Breast cancer is a cancer that begins in the cells of the breast.

Definition

After skin cancer, breast cancer is often the most prevalent cancer among women in the United States is. Breast cancer can occur in men and women, but women are common.Funding important breast cancer research, support and awareness and improve the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer treatment in progress. Breast cancer survival rates for early detection of such a new personalized approach to treatment and a better understanding of this disease as a number of factors, is due in large part to the sharp fall has been an increase in the number of deaths.Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

    Different from the surrounding tissue lump or thickening in the breast
    Bloody discharge from the nipple
    Size, shape or appearance of the breast Change
    Breast, dimpling of the skin changes
    A newly inverted nipple
    Flaking or breast nipple (areola) or peeling of the skin around the pigmented area of the skin, peeling
    Like orange skin redness or induction of skin on his chest,When to see a doctorDespite the fact that last mammogram was normal - - you find a lump or other changes in the breast an appointment with a doctor to conduct a rapid assessment.

Cause

It is not known what causes breast cancer.Doctors in some breast cells begin to grow abnormally know that when breast cancer. These cells quickly than healthy cells divide and continue to build larger, and the formation of a lump or tumor. Cells in the lymph nodes or other parts of the body through breast (metastasize) can spread.Breast cancer often (invasive ductal cancer) by using cells from the milk ducts that produce begins. Breast cancer in the breast tissue, glands called lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or other cells or tissue can start.Researchers hormonal, lifestyle and environmental factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer identified. Cancer, risk factors for infection, but some people who have other risk factors, but they never do that he does not know why. The breast cancer is a complex interaction between genetic and environmental causes that are expected.Hereditary breast cancerDoctors only 5-10 percent of breast cancer in the family through the generations is linked to genetic changes that are expected.This may increase the risk of breast cancer that is inherited gene mutations were identified. The most common significantly increases the risk of breast cancer or ovarian cancer, the breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2) are.You have breast cancer or a family history of other types of cancer, your doctor or other BRCA genes passed through his family that help identify specific mutations may recommend a blood test.Your family's health history can see a genetic counselor to refer Remember to ask your doctor. Genetic counselor with you benefits, risks and limitations of genetic testing and appropriate genetic testing to discuss who can guide you through.
Risk factor:

This is a risk factor for breast cancer is more likely to get breast cancer does not. But for breast cancer, or even several risk factors does not necessarily mean you will get breast cancer. Many women with breast cancer are women, simply because no known risk factors other than.Are associated with increased breast cancer risk factors that include:

Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:

Being female. Women are much more likely than men are to develop breast cancer.
Increasing age. Your risk of breast cancer increases as you age.
A personal history of breast cancer. If you've had breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast.
A family history of breast cancer. If your mother, sister or daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, particularly at a young age, your risk of breast cancer is increased. Still, the majority of people diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.
Inherited genes that increase cancer risk. Certain gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children. The most common gene mutations are referred to as BRCA1 and BRCA2. These genes can greatly increase your risk of breast cancer and other cancers, but they don't make cancer inevitable.
Radiation exposure. If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young adult, your risk of breast cancer is increased.
Obesity. Being obese increases your risk of breast cancer.
Beginning your period at a younger age. Beginning your period before age 12 increases your risk of breast cancer.
Beginning menopause at an older age. If you began menopause at an older age, you're more likely to develop breast cancer.
Having your first child at an older age. Women who give birth to their first child after age 35 may have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Having never been pregnant. Women who have never been pregnant have a greater risk of breast cancer than do women who have had one or more pregnancies.
Postmenopausal hormone therapy. Women who take hormone therapy medications that combine estrogen and progesterone to treat the signs and symptoms of menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer decreases when women stop taking these medications.
Drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer

Preparing for your appointment

Consulting with your health care team

Women with breast cancer may have appointments with their primary care doctors as well as several other doctors and other health professionals, including:

Breast health specialists
Breast surgeons
Doctors who specialize in diagnostic tests, such as mammograms (radiologists)
Doctors who specialize in treating cancer (oncologists)
Doctors who treat cancer with radiation (radiation oncologists)
Genetic counselors
Plastic surgeons

What you can do to prepare

Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
Write down your family history of cancer. Note any family members who have had cancer, including how each member is related to you, the type of cancer, the age at diagnosis and whether each person survived.
Make a list of all medications, vitamins or supplements that you're taking.
Keep all of your records that relate to your cancer diagnosis and treatment. Organize your records in a binder or folder that you can take to your appointments.
Consider taking a family member or friend along. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
Write down questions to ask your doctor.

