Basic information about breast cancer

As soon as you the phrase ‘breast cancer’; the picture of a woman takes shape in your mind. This disease is not confined to females.  Though rare, males can also contract this type of cancer.  Cancer that starts in tissues of the breast in males and females is commonly known as breast cancer which is the second most common cancer type in the world.

The first sign of breast cancer is a lump or a mass in the underarm or breast area that feels different to the touch. Apart from that, signs of enlargement of the breast or part of it, change in the form and size of the breast, skin inflammation or dimpling, turning inward of the nipple and flow of fluid other than milk from the breast.  It is advantageous to be in the know about these symptoms so that you can detect cancer in advance.

At the first sign of breast cancer, the prudent thing to do is to consult a doctor.  Your doctor will feel your breasts for lumps or any suspect growth.  Benign lumps are different to the touch from the cancerous lumps.  If the doctor suspects it to be cancer, he will clear any doubts he has with the aid of an xray mammography, an ultrasound scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or a biopsy.  Provided that you are tested positive, he will order more lab tests so that they will assist him in learning more about your disease and its course of therapy.

There are several treatment methods as regards breast cancer.  Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy are such treatments.  Out of these, surgery and radiation are local therapies.  The others are systemic therapies.  Local therapies get rid of or kill the cancer in the breast where as systemic treatments go into the blood circulation and check or kill the cancer.

There are many risk factors associated with breast cancer.  The risk factor is high if you are a woman as the breast cells are always exposed to hormones such as progesterone and estrogen.  The risks also increase with age.  Since breast cancer is hereditary, the chances of your getting it are higher if someone of your family has had it before than in families where no one has ever been  afflicted with it.

In the world today, breast cancer is said to be the 5th most widespread cause of cancer-related deaths.  You can imagine the seriousness of the problem.  However, it’s comforting to know that billions of dollars are spent yearly on research work to find out the causes and treatments of it.

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