Early Symptoms of Breast Cancer Development
By: Trevor R Price
Over 90 percent of breast cancer cases are diagnosed during the earlier stages of the disease. Early spotting is beneficial for the patient as it typically means better treatment and a stronger prognosis.
Nonetheless, early diagnosis is only a fraction of the whole medical picture. Other disease characteristics, like hormone receptors and lymph nodes, can aid in prognosis results and help doctors and patients choose the right treatment.
Though breast cancer rates are increasing in North America and the United Kingdom, the fatality rate is falling. This declining death rate is accredited to more women getting mammograms, better evaluation processes, and more potent secondary treatments.
Thus if the majority of diagnosed breast cancer cases are discovered during the preliminary stages, what effect does that have on patients and what are the best treatment courses?
An Overview of the Earlier Symptoms of this Disease
Earlier breast cancer stages are called TNM stages 1, 2 and 3a. This scoring system approximates how far the carcinoma has advanced. It's also based on whether any present tumors are operable.
The majority of early breast cancer cases are cured through either surgery, radiation therapy, systemic therapy or a combination of the three, resulting in a much greater survival rate.
Normal Treatment Reactions
Treatment reaction generally hinges on lymph node engagement, the size and grade of any tumors, the age of the patient, hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptors, and the status or condition of biologic markers like HER2/neu.
Lymph Node Indicators
Lymph nodes are an effective way to predict the effects of breast cancer. Essentially, the more positive lymph nodes that are present, the lower the patient's survival rate and the higher the chances of relapse.
Typically, patients with early stage breast cancer are grouped into either those having negative nodes, 1 to 3 positive ones, 4 to 9, or 10 and higher.
The Size of Tumor
Tumor size is another indicator and can be especially useful for patients with negative lymph nodes. Essentially, if a patient has negative nodes and a tumor that is less than 1cm, the prognosis is very favorable.
The Grade of Tumor
As the grade of the tumor increases, so does the potential relapse rate. However, due to the unreliability of tumor data, most pathologists do not rely on this information for their prognosis.
Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors
The status of hormone receptors in the tumor is another indicator used by doctors when prognosing early stage breast cancer. Typically, patients who experience a receptor-positive cancer have a stronger survival rate than those who do not.
HER2/neu
HER2/neu is what's called a marker - it's a biological element typically present in the body or within the tumor in about 25% of all breast cancer cases. When HER2/neu levels are high, that usually translates to a more aggressive variety of breast cancer and a worse prognosis.
Age of the Patient
Generally, patients who are older (50 and up) have a better prognosis than patients under the age of 35.
For helpful information on various cancers - please visit cancerinfotips.com
Breast Cancer Symptoms Guide
By: Jenni Snook
Breast cancer is probably the most common cancer affecting women. One must recognise this fact, even if the risk to men is minimal. This is very true when it concerns women. In this article, you will be introduced to this type of cancer, as well as the symptoms that are involved when it comes to breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Explained
Breast cancer is essentially a case of unusual growth that happens principally in the breasts of a person. Changes in breast size is perfectly normal and common for women on a monthly basis due to their natural menstrual cycle. When examining your breasts, you may feel a ball or clump in them. It's likely that many of these are not harmful at all, however, there still exists the possibility that some may carry cancer. The danger is that if one of these lumps is actually cancerous, then it could potentially mestastisize to other regions of the body. This means that it can spread. The lymphatic system and the bloodstream are the 2 mediums through which cells from the breasts travel to other regions of the body. There have been cases where the spread has been quite slow, and there have been others where this spread has been pretty fast.
The Symptoms of Cancer in the Breasts
You may have heard medical experts say on various occasions that in the early phases of breast cancer, you may not detect any symptoms at all. You may also be aware that the symptoms become more obvious as the cancer advances. You should be able to detect at least one of the following symptoms if you have cancer:
1. One may begin to feel some pain in the breast as well as some soreness.
2. Discharge from your breasts may be one of the symptoms and this may be clear, slightly yellow or even look like blood.
3. A change in breast size may indicate cancer, but there may also be other changes relating to the texture. Another indication is if a breast is very warm to touch.
4. There could be swelling in the breast, or even in the lymph node that is found under the arm. If you discover this type of situation, it is important to understand that this could be a sign that cancer is developing.
5. Many individuals may begin to experience itching, burning, and even physical ulcerations on the skin of the breasts.
Conclusion
There is not just one type of breast cancer, there are various. Furthermore, there are various physical signs that show that cancer has begun developing. It's very important that you examine your breast correctly and on a regular basis. Once to twice a month is typically appropriate. Keeping an eye out for the symptoms listed in this article could possibly save your life. Hence, you should not hesitate in calling a doctor if any of the above symptoms present themselves.
20 Facts You Need To Know About Breast Cancer
Originally published in Issue 2 2005 icon
...and it's all been covered in icon in the last two years.
1: Mammograms, at best, are 67 per cent accurate. For most women over 40 with dense breast tissue, they are 59 percent accurate.
2: 50 per cent of diagnoses are DCIS - calciferous particles in the ducts. 80 per cent do not lead to cancer. (Try fish oils with vitamin D to reduce the calcium deposits).
3: By contrast thermal imaging is noninvasive and almost 100 per cent accurate. But there are only 4 centres in the UK.
4: Two genes BRCA1 and BRAC2 give a higher risk. About 7 per cent of women have these. You can be tested.
5: Many breast cancers have been linked to oestrogen. Mixed synthetic progesten/oestrogen HRT doubles risk of breast cancer. Synthetic oestrogen HRT increases risk by 27 per cent. Do you want to add more?
6: Smoking and regular alcohol drinking both increase risk. As does being overweight. As does the pill (27 per cent to 144 per cent, depending upon age).
7: Parabens has been found in breast cancer cells in research. Other potentially harmful oestrogen mimics include toluene (nail polishes), phthalates (plasticisers in bottles) and perfumed products like toluene or DEHP in the blood stream.
8: Pesticides such as DDT and Lindane increase breast cancer risk. In Israel the increase was 400 per cent.
9: Having more children, and then breast feeding them for longer than 9 months reduces risk.
10: Lowered blood levels of omega 3, vitamin B-12 and vitamin C have all been found in women with breast cancer.
11: Conversely women with the highest levels of omega 3 do not get breast cancer. Equally, vitamin D has been shown to be highly protective. Try daily fish oils.
12: Research links dairy consumption with increased risk of breast cancer, US studies identify IGF-1 as the culprit.
13: Conversely, phytoestrogens from pulses, such as chickpeas, lentils and soy; have been shown to be highly protective.
14: A new breed of breast cancer drugs, aromatase inhibitors, aims to cut oestrogen levels in patients.
15: Polyphenols, for example in green tea and broccoli, have been shown to be protective. Indole 3 carbinol reduces the levels of oestradiol, the most potent oestrogen.
16: Natural progesterone - but not synthetic - has been shown to have protective properties by balancing excess oestrogen.
17: Natural tocotrienol vitamin E, but not tocopherol vitamin E, helps maintain healthy soft breast tissue. Obtain supplies from the US. It's found in palm oil.
18: Both garlic and selenium have also been shown to confer strong protective benefits.
19: Biopsies have been linked to the spread of breast cancer through seeding. Radiotherapy can reduce up to 20 per cent of lung capacity.
20: if you are pre-menopausal, having an operation in the second two weeks of your cycle, rather than the first two weeks almost doubles long-term survival rates.
(article from canceractive.com)
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