more common in women. The best way for any woman to deal with her fear about breast cancer is to become educated about the disease so she can make the best decisions concerning her treatment.
The Importance of Regular Screenings and Exams
Detecting breast cancer before there are symptoms is important. Screening can help doctors find and treat cancer early. Treatment is more likely to work when cancer is found early.
Screening tests for breast cancer include a Screening Mammogram, Clinical Breast Exam and Breast Self-Exam.
A screening mammogram is an x-ray of the breast and the best tool doctors have to detect breast cancer early. Mammograms can show a breast lump before it can be felt. Women over 40 should have mammograms every 1 to 2 years. Women who are younger than 40 with risk factors for breast cancer should ask their doctor when and how often to have a mammogram.
During a clinical breast exam, the doctor checks the woman's breasts and lymph nodes near the breast to look for possible lumps or changes. Using the pads of the fingers to feel for lumps, the doctor will check the entire breast, underarm, and collarbone area. A thorough clinical breast exam may take about 10 minutes.
The breast self-exam is much like the clinical breast exam. Women should do a breast self-exam once a month to detect any changes in their breasts. These changes might include:
- A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
- Bloody discharge from the nipple
- Change in the size or shape of a breast
- Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
- An inverted nipple
- Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin
- Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast
The doctor should be notified if any unusual changes in the breasts are detected. Breast self-exams are important, but they should not replace regular screening mammograms and clinical breast exams.
Treatment Options When Cancer is Found
A woman with breast cancer has a number of treatment options, including radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy. The choice of treatment depends mainly on the stage of the cancer. The doctor will recommend treatment choices and the expected results.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. The radiation destroys breast cancer cells that may remain in the area. Radiation therapy is used before surgery to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. Some women receive radiation therapy after breast-sparing surgery, and others after a mastectomy (removal of the breast). Doctors use radiation therapy when the tumor is large or may be hard to remove. Some women also have chemotherapy or hormone therapy before surgery.
Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer. Breast-sparing surgery removes the cancer but not the breast. The surgeon often removes the underarm lymph nodes as well. An operation to remove the breast (or as much of the breast tissue as possible) is called a mastectomy. The lymph nodes under the arm may also be removed. A woman may choose to have breast reconstruction after her mastectomy. This can be done at the same time as the mastectomy or later. Studies have found equal survival rates for breast-sparing surgery (with radiation therapy) and mastectomy.
Chemotherapy uses a combination of drugs to kill cancer cells, and are given as a pill or by injection into a vein (IV). Most women receive chemotherapy in an outpatient part of the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home. However some need to stay in the hospital during treatment.
The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the specific drugs and the dose. Some drugs used for breast cancer can cause temporary tingling or numbness in the hands or feet. In some cases the drugs may weaken the heart or damage the ovaries.
Hormone therapy keeps cancer cells from getting or using these hormones. Some breast tumors rely on the hormones estrogen and progesterone to grow. If a woman has not gone through menopause, she may be given a tamoxifen to stop the ovaries from making estrogen. The side effects of tamoxifen are similar to some of the symptoms of menopause.
Advances in Breast Cancer Research
Scientists are looking for ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat breast cancer, as well as ways to improve the quality of life for patients during or after cancer treatment.
In one large study, the drug tamoxifen reduced the number of new cases of breast cancer among women who were at an increased risk. Doctors are also studying whether the drug raloxifene is as effective as tamoxifen.
Researchers are studying the use of a combination of mammogram, ultrasound and positron emission tomography (PET) to make detailed pictures of breast tissue.
They are studying tumor markers, a possible sign of cancer. Tumor markers may be found in blood, in urine, or in fluid from the breast (nipple aspirate). At this time, however, no tumor marker test is reliable enough to be used routinely to detect breast cancer.
A technique called ductal lavage is being investigated, where cells are collected from breast ducts. A pathologist checks the cells for cancer or changes that may suggest an increased risk of cancer.
Other items under study are when different types of surgery are combined with other treatments; whether radiation therapy can be used instead of surgery to treat cancer in lymph nodes; new anticancer drugs; ways of combining chemotherapy with hormone therapy or radiation therapy; new biological treatments such as vaccines that help the immune system kill cancer cells; and finally, ways to reduce pain and improve quality of life for patients under treatment.
Research provides great hope for current and future patients with breast cancer. Anyone who is interested in being part of clinical trial should speak with his or her doctor.
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