Questions to ask your doctor

Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions will help make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For breast cancer, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:

What type of breast cancer do I have?
What is the stage of my cancer?
Can you explain my pathology report to me? Can I have a copy for my records?
Do I need any more tests?
What treatment options are available for me?
What are the benefits from each treatment you recommend?
What are the side effects of each treatment option?
Will treatment cause menopause?
How will each treatment affect my daily life? Can I continue working?
Is there one treatment you recommend over the others?
How do you know that these treatments will benefit me?
What would you recommend to a friend or family member in my situation?
How quickly do I need to make a decision about cancer treatment?
What happens if I don't want cancer treatment?
What will cancer treatment cost?
Does my insurance plan cover the tests and treatment you're recommending?
Should I seek a second opinion? Will my insurance cover it?
Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites or books do you recommend?
Are there any clinical trials or newer treatments that I should consider?

In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask additional questions that may occur to you during your appointment.

What to expect from your doctor

Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may allow time later to cover other points you want to address. Your doctor may ask:

When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
How severe are your symptoms?
What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?

Tests and diagnosis

Tests and procedures used to diagnose breast cancer include:

Breast exam. Your doctor will check both of your breasts and lymph nodes in the armpit, feeling for any lumps or other abnormalities.
Mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are commonly used to screen for breast cancer. If an abnormality is detected on a screening mammogram, your doctor may recommend a diagnostic mammogram to further evaluate that abnormality.
Breast ultrasound. Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of structures deep within the body. Ultrasound may help distinguish between a solid mass and a fluid-filled cyst. An ultrasound is often obtained as part of the examination of a new lump.
Removing a sample of breast cells for testing (biopsy). Biopsy samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis where experts determine whether the cells are cancerous. A biopsy sample is also analyzed to determine the type of cells involved in the breast cancer, the aggressiveness (grade) of the cancer, and whether the cancer cells have hormone receptors or other receptors that may influence your treatment options.
Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI machine uses a magnet and radio waves to create pictures of the interior of your breast. Before a breast MRI, you receive an injection of dye.

Other tests and procedures may be used depending on your situation.

Staging breast cancer

Once your doctor has diagnosed your breast cancer, he or she works to establish the extent (stage) of your cancer. Your cancer's stage helps determine your prognosis and the best treatment options.
Complete information about your cancer's stage may not be available until after you undergo breast cancer surgery.
Tests and procedures used to stage breast cancer may include:

Blood tests, such as a complete blood count
Mammogram of the other breast to look for signs of cancer
Breast MRI
Bone scan
Computerized tomography (CT) scan
Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

Not all women will need all of these tests and procedures. Your doctor selects the appropriate tests based on your specific circumstances and taking into account new symptoms you may be experiencing.
Breast cancer stages range from 0 to IV with 0 indicating cancer that is noninvasive or contained within the milk ducts. Stage IV breast cancer, also called metastatic breast cancer, indicates cancer that has spread to other areas of the body.

Treatments and drugs

Breast cancer, breast cancer, stage, grade, size, depending on the type, and the cancer cells are sensitive to hormones, determines whether the doctor for treatment options. The doctor also see your general health and your preferences.Most women undergo surgery for breast cancer, as well as chemotherapy and hormonal therapy or radiation such as, before or after surgery to receive additional treatment.Making decisions about your treatment and more complex as there are many options for the treatment of breast cancer, you may feel overwhelmed. Breast center or clinic sought a second opinion from an expert consider. Have faced the same decision, which comes from other women.

