CANCER

What Is Cancer?
What Is Breast Cancer?
Mammogram
Self Breast Exam (BSE)
How Do I Perform My Self Breast Exam?
What Are The Risk Factors Of Breast Cancer?
What Treatment Is Available For Breast Cancer?
How Can I Get More Information About Breast Cancer?

WHAT IS CANCER?

• Cancer is a general term for more than 100 diseases in which malignant cells develop.
• Some exist quietly within the body for years without causing a problem.
• Others are aggressive, rapidly forming tumors that may invade and destroy nearby tissue and travel through the lymph system or bloodstream to other areas of the body.

WHAT IS BREAST CANCER?

• Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has developed from cells of the breast.
• The disease occurs mostly in women, but does occur rarely in men.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, excluding skin cancers.
• The American Cancer Society estimates that an estimated 1,600 cases will be diagnosed among men.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, second only to lung cancer.
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women aged 40 to 55.
• Women aged 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year.
• Between the ages of 20 and 39, women should have a clinical breast examination by a health professional every 3 years.
• After age 40, women should have a breast exam by a health professional every year.
• Women aged 20 or older should perform a breast self-examination (BSE) every month.
• By doing your exam regularly, you get to know how your breasts normally feel and you can more easily detect any change.
• If a change occurs, such as a:
  • lump or swelling
  • skin irritation
  • dimpling
  • nipple pain
  • retraction (turning inward)
  • redness
  • scaliness of the nipple or breast skin
  • fluid other than breast milk

  You should see your doctor for evaluation if you have any of these symptoms.

  However, remember that most of the time, these breast changes are not cancer.

Mammogram

A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. Mammography is used to diagnose breast disease in women who have symptoms such as the changes listed above. Screening mammography is used to look for breast disease in women who are without symptoms , that is, they seem to have no breast problems.

Breast self-examination (BSE)

By regularly examining her own breasts, a woman is likely to notice any changes that occur. The best time for breast self examination (BSE) is about a week after your period ends, when your breasts are not tender or swollen. If you are not having regular periods, do BSE on the same day every month.

HOW DO I PERFORM MY SELF BREAST EXAM

1. Lie down with a pillow under your right shoulder and place your right arm behind your head.
2. Use the finger pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast.
3. Press firmly enough to know how your breast feels. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal. If you're not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse.
4. Move around the breast in a circular, up and down line, or wedge pattern. Be sure to do it the same way every time, check the entire breast area, and be sure to remember how your breast feels from month to month.
5. Repeat the exam on your left breast, using the finger pads of the right hand. (Move the pillow to under your left shoulder.)
6. If you find any changes, see your doctor right away.
7. Repeat the examination of both breasts while standing, with your one arm behind your head. The upright position makes it easier to check the upper and outer part of the breasts (toward your armpit).This is where about half of breast cancers are found. You may want to do the standing part of the BSE while you are in the shower. Some breast changes can be felt more easily when your skin is wet and soapy.

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR BREAST CANCER?

A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of getting a disease. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, unprotected exposure to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx, bladder, kidney, and several other organs. But having a risk factor, or even several, does not necessarily mean that a person will get the disease. Some women with one or more breast cancer risk factors never develop the disease, while most women with breast cancer have none of the risk factors. Even when a person has a risk factor, there is no way to prove that it actually caused her cancer.

Risk factors that cannot be changed:

Gender: For breast cancer, simply being a woman is the main risk factor. Breast cancer can affect men, but this disease is about 100 times more common among women than men.

Aging: A woman's risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. About 77% of women with breast cancer are over age 50 at the time of diagnosis. Women aged 20-29 account for only 0.3% of breast cancer cases.

Genetic risk factors: Recent studies have shown that 5% to 10% of breastcancer cases are hereditary and result from mutations or changes.

WHAT TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE FOR BREAST CANCER?

( You must see your physician for medical care )

• Local Therapy - Surgery and radiation therapy are examples of local therapies.
• Systemic Therapy is given through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells that may have spread beyond the breast. Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy are systemic therapies.

Chemotherapy is treatment with anticancer drugs that may be given intravenously (injected into a vein), or by mouth. The drugs travel throughout the body in the bloodstream. A combination of anticancer drugs is generally used because that has proven more effective than a single drug.

HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BREAST CANCER?

REFERENCE SOURCE:

www.cancer.org
www.nci.nih.gov
The American Cancer Society - 1 800 ACS-2345
National Cancer Institute Cancer Information Service  1-800- 4CANCER