Breast Cancer Information, News and Updates

If your doctor recommends surgery for treatment of breast cancer, you have the option to ask questions before you have the procedure.  You will want to know which surgery your doctor recommends, how long will your stay in the hospital be, and is a partial mastectomy a possibility?  What about lymph nodes, will they be removed, how many, and why are they being removed?

Questions to Ask About Your Breast Surgery

How will you feel before, during, and after surgery?  How long will your hospital stay be?  Other questions you may want to ask are, will you need to take care of your incision?  What will the scars look like?  Will you have full range of motion in your shoulder and arm if lymph nodes are removed?  Are there special exercises to do?  What about special care for the underarm and breast area?  Someone who has already had the surgery and recovered may answer these questions.  Always know the facts before you have surgery.  You will want to know the expected recovery time, and any limits you will have on physical activity.
After The Surgery 

Once you have had surgery, you may feel out of balance with your body.  If you have a breast removed, it may take time for you to adjust to the change in your body, especially if your breasts are large.  It may cause extra discomfort or pain in your upper back and neck, and your muscles may feel stiff and weak.  You will be referred to a physical therapist that will suggest exercises and ways to regain movement and strength in the surgery area.  Exercise can help reduce pain and stiffness in the arm and breast.

Removing lymph nodes require you to take special care of your arm and hand for the rest of your life.  Removing the nodes also restricts the flow of fluid and it may build up in your arm and hand causing swelling.  Protecting your arm will become a major priority.  You will need to carry heavy purses or luggage with the unaffected arm and avoid tight clothing or jewelry on the arm that swells.  When having shots, medical procedures, or blood pressure readings, always use the unaffected arm.  It is also important to protect your hands if using harsh detergents or gardening.  Wearing gloves is recommended for these activities.  Avoid sunburns, and take special care when cutting nails and cuticles on the swollen arm.  Use an electric razor when shaving under the arms to avoid nicks or injury.

If lymphedema, or swelling of the lymph nodes occurs, your doctor may recommend wearing an elastic sleeve to improve circulation.  Raising their arm over their head, and using medication, massage, or a machine that helps removed fluid from the affected area.

Many different things can cause the retaining of fluid in the arm.  The weather, clothing, injury, and physical activity all will have an impact on fluid retention after lymph nodes are removed.  Always contact your doctor if your arm is injured, is abnormally swollen, or if your arm feels red and warm.  Special care should be given to your arm if you are bitten by an insect, have a cut, sunburn, or other injury to your arm.

Many men do not realize that they are also at risk of developing breast cancer.  The risk factor is much smaller in men, but they do have breast tissue and they are at risk of developing this disease.  Before puberty, young women and boys have small amounts of breast tissue with just a few ducts.  When they reach puberty, a young woman’s ovaries start producing hormones that cause the breast ducts to grow and develop lobules (milk glands) to form on the ends.  A young boy’s testosterone level raises and prevents any further growth of breast tissue.

The cells of a man’s breast can undergo changes and become cancerous.  They have less breast tissue so the risk factor is reduced.  Women’s breasts are constantly being fed by female hormones and make the risk of breast cancer higher for women.  Men who have a history of breast cancer in the female side of the family should be aware they are at risk for developing the disease too.

Other breast disorders such as benign tumors are more common in women but can also develop in men’s breasts.  Benign tumors do not spread outside the breast.  They are also not life threatening.  Malignant tumors can be life threatening and may occur in both men and women.

Detecting Breast Cancer

Detecting breast cancer in men is important because it can quickly be carried to the lymph nodes by lymphatic vessels.  Cancer cells entering the lymph nodes are transferred to other organs of the body and the cancer is harder to fight and more deadly.  Breast cancer in men will normally start around the nipple area.

Benign breast disorders are also common in men.  Gynecomastia is one of the most common found in men.  An increase in breast tissue occurs and a small disk or button like growth is found under the nipple.  Normally this isn’t seen but can be felt with the fingertips.  This normally happens in young boys who are experiencing hormonal changes but occur in older men when their hormones become unbalanced.  Tumors or diseases of the endocrine gland can cause this condition, but this is rare.  Liver disease and obesity can cause hormone imbalance and can lead to gynecomastia.

Men may develop adenocarcinoma, which is a breast cancer that starts in the ducts or lobules of the breast.  There are two main types of carcinomas, one is ductal, and the other is lobular carcinoma.  Lobular carcinoma is rare in men because they do not usually have lobular tissue.

