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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
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NetWellness experts receive many questions about breast cancer. Breast cancer, like all other cancers, forms when the process of cell division goes awry. Normally, cells are constantly dividing and dying ensuring that there is a basic balance between cell death and cell division. Tumor cells do not have the same checks and balances that affect the normal cell cycle.
Non cancerous tumors (benign) are generally not life threatening. This is because they don't usually invade surrounding tissue and spread, are easily removed, and don't tend to grow back after removal. Cancerous tumors (malignant) can be life threatening. This is because they can invade surrounding tissue, have the potential of spreading throughout the body, and though they can be removed they have a risk of to growing back.
After extensive research some factors have been found that may put you at higher risk to develop breast cancer. Some of these risk factors include:
Age: Your risk increases as you get older.
Previous breast cancer: Having a personal history of breast cancer: If you've had cancer in one breast you are more likely to develop it in the other.
Family history: Women with mothers, sisters, or daughters with breast cancer may be more likely to develop it. See this NetWellness original on Inherited Breast Cancer for more information.
Premalignant changes on biopsy: Some women have atypical cells in their breast tissue that may develop into cancer.
Gene changes: Two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, sometimes change and become more likely to become cancerous.
Reproductive history:
- The older a woman is when she has her first child, the greater her chance of breast cancer.
- Women who had their first menstrual period before age 12 are at an increased risk of breast cancer.
- Women who went through menopause after age 55 are at an increased risk of breast cancer.
- Women who never had children are at an increased risk of breast cancer.
Hormone therapy: Women who take menopausal hormone therapy with estrogen plus progestin after menopause also appear to have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Radiation therapy to the chest: Women who have been treated for other illnesses by this method are more likely to develop breast cancer. This risk goes up the younger they were when they received this treatment.
Breast density: Denser breast tissue in older women may indicate increased susceptibility.
Taking DES (diethylstilbestrol): Women who took DES during pregnancy may be at higher risk to develop breast cancer (DES was prescribed between 1940 and 1971 but discontinued after adverse effects were discovered.)
Poor lifestyle habits:
- Being overweight or obese after menopause appears to increase your risk of developing breast cancer.
- Lack of physical activity also appears to increase your risk
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking tobacco
Knowing your own personal risk factors is only part of staying healthy. Listed below are some guidelines to help you know when it's time to be checked and how to check for the possibility of breast cancer.
The National Cancer Institute makes the following recommendations for regular screenings:
The following screening techniques help in early detection of breast cancer and improve chances of survival significantly.
Breast Self Exam - Performing regular breast self exams will ensure that you are familiar with your normal fluctuation in breast consistency. This interactive feature developed by the Minority Health Initiative provides training on how to perform a breast self exam.
Clinical Breast Exams - This is a touch test similar to the breast self exam, but is performed by your health care provider.
Mammograms - This is a diagnostic tool in which x-rays are taken of your breast to reveal abnormal tissues.
If a mammogram reveals something abnormal further tests may be required. If they confirm that breast cancer has developed there are many different treatment options now available. There are two main types of treatment:
Local therapy: Surgery and radiation therapy are local treatments. They remove or destroy cancer in the breast. When breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body, local therapy may be used to control the disease in those specific areas.
Systemic therapy: Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biological therapy are systemic treatments. They enter the bloodstream and destroy or control cancer throughout the body. Some women with breast cancer have systemic therapy to shrink the tumor before surgery or radiation. Others have systemic therapy after surgery and/or radiation to prevent the cancer from coming back. Systemic treatments also are used for cancer that has spread.
Breast cancer is a serious disease but it is treatable if caught early on. The NetWellness features listed below contain information regarding general breast health.
This article is a NetWellness exclusive. 
Last Reviewed: Nov 07, 2006
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Jennifer B Manders, MD Formerly: Division of Surgical Oncology Department of Surgery College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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Please note: only your personal physician or other health professional you consult can best advise you on matters of your health based on your medical history, your family medical history, your medication history, and how information from any of these databases may apply to you. Neither University of Cincinnati (NetWellness) nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering this web site shall be liable for any damages arising out of access to or use of this web site, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. (More) 
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