Breast Cancer Information, News and Updates

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, and one of the most common types of cancer in general.  It is estimated that one in seven women that live to age 90 will develop breast cancer.  It is especially prevalent in some families, making the statistics a bit skewed.  If you have a family history of breast cancer, your chances of developing the disease are much greater.  It’s therefore a good idea to stay especially vigilant for breast cancer symptoms.

Breast cancer symptoms don’t often manifest themselves until the cancer is already in its later stages of growth, and may have already metastasized to other more vital areas of the body.  That is why it is so important for women to regularly get checked.  Mammograms may be unpleasant, but late stage breast cancer symptoms are worse.

The most clear and common breast cancer symptom is of course a lump in your breast.  It is important to keep in mind that not all lumps are cancerous.  Most women will develop numerous lumps in their breasts throughout their lives; they are especially common during periods of rapid hormonal changes such as puberty, and menstruation.  Some women will have more lumps than others.

A more severe breast cancer symptom will be pain in your breasts.  A cancer that has grown large enough to impinge on nerves will be a noticeable lump in a self check or mammogram, so hopefully you’ll catch anything before it gets to the point of causing pain.  If one or both of your breasts are in pain, again its important to keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have breast cancer.  During puberty and periods of hormone fluxes, tenderness of the breasts is common.  Also pregnancy, and some medications can cause pain or tenderness in your breasts.

Even though most cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women over 40, women in their teens and twenties are occasionally diagnosed as well.  Most people don’t know that about one percent of the cases are in men.  Starting from puberty, it is a good idea to start checking yourself for lumps.  Remember, during this period you’re likely to find a lot of lumps that are harmless.  With some experience and some consultation with your doctor, you’ll soon get an idea of the kinds of lumps that are normal, and the kinds of lumps that may be breast cancer symptoms.

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The popular hospital drama Grey’s Anatomy has been a supporter of the breast cancer cause through their Warriors in Pink campaign and also through featuring breast cancer on air. The episode that aired on November 13, 2005 titled “Let It Be” was about breast cancer and the BRCA (BReast CAncer gene).

The episode had a patient in her mid-30s who had a positive test result for a BRCA and insisted on having a prophylactic (preventive) surgery to remove her breasts and ovaries, despite her husband’s objections.Testing positive for a BRCA gene mutation, along with a family history of breast cancer, increases a woman’s lifetime chance of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer, from 13 percent to between 36 to 85 percent. However, not all women who inherit an altered gene will develop breast or ovarian cancer and most women do not need to be tested.

Those who test positive for BRCA may consider prophylactic (preventive) mastectomy, which is the surgical removal of one or both breasts to reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 90 percent. This may be an option for a woman whose mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer, especially if they were diagnosed before age 50. This surgery does not, however, offer a guarantee against developing cancer.

There are many issues surrounding prophylactic surgery, including psychological and physical effects due to the change in body image and loss of normal breast function. You should discuss the alternatives to surgery with your doctor.

According to this news story on CNN, the Food and Drug Administration is likely to approve the breast cancer drug Tykerb from GlaxoSmithKline. Tykerb is designed for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who do not respond to Herceptin. Assuming that Tykerb is  approved by the FDA, it would be used in conjunction with Roche’s Xeloda.

Around the world, about 400,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
According to Medical News Today, in a study of 321 women, all with advanced breast cancer who tested positive for HER2, 160 who received Tykerb with Xeloda had no cancer growth for 36.9 weeks. The other 161 women who were on Xeloda alone experienced no cancer growth for just 19.7 weeks.

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.