Jan/120
Men Get Breast Cancer
Next to lung cancer, breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any other cancer. It’s the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 44 and one is 13 women will have it sooner or later.
“Breast cancer is the third most common cancer in the world today, despite the fact that it is confined almost entirely to the female sex. Breast cancer incidence rates are rising in several developing countries, and it is already the most frequent female cancer in many,” revealed Dr. Corazon A. Ngelangel, professor, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, College of Medicine, and a consultant at the Medical Oncology Section of the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital.
The exact cause of breast cancer is unknown. But the risk of developing the disease increases after the age of 35, especially in those with a family history of the disease. Breast cancer is also more common in obese women and in those who have never had children or who had a child for the first time after the age of 30.
Those who begin menstruation early and women who had late menopause are also at risk for developing the disease. The same is true for women who previously had breast cancer. The odds are high that these women will have the disease in the other breast too.
Unknown to many, breast cancer can affect men but not as frequently as women. Less than one percent of cases occur in males, usually at middle age or older.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in male breast cancer. Other high-risk groups include those who are exposed to dust, gasoline, grease, carbon monoxide, and radiation. Men with gynecomastia, the enlargement of the breast that follows exposure to estrogen and alcoholic cirrhosis (in which the liver has been destroyed by years of heavy drinking) are likewise susceptible to the disease.
“Although breast cancer can occur in young boys (the youngest reported was five years old), the incidence generally rises with age. The majority of patients are more than 60 years old. Earlier cancer denotes a strong family history, manifested by the presence of many female relatives with breast cancer,” said Dr. David Y. Dy, a general surgeon and surgical oncologist at St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines.
Surprisingly, male breast cancer appears to be less common in married men and in those with many children. Like women, most cases have been observed in the left breast although it is not clear why.
“About half of all breast cancers develop in the upper outer portion of the breast, the part of the breast closest to the underarm. The second most common site is the area surrounding the nipple, where about 18 percent of breast cancers are found,” said Marrion Morra, assistant director of the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center at Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut, and Eve Potts in “Choices: Realistic Alternatives in Cancer Treatment.”
Still, majority of breast cancer cases occur in women. Ngelangel believes the presence of the female hormone estrogen may have something to do with the disease.
“The most important risk factor for developing breast cancer is sex. Being female puts you at great risk. The reason for this is estrogen. Women have more of this hormone than men which probably explains why breast cancer is common among females,” Ngelangel said. (Next: Breast cancer myths.)
Dec/110
Cause of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is very common in women. In fact, it is the second leading cause of death for women with cancer. There are three times more cases of breast cancer than any of the other gynecological cancers put together. Cases of breast cancer have increased from one out of 20 women, to one out of every seven women who have acquired the disease. This disease is not exclusive for females alone. Statistics show that out of 100 women having breast cancer, there will be one male patient developing this kind of cancer.
Age
A girl who starts having her menstrual cycle before the age of 12, or a woman who starts going through menopause after 50 years old are at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Nationality
Studies have shown that certain racial groups such as European and African women tend to have higher risk of breast cancer compared to Asian women. However, studies also show inconsistencies in this theory since the statistics change once geography is included in the study, since an Asian women living in a western country showed the same risk as the original inhabitants.
Diet
High consumption of corn oil, oil secreted by meat, and polyunsaturated fats increase the risk of person acquiring breast cancer. Monounsaturated fats like canola oil and olive oil promote better heath.
Heredity
Though there is no available proof suggesting the breast cancer is linked to heredity in any way, it is still believe that patients who have a family history of breast cancer are at higher risk of acquiring breast cancer.
Alcohol
Researches showed that women taking more alcohol have 6% increased risk of getting the cancer as compared to those who do not, or consume moderately.
Hormones
A test was conducted in June 2005 where findings noted that women taking hormonal drugs, like medical estrogen, have a higher risk of acquiring breast cancer.
Other
Other factors believe to be risk factors include not having a child, or delayed first childbirth, or not breastfeeding.
