Breast Cancer Awareness

How does breast cancer start ?

Most breast cancers begin in the inner lining cells of the ducts that carry milk to the nipple (ductal cancers) or Sometimes start in the glands that make breast milk (lobular cancer).

How does breast cancer spread ? 

From a single cancer cell it multiplies and grows bigger and becomes palpable. Once the tumor grows larger it can directly affect the skin over the breast and nipple or invade the chest wall , it can spread along the lymphatics into axillary nodes or through blood into other organs like lungs , bone , liver and brain at a later stages .

What are the causes of breast cancer ? 

Some of the reasons for developing breast cancer are Early menarche, late menopause, Nulliparity, Not breast feeding, age at first child birth after 35 years, up to 10% cancers are hereditary. Most often it is multifactorial than singe risk factor. Up to 50% patients with breast cancer will not have any of these risk factors in which case it is unknown.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer ?

What is self breast examination ? 

Self breast examination should be practiced by all women above 20 years of age every month one week after the completion of menstrual cycle. It makes that particular women know her breast well and helps to identify ant changes in the breast like any lumps or skin changes so that it is addressed at a very early stage.

What is breast conservation surgery ? 

Few decades earlier for any breast cancer during surgery removing the entire breast was the standard treatment offered. At present because of advancement in treatment only the tumor can be removed preserving the breast in most patients with early cancers. 

Common myths about breast cancer 

Breast cancer is always painful and painless breast lumps are not breast cancer.

No breast cancer at early stages will not produce any pain , only in advanced stages will produce pain. 

Breast cancer occurs only in people whose family member has /had cancer or has any risk factors.

No , only 10% breast cancer is hereditary and only 50% of patients with breast cancer will have a identifiable cause and for the others the cause is not known.

Cancer aggravates on doing a biopsy or on surgical removal 

No , biopsy must be done in all tumors unless not possible before starting the treatment to confirm the diagnosis. Surgery still remains the main modality and most effective modality for treating most solid tumors and can be done safely and when combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy gives the best outcome at present.