7 symptoms tells you that you should conduct breast cancer screening

That breast cancer among the diseases that scientists did not put their hands on the main cause of him, Although breast cancer affects a woman among 8 women at least, and scientists agreed on early detection is a key factor for the cure of breast cancer.

We got to know the reasons by President campaign rosy eastern in Saudi Arabia, which is also head of the radiology department at King Fahd University news, "Dr. Fatima Al-Melhem," which identified more than seven reasons affecting women to make them more susceptible to breast cancer, stressing the need for early examination for the woman if applicable by one reason or more:

1 - Precocious puberty: 
especially in hot countries which often girls are grow up at young age

2 - Menopause at a late age:
 the first and second reason are linked to each other, which exposure women to the "estrogen" hormone, The higher duration, the more chance of infection.

3 - Aging.

 4 - Obesity: 
it is because of obesity related to an increase of the hormone estrogen, which makes it a direct relation infecting women with breast cancer.

5 - Food:
 Whenever eating healthy and sound we were in the right direction towards the prevention of many diseases, it is important to stay away from meat and orientation to eat healthy vegetables and fruits.

6 - Genetics:
 If there are first-class relatives of the women suffered cancer, She will be more susceptible to infection.

7 - Finally: 
lack of exercise, and addiction to smoking, and alcohol.

also read:

Breast Cancer – Be Aware and Beware

Carcinoma Of The Breast (Breast Cancer)
Angelina Jolie's Double Mastectomy: Q&A

I wish health for all women and for myself,

and I wish a speedy healing to all patients

Angelina Jolie's Double Mastectomy: Q&A

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News

May 14, 2013 -- Actress and activist Angelina Jolie's recent decision to have a preventive double 

mastectomy highlights the difficult choices facing women who find out they have a high risk for breast cancer because of their genes.

Although relatively rare, mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes raise the risk of breast cancer by as much as 80%, experts say. The mutations also raise the risk of ovarian cancer.

Jolie describes in a New York Times op-ed piece why she decided to go through with the surgery. At 37, the mother of six wants to stay healthy and active for her family -- and to reassure them that she is doing everything possible to avoid the disease that took her mother's life: cancer.

"I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy," Jolie writes. "But it is one that I am very happy I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don't need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

WebMD asked breast surgeon Shelley Hwang, MD, chief of breast surgery and professor of surgery at Duke University Medical Center and Duke Cancer Institute, to fill us in on what else women need to know. Hwang did not treat Jolie.

Why do women undergo a preventive double mastectomy?

In Angelina Jolie's case, she had a mutation that puts her at very high risk for getting breast cancer at some point in her life. Right now the most effective prevention that we have for [this] BRCA mutation carrier is a prophylactic double mastectomy.

It is always a double mastectomy because both breasts are at risk and you don't know which breast is going to get breast cancer when women have a BRCA mutation.

How many women have the BRCA mutation?

Only about 5% of all breast cancers are in women who have this genetic mutation.

Is the breast cancer linked with this mutation more aggressive than others?

Yes, BRCA mutations are associated with a more aggressive breast cancer that is known as "triple 

negative."

Do some experts think that performing a double mastectomy is too radical for those who test positive for BRCA mutations?

I think most breast cancer experts would agree that the choice is really the patient's to make, and I really want to emphasize, it is a choice.

Preventive mastectomy is one very excellent choice. But another choice women can consider when they know they carry a BRCA mutation is early detection. And that comes with more active screening.

What would that involve?

If a woman knows she has a BRCA mutation and does not want to have a mastectomy, a good alternative is to have a mammogram and a breast MRIevery year.

You can do both at once or choose to alternate. [For my patients] I choose to alternate, doing one test every 6 months.

It's not as effective because by definition you are picking up cancer as it develops. But it is effective at picking up cancer at a very early stage.

If a woman has a preventive double mastectomy, what are the benefits and risks?

In women at higher risk -- those with BRCA mutations -- preventive surgery can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 90%. If the [increased] risk is 80% as it is for many BRCA carriers, this can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 90%.

In other words, this can reduce the risk to that lower than the general population. The risks [of the mastectomy] are not that great. Most women having preventive mastectomies are younger patients, and many choose to get reconstruction. A lot of the risk has to do with the implants, like implant complications, or other risks [linked with surgery] such as infections or bleeding.

Who should consider BRCA testing?

The women who should absolutely consider it are those who themselves have had a triple-negative breast cancer, the kind associated with BRCA mutations, at an early age, under 45, people who have had both ovarian and breast cancer in family members, and people who have breast cancer in the family and are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

What is involved in testing for BRCA mutations?

It is a simple blood test, or they can swab the inside of your cheek. The best way to get this test is to go for counseling from a genetic counselor. Have them talk to you about the possibility of testing positive. Women really need to be counseled about what this means, what the results mean, what their risk is, and then to make the decision about whether to get the test.

If you only get tested for the three most common mutations, results take about 2 weeks. The more comprehensive test, where they do gene sequencing, can take a month.

What is the cost and who pays?

The cost is about $3,000. The cost of testing is covered by many insurance companies [if you are deemed high risk].

SOURCES: Shelley Hwang, MD, chief of breast surgery and professor of surgery, Duke Cancer Institute and Duke University Medical Center.National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet: "Preventive Mastectomy."New York Times: "My Medical Choice," May 14, 2013.cancer.gov.