Ductal carcinoma in situ is a cancer that fills the ducts but don’t go through the walls to other tissues in the breast or spread outside the breast.  It is usually curable.  Infiltrating ductal carcinoma starts in the breast ducts and metastasizes or spread to other parts of the body.  This cancer accounts for most of breast cancers in men.

You should be aware of any changes in your breasts, including crusting, scaling, and itching around the nipple area.  Do a self-exam to check for any lumps.  This is especially important if you have a family history of breast cancer.

Doctors recommend three screenings for those at risk for breast cancer.  They are screening mammograms, breast exam by a medical professional, and self-exams of the breasts.  The National Cancer Institute has set specific guidelines and recommendations for how often these three screenings should be done.

Screening Mammograms

Screening mammograms are recommended for women over 40 every one to two years.  If a woman is under 40 but has other risk factors for developing breast cancer, their health care professional can help them decide how often they should have this screening.  Mammograms will often show a small lump even before it is felt, or show tiny specks of calcium.  These can be precancerous and further tests are needed to discover if there are any abnormal cells present.  If you do have a lump that shows up on a mammogram, your doctor may ask you to have further tests.  A more complex mammogram, ultrasound, or a biopsy might be suggested.  The only way to tell if the cells are cancerous is by having a biopsy.  Biopsies are performed with small, thin needles, larger needles, or by a small incision made in the affected area.  A pathologist will then examine the cells under a microscope to find out if the extracted cells are cancerous.

Mammograms are the best tool doctors have in discovering breast cancer, but they are not foolproof.  A mammogram can give a false negative, false positive, or may not detect some cancers at all.  These mammograms have little risk because of the low dosage of radiation used.  Shields can be provided to protect other areas of your body if you are requested to have several mammograms.  Normally, there is a small risk of damage from a mammogram.
Clinical Breast Exams

Clinical breast exams are performed regularly when you have your yearly physical.  Your health care provider will look at your breasts to discover if there are any size or color abnormalities.  They will check for skin discoloration, rashes, and other abnormal signs.  The nipples may be squeezed to check if fluid (other than milk) is present.  During the exam, your doctor may ask you to raise your arms above your head, put your hands on your hips, or let them dangle at your sides.

The breast exam consists of using fingers to check the entire breast, under the arm, and around the collarbone for any lumps that can be felt.  The lump normally will be the size of a pea before it can be felt.  Lymph nodes are also checked now, to check for swelling or abnormalities.

Perform Regular Self Breast Exams

A self-breast exam should be done monthly to check for any changes or lumps in your breasts.  Remember that as you age, your breasts will start to change shape, and other hormonal changes can affect them during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause, or if you are taking birth control pills.  The National Cancer Institute recommends you do a self-exam every month at the same time of each month.  One convenient way to remember is to choose your birthday as the date for performing your self-exam each month.

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Breast cancer trials and treatment is not limited to North America. A University of Edinburgh scientist has developed new procedures to measure the affect of radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery. New procedures can help doctors decide who would benefit from receiving radiation therapy as a follow-up to breast cancer surgery. These new techniques will allow doctors to check tissue samples from breast cancer surgeries to decide who should receive further radiation therapy.

A new trial to be conducted internationally will follow 3700 women to discover the benefits of radiation therapy in women who have a medium risk of recurrence. The study will also follow this group of women to find out if there is a long-term risk of heart damage for those who have undergone radiation therapy. Their goal is to discover if radiation therapy is necessary for those women who are rated as low risk for recurrence of breast cancer. It is important to determine if radiation therapy has any significant impact on the recurrence of cancer in low risk cancer patients.

The new trial will try to identify a molecular signature in breast cancer that may help to decide if radiation therapy is necessary to prevent recurrence of the breast cancer. Tissue from breast cancer surgeries will be used for extensive study in the future. Scientists are concerned about the long-term effect on the heart from radiation and chemotherapy.

The protein brain natriuretic peptide will also be researched to see if it is an early sign of cardiac damage. Electrocardiography and echocardiography will also be used to identify any early signs of cardiac trouble.

This ambitious study would also like to look into the quality of life of breast cancer survivors. They will look at the impact of radiation and chemotherapy, breast reconstruction and other quality of life areas. This massive study will include women from all over the world. More than 120 breast cancer centers around the world have already signed up to take part in this study.

