Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. There are more than 55,000 new cases in the UK every year and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the United States, it affects 266,000 people each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a milk duct, or lobe, in one of the breasts.
If the breast cancer has spread into the surrounding tissue, it is said to be “invasive”. Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” in which no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobe.
Most cases occur in people over 50, although younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.
Staging provides information about how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancer cells are graded from “low” (slow growth) to “high” (fast growth). High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after the first treatment.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumor arises from an abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. Something is thought to damage or alter certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to become abnormal and multiply “out of control”.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the risk, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are non-cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts that are benign.
The first place breast cancer usually spreads is the lymph nodes in the armpit. In this case, a swelling or lump occurs in the armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of breast tissue that may indicate the possibility of tumors.
- Biopsy: A biopsy involves taking a small sample of tissue from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you may need further tests to see if the cancer has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest x-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone treatment. A combination of two or more of these treatments is often used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast, depending on the size of the tumor.
- Radiation therapy: A treatment that focuses high-energy rays on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used as a supplement to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment for cancer using anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells or prevent them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are influenced by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower levels of these hormones or prevent them from working are often used in breast cancer patients.
How successful is the treatment?
The best prospects are those who are diagnosed when the cancer is small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage can then offer good chances of recovery.
Routine mammography, offered to women between the ages of 50 and 70, means more breast cancers are diagnosed and treated early.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call the free hotline on 0808 800 6000