©2013 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

via: medicinenet

also read:

Breast Cancer – Be Aware and Beware

Carcinoma Of The Breast (Breast Cancer)
7 symptoms tells you that you should conduct breast cancer screening

I wish health for all women and for myself,

and I wish a speedy healing to all patients

Breast Cancer – Be Aware and Beware

With rapid industrialization and urbanization, the incidence of breast cancer is rising fast among Indian women. Proper awareness and proper treatment under proper guidance can help millions to reduce the brunt of this menace.Breast Cancer is the commonest cancer among urban women inIndia. As per National Cancer Registry, over 1 lakh women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. 60% of these diagnoses present at an advanced stage with less than 15% chance of survival. If these women have been diagnosed early, their survival chances can be more than 90%.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) places incidence of the disease at 30 to 33 per 100,000 women in urbanIndia. The number of new  breast cancer cases inIndiais about 100,000 women each year and ICMR predicts there will be approximately 250,000 new cases of breast cancer inIndiaby 2015. It is reported that one in 22 women inIndiais likely to suffer from breast cancer during her lifetime, while the figure is definitely more inAmericawith one in eight being a victim of this deadly cancer.

The cure rate of breast cancer if detected early is 97 percent but, unfortunately, less than 10 percent of all the 100,000 new breast cancers diagnosed in India every year fall into this category. In India, breast cancer presents a decade earlier affecting younger women between 30 and 40 years. Unlike in the West where typically women after 50 years get early stage disease, breast cancer in Indian women occurs at a younger age and is usually presented and diagnosed at a later stage due to low awareness on breast screeningand self- examination.

There is no known single specific cause for the illness. Urbanization has bought its own share of grief with pollution in water, air, food etc. Pesticides in vegetables and other food items are known carcinogens which are creating havoc. In a W.H.O report it was stated the Indians consume pesticides 40 times higher than permissible levels in their food.

Causes like heredity, genetic mutations, environmental toxins, certain physical and chemical hazards, consumption of genetically modified food products, life style factors like stress, smoking, alcohol, eating junk food, obesity and lack of exercise are attributed to breast cancer.

Symptoms:
The main symptoms which one should look out for are a lump in the breast or armpit, discharge from the nipples, nipple or skin retraction, thickening, ulceration and redness of skin.

Diagnosis:

Proper clinical examination by a cancer specialist is the first step. MAMMOGRAPHY is the most reliable and cheapest diagnostic and screening tool for the breast cancer detection. One should get a mammogram done once every two years after 40 years of age. This should be done once a year after age 50. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and biopsy are done in the case of a suspicious or positive mammography screening to confirm the disease. Further tests to assess the disease spread - metastatic workup - are conducted once the cancer diagnosis is confirmed. Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations can help determine one's chance of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer, if there is strong family history.

via:
http://www.articlesbase.com

also read;
Angelina Jolie's Double Mastectomy: Q&A
Carcinoma Of The Breast (Breast Cancer)

7 symptoms tells you that you should conduct breast cancer screening

I wish health for all women and for myself,

and I wish a speedy healing to all patients

Carcinoma Of The Breast (Breast Cancer)

Currently, there are more than 180,000 new cases of breast cancer every year in the United States and 46,000 deaths, and it has been estimated that one of every eight American women living to age 95 years will develop breast carcinoma. Until 1983, breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths among females; despite an increase in the incidence of breast carcinoma, it is now second to lung cancer because of the larger increase in the number of women developing lung cancer.

Breast carcinoma is rare before 25 years of age and uncommon before 30 years; the incidence increases sharply after 40 years, with a mean and median age of 60 years. Statistically, the risk of breast cancer is increased in nulliparous women (nuns have a high incidence), in women who have early menarche and the late menopause, and in those who have their first pregnancy after age 30. Breast feeding appears to have protective effect for the mother. Evidence linking oral contraceptives to breast cancer is scant; a few studies suggest a very slightly increased incidence in women who use oral contraceptives.

A familial history (limited to first-degree relatives, i.e. mother, sister, daughter) of breast carcinoma increases the risk fivefold. The first-degree relatives of woman who develops bilateral breast cancer before menopause are at greatly increased risk. The increased risks resulting from atypical hyperplasia and family history are additive.

The etiology of breast carcinoma is unknown but is probably multifactorial. Genetic factors are suggested by the strong familial tendency. There is no inheritance pattern, suggested that the familial incidence is due either to the action of multiple genes or to similar environmental factors acting on members of the same family. Mutation of the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 is believed to cause breast cancer. Hormones are also widely believed to play a role in the etiology of breast cancer. Estrogen has been the most extensively studied hormone because of the epidemiological evidence that prolonged estrogen exposure (early menarche, late menopause, nulliparity, and delayed pregnancy) increases the risk of breast cancer. Viruses are also suspected of causing breast cancer (e.g., the Bittner milk factor is a virus that causes breast carcinoma in mice).

Carcinoma of the male breast is extremely rare. It presents with a painless breast mass. Histological features are identical to those of infiltrating ductal carcinomas in the female. In spite of the small bulk of the breast in men, the diagnosis of male breast carcinoma is usually delayed; 50% of patients have axillary lymph node metastases at the time of diagnosis. As a result, male breast cancer has a worse overall prognosis than female breast cancer.

Nulliparous — a woman who has never borne a viable child. 

Hyperplasia — abnormal increase in the number of normal cells in normal arrangement in an organ or tissue, which increases in volume.

via:

medical explorer

also read:
Angelina Jolie's Double Mastectomy: Q&A
Breast Cancer – Be Aware and Beware

7 symptoms tells you that you should conduct breast cancer screening

I wish health for all women and for myself,

and I wish a speedy healing to all patients