The study could have an impact on the cost of breast cancer treatment. If it can be determined if radiation therapy will not increase survival rates of those patients who are low risk, it could save the medical community and breast cancer patients thousands of dollars. It’s important to remember, the health and survival of breast cancer patients is the main concern of any trial or study carried on throughout the world.

The study may decide if women who were considered low-risk for recurrence of breast cancer would benefit from radiation therapy. Instead of prescribing radiation as a standard follow-up treatment after surgery, some women may not have to undergo the rigors of radiation therapy.

This new international trial is being sponsored and funded by the University of Edinburgh and Lothian Health Board as well as the United Kingdom Medical Research Council. The European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer and Breast International Group will coordinate the efforts of the trials worldwide.

TRAM stands for transverse rectus abdominal muscle.  This reconstruction surgery is used in place of placing artificial implants in the chest area after breast cancer surgery.  This method is chosen if the patient doesn’t feel comfortable with using a saline or silicone transplant.  This is completed in one surgery.  There is no need for multiple visits to the doctor to inject fluid into expanders and then have a final surgery to place the implants.

The surgeon takes a portion of skin, tissue, and muscle from the abdomen.  He reattaches the material to the chest area with microscopic surgery.  After shaping the mound, he has rebuilt the breast.  Some women choose to replace their healthy breast so the breasts will be similar in size and shape.  The surgery does take many hours to perform, and there is usually a three-to four day stay in the hospital to begin recovery.

There is a danger when you are transplanting tissue from one area of the body to another the transplanted tissue will not survive.  Most patients are kept in a special climate controlled room and nurses check every hour to be sure the blood supply is good to the transplanted area.  If the blood stopped flowing to the transplant, a patient will need to return to the operating room for corrective surgery.  As with any surgery, there is severe pain that goes with this surgery.  Also, there is always the chance of infection around the surgery site.  Failure of the transplant to take normally will take place in the first 72 hours after surgery.

Tram flap reconstruction leave noticeable scarring.  They will fade with time, but there will be scarring at the breast area and from the area where the tissue was taken.  Some restored breasts will feel different because of any radiation that was given in that area.  Radiation can cause tightness and discoloration in the reconstructed breast.

It’s important to have the support of family, friends, and loved ones when this surgery is done.  Physical activities may be limited for a time and you may need to have someone drive you to your follow-up doctor appointments.  You will not want to be alone for the first few days following this surgery.

When a patient has TRAM flap reconstruction, the patient will not have any feeling in the breasts that were reconstructed.  Some loss of feeling may also incur from the area where the transplanted tissue was taken from.  A patient may also lose some abdominal strength where the tissue was removed.  Some patients lose very little abdominal control and others may lose more.

Patients can choose to have nipple reconstruction but that is up to the individual.  Sometimes nipple reconstruction takes place in another surgical procedure.  Many women choose not to go back into the operating room for this part of reconstruction surgery.

If you are concerned about putting a foreign object into your body, you may want to consider the TRAM flap reconstruction.  The added benefit to this reconstruction surgery is that it also acts like a mini tummy tuck.

Technorati Tags: TRAM flap reconstruction, transverse rectus abdominal muscle, breast cancer

What is in the future for a woman who has had breast cancer treatment?  What will her life be like?  How does her diet affect her survival rate?  These and many more questions are asked of women who had breast cancer treatment.  Many answers are given and you have to decide individually what you need to do for your own physical and emotional health.

Some women have found that group therapy with women who have gone through the same emotional stages are great in helping remove the trauma from having breast cancer.  The support of fellow breast cancer survivors encourage and hope for their disease and the quality of life they will have.  Quality of life may be the most important part of breast cancer survival.  If a support group can give hope and improve quality of life, it may be the best course of action for some breast cancer patients.

Alternative medicines can also be used as complimentary treatments as well as the standard treatment methods.  Relaxation therapy, meditation, spiritual practices, herbal medicines, and vitamin treatments are all alternative and complementary treatments for breast cancer.  Special funding has been given to encourage the study of alternative and homeopathic treatments.  Also, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, and energy healing may prove to be an asset in breast cancer treatment.  More study is needed to decide if these methods are good to use with standard cancer treatment.

Although there is no convincing evidence that eating soy products will increase your chances of breast cancer survival, there may be evidence to show that it could act like estrogen and cause cancer cells to multiply.  Breast cancer patients may want to avoid soy products until more study is done to find out if soy will hurt the healing process of breast cancer.