Never a breast cancer in the other breast in most women with breast cancer. Along with the benefits and risks of the procedure, your doctor will discuss the breast cancer risk.Complications of breast cancer surgery depend on the procedure you choose. Surgery to take the risk of bleeding and infection.Some women opt for breast reconstruction after surgery. Discuss your options with your surgeon and preferences.Referral to a plastic surgeon prior to breast cancer surgery consider. You reconstruction with breast implants before you include options (silicone or filled with water) or you can re-use your own tissue. During or after the breast can perform these operations.radiation therapyRadiation therapy to kill cancer cells, such as X-ray high-powered beams of energy, uses. This is usually your body (radiation) that the beam energy is radiation therapy using a large machine. But also body irradiation (brachytherapy) can be done by placing radioactive material inside.This is usually after a lumpectomy for early stage breast cancer radiation is used. Physicians also have spread to lymph nodes or cancer for more than that for breast cancer after mastectomy may recommend radiation therapy to the chest wall.Side effects of radiation therapy include fatigue and anxiety radiation is aimed, where the sun burns red looks like. In breast tissue may appear swollen or more firm. Rarely, more serious problems such as heart or lung in the treated area, or very rarely, damage to other cancers as can be.ChemotherapyChemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cells. Cancer return or spread to other parts of the body is a high risk, then your doctor to reduce the possibility that the cancer will recur, chemotherapy is recommended. The subsidiary is known as systemic chemotherapy.Sometimes chemotherapy before surgery in women with larger breast tumors are. With the goal of surgery is far easier to shrink the size of the tumor.It also can spread to other parts of the body with cancer, which uses chemotherapy in women. Chemotherapy and control of the causes of cancer in an attempt to reduce any symptoms that may be recommended.Side effects of chemotherapy depend on the drugs you get. Common side effects are hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and increased risk of developing the disease. Rare side effects of blood cells early menopause and infertility (if pre-menopausal), and heart and kidney damage, nerve damage, and very rarely can include cancer.Hormone TherapyHormone Therapy Cancer - - perhaps more correctly called blocking hormone therapy are often sensitive to the hormone that is used to treat breast. Doctors sometimes hormones estrogen receptor positive (ER positive) and progesterone receptor positive (PR positive) refer to these cancers as cancer.Hormone therapy to reduce the chance of their cancer returning after surgery or other treatments may be used. The cancer has already spread, hormone therapy may shrink and control it.

Treatments that can be used in hormone therapy include:

Medications that block hormones from attaching to cancer cells. Selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) medications act by blocking estrogen from attaching to the estrogen receptor on the cancer cells, slowing the growth of tumors and killing tumor cells.
SERMs include tamoxifen, raloxifene (Evista) and toremifene (Fareston).
Possible side effects include hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. More-significant risks include blood clots, stroke, uterine cancer and cataracts.
Medications that stop the body from making estrogen after menopause. Called aromatase inhibitors, these drugs block the action of an enzyme that converts androgens in the body into estrogen. These drugs are effective only in postmenopausal women.
Aromatase inhibitors include anastrozole (Arimidex), letrozole (Femara) and exemestane (Aromasin).
Side effects include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, joint and muscle pain, as well as an increased risk of bone thinning (osteoporosis).
A drug that targets estrogen receptors for destruction. The drug fulvestrant (Faslodex) blocks estrogen receptors on cancer cells and signals to the cell to destroy the receptors. Fulvestrant is used in postmenopausal women. Side effects that may occur include nausea, hot flashes and joint pain.
Surgery or medications to stop hormone production in the ovaries. In premenopausal women, surgery to remove the ovaries or medications to stop the ovaries from making estrogen can be an effective hormonal treatment.