Nov/110
Discover the Chances of Surviving Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer in the United States behind others such as prostate, lung and skin cancer. It primarily develops in women aged fifty or older although men can develop the disease as well. Some factors that can contribute to the development of breast cancer may include, fat intake, weight, age, and amount of exercise.
These are facts that should be well known. But, what are the actual chances of surviving breast cancer?First off, the chances of survival are significantly impacted by whether or not the cancer was diagnosed properly or early enough and when it is diagnosed, what stage it is in. Higher rates of survival bear this out. Another thing that impacts one’s chances is the fact that treatment options are many, varied and the number of options keeps increasing. Also treatments as a whole have been improving as we learn more about this disease. Doctors also see the need for their patients to get regular mammograms done, which also increases the chances of early detection and faster acting treatments because any tumor found will not have become malignant.
Another thing that increases one’s chances of survival is the fact that doctors are continually monitoring and modifying treatments to better serve the needs of the individual patient. In addition to these treatments, there is also a push toward more natural, less invasive treatments as well. Some radiation treatment as well as chemotherapy drugs after surgery has been seen to help improve survival rates also.
The key to remember here is that there is at this time no one thing that will increase your chances of surviving breast cancer, just as there is no one thing you can do to reduce the odds of development in the first place. It is a combination of many different factors. However, the one key ingredient is you. How you choose to come at and cope with breast cancer will go a long way in determining your survival rate.
Nov/110
Breast Cancer – What is an ”Early Stage” Breast Cancer?
An “Early Stage” breast cancer is sometimes referred as Stage 1 breast cancer. In such cases, the affected region is less than 2-2.5 centimetres in diameter. However, cancer does not spread inside the tissue of the breast. In fact, among all the women detected for breast cancer in the U.S, 63% of them suffer from “Early Stage” Breast Cancer, as it is still localized to the tissue of the breast.
Today, Breast Cancer is considered to be one of the most deadly and emotional types of cancers occurring in women. However, it should be kept in mind that it is not only women, who are at a risk of having breast cancer. Men can also have such type of cancers, but most patients are female.
Early detection increases chances of survival
If the breast cancer is an early stage one and it is properly detected and treated, the survival rate of that patient increases to a large extent. The best trick to fight breast cancer is to catch it early on and generally women can detect it by finding a typical lump in any one of their breasts. Women should immediately check out in such cases but they should not worry, as all lumps are not cancers.
Early stage breast cancer cannot always be cured, even though cancerous cells are unable to reach the lymph nodes. Women, who catch early stage breast cancer, gets treated at that point and many of them are able to enjoy life in a normal lifestyle for more than ten years. It is highly recommended for every woman to check her breasts regularly to be on the safe side, so that possible cases of breast cancers can be detected early. With proper treatment, women can enjoy high survival rates.
Symptoms of Early Stage Cancer
An early stage breast cancer can be detected on the basis of various symptoms. Some of them are unexpected abnormal changes in the anatomy & the size of the breast, appearance of the skin of the breast becomes dimpled & puckered, sudden unexpected changes in the size and shape of the nipple like the changing position and nipple being inverted. Other symptoms include abnormal discharge from the nipple, development of rash in the nipple, continuous pain in the region of armpit & breast, thickening or formation of the lump in the armpit & breast and swelling of the collarbone region & armpit.
Treatment following the detection
Any of the above symptoms determine an early stage breast cancer and any woman having such symptoms should immediately contact her general physician. Doctors examine the patient properly and if necessary, can refer them to a breast clinic for more examinations and mammogram. Upon detection of a lump, the cancerous cells can be extracted with the help of a delicate needle. A biopsy should also be done to ascertain, if the affected area or lump is malignant.
Every woman should know how to do self-examination of her beasts, so that she can know her breasts easier and recognise abnormal changes on them.
To Your Health!