Breast cancer survivors can change their diet and lifestyle to increase their survival rate.  Taking care of your body, eating healthy, getting enough exercise, and staying away from alcohol and tobacco products will help ensure you will continue to recover.

Exercise and its effect on breast cancer are not known, but exercise can help in other areas of your life.  Exercise can give you a feeling of well being, and keep your weight at a steady level.  When you exercise, your mood is raised and you are more capable of dealing with the little problems in life that are worsened if you are sick.

There are many avenues of research yet to be done by scientists and researchers.  The effect of chemical exposure on breast cancer rates, studying new methods of treatments and researching new drugs are all areas that need our attention.  The role of genes that people carry is also important to understand.  Any variations of genes need to be studied to find the relationship between those variations and breast cancer.

Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have a much better chance of surviving the disease than women did twenty years ago.  It is important for women to realize that having a breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence.  The survival rate for breast cancer is up to 86 percent.  That means that 86 women out of one hundred can expect to survive breast cancer.

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Exemestane tablets that have the brand name Aromasin is a prescription medicine that can be prescribed by your doctor.  Pfizer Company is responsible for developing this drug and has been in use since 1999 for women with advanced breast cancer who are also postmenopausal.  This drug is for women who have gone through menopause, has breast cancer that responds to hormone therapy, and has taken tamoxifen for two to three years.  If your doctor believes you would benefit from this drug, you would stop taking tamoxifen and begin taking Aromasin.  You would remain on Aromasin for the five years after surgery that tamoxifen is taken.

Studies of women who have successfully switched from tamoxifen to Aromasin have a thirty-one percent lower risk of breast cancer recurrence.  This is a significant number and should be examined carefully for the benefits of switching from tamoxifen.

Another outstanding number is there were sixty-eight percent fewer cases of cancer developing in the healthy breast after staying on tamoxifen for two to three years and then switching to Aromasin.  Breaking these statistics down for numbers that are easier to understand means there was a difference of over 70 women who did not experience a recurrence of their cancer after taking Aromasin.

Unlike other drugs that are being studied and used in clinical trials, Aromasin was designed for women who have advanced stages of breast cancer.  It has proven effective in early stage breast cancer for those women who have hormone receptive cancer.  Aromasin is to be used after an early period of taking the drug tamoxifen and women who have already gone through menopause.

Chances for side effects are a little higher for Aromasin than tamoxifen.  The side effects of both drugs are joint pain, headache, hot flashes, increased sweating, fatigue, and insomnia.  Avoiding some of these side effects can be as simple as avoiding any form of caffeine, forgoing alcohol, and quitting the smoking habit.  These will help ease the hot flashes that come with taking this drug.  To avoid upset stomach, take Aromasin with food.  Fatigue is another side effect and can be eased by eating healthier foods and drinking plenty of fluids.  If you are active, try to take breaks often.  Keeping regular sleeping habits and getting plenty of rest can also ease fatigue.

Women should not take Aromasin if they are pregnant and if you have not gone through menopause.  Do not take Aromasin if you are on hormone replacement therapy or if you have an allergy to the medicine or others like it.  If you are taking a drug with estrogen you should not take Aromasin.  Always tell your doctor of what drugs you are taking.  He will be able to tell if Aromasin will cause in interaction between the two drugs.

A more serious side effect of Aromasin is osteoporosis.  The risk of developing osteoporosis doubles if you are taking Aromasin.  There is also an increased risk of heart pain or chest discomfort.

You should discuss Aromasin with your doctor to see if this drug would benefit you.

Technorati Tags: aromasin, breast cancer

Breast cancer trials and treatment is not limited to North America.  A University of Edinburgh scientist has developed new procedures to measure the affect of radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery.  New procedures can help doctors decide who would benefit from receiving radiation therapy as a follow-up to breast cancer surgery.  These new techniques will allow doctors to check tissue samples from breast cancer surgeries to decide who should receive further radiation therapy.

A new trial to be conducted internationally will follow 3700 women to discover the benefits of radiation therapy in women who have a medium risk of recurrence.  The study will also follow this group of women to find out if there is a long-term risk of heart damage for those who have undergone radiation therapy.  Their goal is to discover if radiation therapy is necessary for those women who are rated as low risk for recurrence of breast cancer.  It is important to determine if radiation therapy has any significant impact on the recurrence of cancer in low risk cancer patients.