Targeted drugs

Targeted drug treatments attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targeted drugs used to treat breast cancer include:

Trastuzumab (Herceptin). Some breast cancers make excessive amounts of a protein called human growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which helps breast cancer cells grow and survive. If your breast cancer cells make too much HER2, trastuzumab may help block that protein and cause the cancer cells to die. Side effects may include headaches, diarrhea and heart problems.
Pertuzumab (Perjeta). Pertuzumab targets HER2 and is approved for use in metastatic breast cancer in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy. This combination of treatments is reserved for women who haven't yet received other drug treatments for their cancer. Side effects of pertuzumab may include diarrhea, hair loss and heart problems.
Ado-trastuzumab (Kadcyla). This drug combines trastuzumab with a cell-killing drug. When the combination drug enters the body, the trastuzumab helps it find the cancer cells because it is attracted to HER2. The cell-killing drug is then released into the cancer cells. Ado-trastuzumab may be an option for women with metastatic breast cancer who've already tried trastuzumab and chemotherapy.
Lapatinib (Tykerb). Lapatinib targets HER2 and is approved for use in advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Lapatinib can be used in combination with chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Potential side effects include diarrhea, painful hands and feet, nausea, and heart problems.
Bevacizumab (Avastin). Bevacizumab is no longer approved for the treatment of breast cancer in the United States. Research suggests that although this medication may help slow the growth of breast cancer, it doesn't appear to increase survival times.

Alternative medicine

Alternative medicine therapies for the treatment of breast cancer was found. But treatments are complementary and alternative therapies when combined with care physician can help you cope with the side effects of treatment.Alternative therapy for fatigueThe experience can last for years, and after treatment during which many survivors of breast cancer fatigue. Combined with the doctor's care, complementary and alternative medicine treatments may help relieve fatigue.

Talk with your doctor about:

Gentle exercise. If you get the OK from your doctor, start with gentle exercise a few times a week and add more if you feel up to it. Consider walking, swimming, yoga or tai chi.
Managing stress. Take control of the stress in your daily life. Try stress-reduction techniques such as muscle relaxation, visualization, and spending time with friends and family.
Expressing your feelings. Find an activity that allows you to write about or discuss your emotions, such as writing in a journal, participating in a support group or talking to a counselor.

Prevention

Breast cancer risk reduction for women with an average risk

Making changes in your daily life may help reduce your risk of breast cancer. Try to:

Ask your doctor about breast cancer screening. Discuss with your doctor when to begin breast cancer screening exams and tests, such as clinical breast exams and mammograms.
Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of screening. Together, you can decide what breast cancer screening strategies are right for you.
Become familiar with your breasts through breast self-exam for breast awareness. Women may choose to become familiar with their breasts by occasionally inspecting their breasts during a breast self-exam for breast awareness. If there is a new change, lumps or other unusual signs in your breasts, talk to your doctor promptly.
Breast awareness can't prevent breast cancer, but it may help you to better understand the normal changes that your breasts undergo and identify any unusual signs and symptoms.
Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink to less than one drink a day, if you choose to drink.
Exercise most days of the week. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. If you haven't been active lately, ask your doctor whether it's OK and start slowly.
Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy. Combination hormone therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer. Talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of hormone therapy.
Some women experience bothersome signs and symptoms during menopause and, for these women, the increased risk of breast cancer may be acceptable in order to relieve menopause signs and symptoms.
To reduce the risk of breast cancer, use the lowest dose of hormone therapy possible for the shortest amount of time.
Maintain a healthy weight. If your weight is healthy, work to maintain that weight. If you need to lose weight, ask your doctor about healthy strategies to accomplish this. Reduce the number of calories you eat each day and slowly increase the amount of exercise.
Choose a healthy diet. Women who eat a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil and mixed nuts may have a reduced risk of breast cancer. The Mediterranean diet focuses mostly on plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. People who follow the Mediterranean diet choose healthy fats, like olive oil, over butter and fish instead of red meat.

Breast cancer risk reduction for women with a high risk

If your doctor has assessed your family history and other factors and determined that you may have an increased risk of breast cancer, options to reduce your risk include:

Preventive medications (chemoprevention). Estrogen-blocking medications may help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Options include tamoxifen and raloxifene (Evista). Aromatase inhibitors have shown some promise in reducing the risk of breast cancer in women with a high risk.
These medications carry a risk of side effects, so doctors reserve these medications for women who have a very high risk of breast cancer. Discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor.
Preventive surgery. Women with a very high risk of breast cancer may choose to have their healthy breasts surgically removed (prophylactic mastectomy). They may also choose to have their healthy ovaries removed (prophylactic oophorectomy) to reduce the risk of both breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

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