WOMEN'S HEALTH - focus on breast cancer!

Breast Cancer - What is it?

The breasts are found on the chest over the muscles covering the ribs. They are glandular organs that are made of lobules which are connected via ducts to the nipple. Besides the lobules the breast is made up of fat tissue. Another part of the breasts are the lymph nodes and lymph vessels which act as gate keeper warding off bacteria and other substances from entering into the breast tissues. Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast turn cancerous. Both men and women can get breast cancer.

What are Cancerous Cells:

When normal cells are injured or worn out they are replaced by new cells. The new cells come about by cell division which is a highly regulated process. If anything goes wrong through the process the cells become cancerous. The cancerous cells or cancer cells grow without any control; growing into tumours or lumps. Sometimes the cells spread to other parts of body and continue to grow there.

Types of Breast Cancer:

The most common type of breast cancer occurs in the ducts and is referred to as ductile cancer. There are other types of breast cancer such as lobular cancer (develops in the lobules), medullary cancer and mucinous carcinoma. Sometimes the cell changes can be caught early enough and are called in situ changes, but when the cell changes spread to neighbouring tissues they are referred to as infiltrating cancers. Metastasis cancers are the group of the most serious cancers. These are the cancers that have spread from their original site to other tissues. Breast cancer normally metastasizes in the lymph nodes, brain, bones or liver.

What Causes Breast Cancer:

There are some risks associated with developing breast cancer; women for example are more prone to breast cancer than men and the risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. There are also the associated genetic risk factors for breast cancer; scientists are working hard to pin point the specific genes. Hormonal changes associated with menopause, the onset of an individual's menstrual cycle or child birth history also have a bearing on an individual's risk to developing breast cancer. Other factors such as breast disease, environmental factors and lifestyle and diet are also implicated in increasing the risk to breast cancer.

How Breast Cancer is Treated:

First the oncologist stages the breast cancer. This is based on the size, location and what the cancer is doing; metastasized, invasive or non invasive. The stages range from 0, the most favourable to stage IV the least favourable. However, most breast cancer is treated by the surgical removal of the cancer. After the surgery and depending on the cancer staging level there are other treatment options such as radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy.

With all the medical advances in screening and diagnosis, breast cancer is treatable. If a person has a higher risk of breast cancer, it is important to screen for the cancer often. This allows for the cancer to be detected early which in turn increases the success of the associated treatment strategies.