Breast Cancer Today
Breast cancer is not like it was 20 years ago. Because of increasing health awareness, more early detection and advances in treatment technology, the survival rate for breast cancer patients has greatly improved. With roughly 200,000 Americans diagnosed with breast cancer each year, there is new hope for them.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer usually has few symptoms, but women sometimes notice breast problems on their own. The main common signs and symptoms are as follows.
Painless lumps
Change in size or shape
Swelling in the armpits
Change in nipple or discharge of milk
Pain in the breast is also a symptom of breast cancer, but this is not common.
Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare, fast-growing tumor that usually has no visible lumps. However, the skin of the breast becomes thickened and red, resembling an orange peel. The area may usually feel warm and have small bumps, like a rash.
Breast Cancer and Mammograms
The earlier breast cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat. Mammograms can detect a lump before it has grown. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends that women should have a mammogram every year starting at age 40. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening every two years for women ages 50-74, and given the benefits of regular screening, every woman should talk to her own doctor before she turns 50 about which screening is more beneficial to her.
Breast ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
In addition to X-rays, our doctor will recommend a mammogram, which can help us determine whether it is a cyst, a fluid sac or cancer, and MRI is commonly used along with X-rays to screen high-risk women.
Self-examination of the breast
Self-examination of the breast once a month was once recommended by many people, but studies have shown that self-examination of the breast is a very small part of detecting early stage breast cancer and that it is more about understanding the breast and observing its changes. If you really want to check, you must borrow advanced instruments and the experience of your doctor.
What if you find a lump on your own?
First of all, don’t be afraid. Eighty percent of breast lumps are not cancerous and are often harmless cysts or tissue changes that are related to the menstrual cycle. But you should let your doctor know immediately what you have found. If it’s cancer, it’s good to find it early, and if it’s not when it’s diagnosed, you can give up your worries.
Breast Biopsy
The gold standard for determining if a lump is cancer is a biopsy, usually with a small needle aspiration or going over the entire specimen. If it is cancer, then it is important to distinguish what type it is as well, because different types of cancer have different treatment options.
Hormone-sensitive breast cancer
Some types of breast cancer are caused by estrogen or progesterone stimulation. A biopsy can reveal whether the tumor is estrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone (PR positive). About 2/3 of breast cancers are hormone-sensitive. There are also drugs available that block the hormones that drive tumor growth.
This image shows the molecules of the estrogen receptor model.
HER2-positive breast cancer
In 20% of patients, breast cancer cells have many HER2 protein receptors. This type of tumor is called HER2-positive, and it tends to spread more quickly than other forms of breast cancer. It is important to determine if a tumor is HER2-positive because there are specific treatments for this type of cancer.
Stages of Breast Cancer
Once breast cancer is diagnosed, the next step is to determine how large the tumor is and how far the cancer has spread. This process is known as staging. Doctors use stages 0-4 to describe whether the tumor is confined to the breast, has invaded adjacent lymph nodes, or has spread to other organs, such as the lungs. Recognizing the stage and the type of breast cancer will help your health care team develop a treatment strategy.