What is Breast Cancer?
Cancer occurs when changes called mutations to take place in genes that regulate cell growth. The mutations let the cells divide and multiply in an uncontrolled way.
Breast cancer is cancer that develops in breast cells. Typically, the cancer forms in either the lobules or the ducts of the breast.
Lobules are the glands that produce milk, and ducts are the pathways that bring the milk from the glands to the nipple. Cancer can also occur in the fatty tissue or the fibrous connective tissue within your breast.
The uncontrolled cancer cells often invade other healthy breast tissue and can travel to the lymph nodes under the arms. Once cancer enters the lymph nodes, it has access to a pathway to move to other parts of the body.
Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer
In its early stages, breast cancer may not cause any symptoms. In many cases, a tumor may be too small to be felt, but an abnormality can still be seen on a mammogram.
If a tumor can be felt, the first sign is usually a new lump in the breast that was not there before. However, not all lumps are cancer.
Each type of breast cancer can cause a variety of symptoms. Many of these symptoms are similar, but some can be different. Symptoms for the most common breast cancers include:
- a breast lump or tissue thickening that feels different from surrounding tissue and is new
- breast pain
- red or discolored, pitted skin on the breast
- swelling in all or part of your breast
- a nipple discharge other than breast milk
- bloody discharge from your nipple
- peeling, scaling, or flaking of skin on your nipple or breast
- a sudden, unexplained change in the shape or size of your breast
- inverted nipple
- changes to the appearance of the skin on your breasts
- a lump or swelling under your arm
If you have any of these symptoms, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have breast cancer. For instance, pain in your breast or a breast lump can be caused by a benign cyst.
Causes Of Breast Cancer
After puberty, a female’s breasts are made up of fat, connective tissue, and thousands of lobules. These are tiny glands that can produce milk. Tiny tubes, or ducts, carry the milk toward the nipple.
Breast cancer develops as a result of genetic mutations or damage to DNA. These can be associated with Trusted Source exposure to estrogen, inherited genetic defects, or inherited genes that can cause cancer, such as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
When a person is healthy, their immune system attacks any abnormal DNA or growths. When a person has cancer, this does not happen.
As a result, cells within breast tissue begin to multiply uncontrollably, and they do not die as usual. This excessive cell growth forms a tumor that deprives surrounding cells of nutrients and energy.
Breast cancer usually starts in the inner lining of the milk ducts or the lobules that supply them with milk. From there, it can spread to other parts of the body.
Diagnosis
A doctor often diagnoses breast cancer as a result of routine screening or when a person reports symptoms. Below, we describe tests and procedures that can help the doctor make and confirm the diagnosis.
Breast exam
This involves checking Trusted Source the breasts for lumps and other possible indications of cancer.
During the examination, the person may need to sit or stand with their arms in different positions, such as above their head or by their sides.
Imaging tests
Several types of scans can help detect breast cancer, including:
Mammogram: This is a type of X-ray that doctors commonly use Trusted Source during initial breast cancer screening. It produces images that can show lumps or abnormalities. If there is any sign of a potential problem, the doctor usually conducts further testing.
Ultrasound: This scan uses sound waves to help a doctor differentiate between a solid mass and a fluid-filled cyst.
MRI: This combines different images of the breast to help a doctor identify cancer or other abnormalities. A doctor may recommend Trusted Source an MRI as a follow-up to a mammogram or ultrasound. Doctors may also use MRIs to screen people with a higher risk of breast cancer.
Biopsy
This involves Trusted Source extracting a sample of tissue and sending it to a laboratory for analysis.
The results show whether the cells are cancerous, and if they are, which type of cancer has developed. The results can even show whether the cancer is hormone-sensitive.
The doctor then stages the cancer to establish:
- the size of a tumor
- how far it has spread
- whether it is invasive
This can provide information about the outlook and the best course of treatment.
Sources: https://www.healthline.com/health/breast-cancer#symptoms, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37136#diagnosis
To be continued next week………