Nov/110
Breast Cancer – The Newest Treatment
Newest Treatments For Breast Cancer
Among women in the United States, breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer (next to skin cancer). Aside from lung cancer, breast cancer claims more American women’s lives than any other form of cancer. It is estimated that nearly one in every eight women in this country will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
It is because of these statistics that researchers work hard to find new and innovative ways to treat breast cancer. For many years, there were relatively few options for treating breast cancer. Lumpectomies, mastectomies have been, and remain, a first line of defense against cancer, but each has its advantages and disadvantages. Lumpectomies, for example, often require four to six weeks of radiation therapy following surgery. Mastectomies have more post-operative complications and a longer recovery time. Hormone therapies have found some success against hormone receptor-positive cancers by lowering the production of estrogen and blocking the effects of existing estrogen in the patient. This treatment is, unfortunately, useless against hormone receptor-negative cancers.
Another method of treating cancer is chemotherapy. A common problem with chemotherapy treatments has been the drugs’ inability to specifically target the dividing cancer cells, instead interfering with all cell division in the body. This interference can lead to aches, nausea, lack of energy, and hair loss. In more extreme instances, bone loss and treatment-induced leukemia have occurred.
In the past several years, doctors have discovered new ways to use targeted therapy to deliver the drugs used in chemotherapy directly to the cancer cells, and avoid interference with normal cell processes, as well as reduce the side effects associated with the solvents used to dissolve chemotherapy drugs such as Taxol. One such drug being used today is Abraxane, which uses a process called protein-bound nanoparticle technology to create “packages” of Taxol that have been bound to albumin, a substance that is found naturally in the body and is dissolved in water. With this advancement, there is less need for chemical solvents in the delivery process which may lead to side effects. Also, because growing cancer cells tend to rapidly accumulate albumin during the growth process, doctors theorize that binding the Taxol to albumin causes the cancer cells to actively seek out and absorb the drug for its piggybacked albumin, thus more effectively targeting the cancer over other, normally dividing cells.
Over 2.5 million women are breast cancer survivors. With new advancements in treatment available now, and future discoveries on the horizon, that number is expected to steadily increase in the future.
You can fight your cancer naturally with the Breast Cancer Diet.
Oct/110
Breast Cancer Symptoms And Diagnosis
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in women if the relatively less aggressive skin cancer is excluded from counting. Breast cancer accounts for about 32 percent of all cancer diagnosed in women.
Breast cancer is very uncommon in male. In families carrying the breast cancer associated genes, male members may be affected disproportionately compared to the general population. In the general population female to male breast cancer may occur at a rate of 1 to 100 (1:100 for male: female).
Prior to introduction of mammography screening breast cancer was often diagnosed as a large lump in the breast, because women were not paying attention to the development of breast tumors. Introduction of mammography had significantly changed the natural history breast caner. In industrialized nations like the United States breast caner is most commonly detected on mammography screening. Mammography screening also brought a great sense of awareness to women and this has resulted in earlier detection of breast cancer.
Even if a woman does not get mammography screening, they are very much aware of the risk of development of breast cancer and thus tend to observe and even examine their breasts. Most women do self-breast examination in between mammograms. Because of this increased awareness, women presenting with locally advanced breast cancer are quite rare in the industrialized nations.
In some women breast cancer may have spread to distant organs, before mammography screening or symptoms showed the breast cancer. This can happen because early stage breast cancer does not usually cause any symptoms. If the cancer has spread to other organs these women may present with symptoms related to these organs. For example if the cancer has spread to the bone the woman may develop bone pain or bone fracture.
Diagnosis of breast cancer involves a biopsy procedure. Most often an abnormality in the mammogram leads to a biopsy, many other times, the woman may have felt a lump in the breast or the physician examining the patient may have felt a lump in the breast.
Biopsy is the procedure by which a small part of the breast tissue is removed and examined under the microscope. A typical beast cancer would show classic features of breast cancer. Sometimes the abnormality may be a non-invasive breast cancer or so called carcinoma in situ.