The new trial will try to identify a molecular signature in breast cancer that may help to decide if radiation therapy is necessary to prevent recurrence of the breast cancer.  Tissue from breast cancer surgeries will be used for extensive study in the future.  Scientists are concerned about the long-term effect on the heart from radiation and chemotherapy.

The protein brain natriuretic peptide will also be researched to see if it is an early sign of cardiac damage.  Electrocardiography and echocardiography will also be used to identify any early signs of cardiac trouble.

This ambitious study would also like to look into the quality of life of breast cancer survivors.  They will look at the impact of radiation and chemotherapy, breast reconstruction and other quality of life areas.  This massive study will include women from all over the world.  More than 120 breast cancer centers around the world have already signed up to take part in this study.

The study could have an impact on the cost of breast cancer treatment.  If it can be determined if radiation therapy will not increase survival rates of those patients who are low risk, it could save the medical community and breast cancer patients thousands of dollars.  It’s important to remember, the health and survival of breast cancer patients is the main concern of any trial or study carried on throughout the world.

The study may decide if women who were considered low-risk for recurrence of breast cancer would benefit from radiation therapy.  Instead of prescribing radiation as a standard follow-up treatment after surgery, some women may not have to undergo the rigors of radiation therapy.

This new international trial is being sponsored and funded by the University of Edinburgh and Lothian Health Board as well as the United Kingdom Medical Research Council.  The European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer and Breast International Group will coordinate the efforts of the trials worldwide.

Women who have few close friends and family that lives a great distance away are more likely to die of breast cancer than those who have family close and have ten or more close friends. Social connections seem to play a part in the cancer survival rate. Lack of social contact may lead to lack of access to timely medical care and prevent treatment to slow the progress of breast cancer.

Family and good friends can give informal care and affect the outcome of cancer therapy. Studies did show that having a spouse or a very close confidant did not increase the life of breast cancer patients. Patients having family, children, and friends with them lived three to four times longer than patients without those close ties.

Children made a difference in the breast cancer survival rate. Patients with no living children were found to have a much higher risk of dying from their disease. Ties with family, children, and friends allowed the patient to manage the disease, and help with children and household chores. Sometimes, having someone to go with you to the doctor and listen to his words helps you to understand what is happening to your body. We don’t always think rationally when we are under the stress of breast cancer and its treatment.

Friends and family may also help with meals, running errands, medication times, and helping with the avalanche of information the patient is receiving. Treatment can seem overwhelming but with friends and family helping with the mundane chores it can be made easier on the patient.

Support groups with other breast cancer survivors can make a tremendous difference in the survival rate of cancer patients. Talking to one other person who has been where you are at will sometimes make the difference in your recovery time and your reaction to therapy. Many groups are formed through the American Cancer Association and you will find announcements of the group meetings on the Internet and in your local paper. Your health care professional may also help you find support groups in your area.

Another great support organization is the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This wonderful group raises money; supports newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, and play a huge part in community awareness and support. The efforts of this organization has raised early cancer detection to an all-time high and provided money for the much needed breast cancer research. There is nothing more thrilling and heart warming than to attend and take part in a Susan G. Komen race for the cure. It’s awe inspiring to see so many men, women, and children running and walking for a common cause. Many will be participating in memory of a loved one lost to breast cancer, or to support a loved one that is currently surviving breast cancer.

You already know friends and family are an important part of your life. What you now know is, they may be instrumental in your recovery from breast cancer too.

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Smog and pollution are not linked to breast cancer. This myth is false. There is a proven connection between certain chemicals and breast cancer. We are exposed to thousands of different chemicals during out lifetime. They are found in the foods we eat and the air we breathe and by direct contact with the skin. Pesticides may offer the largest cancer risk. They have been used extensively for crop and animal protection and in controlling insects that carry diseases. Scientists are concerned for several professional people who are in constant contact with chemicals. This group includes, hairstylists, cosmetologists, lab workers, and workers in pharmaceutical industries. Chemicals can and do increase our risk of developing cancer.

Another myth that is false is the one about positive thinking will prolong your life after breast cancer. No evidence proves that to be the case. It is normal for a person to have feelings of depression, sadness, anger, or fear after their diagnosis. Putting on a happy face may cause you to feel isolation and hinder your ability to cope with your cancer treatment. Positive thinking may be what gets you out of bed in the morning and keep you going through nausea, sickness, and pain. A positive attitude about your cancer is important, but there isn’t any proof that it prolongs your life.