Clinical Signs of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is listed as the number one type of cancer found in women according to medicinenet.com. This cancer is also the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States for women. An increase in educating women on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer has increased the rate of cases caught in the early stages of the disease.
Other People Are Reading
-
Identification
-
Breast cancer is classified as cancer that starts in the breast tissue. There are two types of breast cancer; ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma. Ductal carcinoma is the most common type and starts in the milk ducts, or tubes that move milk through the breast. Lobular carcinoma is a type that starts in the lobules, where milk is produced.
Signs and Symptoms
-
The common clinical signs of breast cancer are the presence of a lump in the breast or underarm along with tenderness and possibly discharge in the breast nipple. The nipple may also turn inward to the breast. It is common to see appearance changes in the shape or size of breast, along with the skin becoming red, scaly or swollen. Some patients show signs of the breast being pitted in appearance, similar to that of an orange.
-
Cause
-
There is no definitive cause for breast cancer; however medincinenet.com lists that research shows hereditary and hormones being the most likely cause. A woman is more likely to develop breast cancer if a direct family member was diagnosed. This includes a mother, daughter or sister. This risk increases if the person was diagnosed with the disease prior to the age of 40. Other risk factors include: the older a woman is when she has her first child increases the risk along with a woman having her first menstrual period prior to the age of 12. Women undergoing hormonal therapy with estrogen and progestin for menopause also have a higher risk.
Diagnosis
-
Once a patient presents clinical signs of breast cancer, a physician will perform a clinical breast examination to evaluate the size, shape and lumps of the breast tissue. Suspicious cases will undergo a mammogram to evaluate the internal areas of the breast. The abnormal mammogram is compared with a previous mammogram if available. In some cases, an MRI will also be requested to further evaluate the tissue of the breast. When lumps are present, a biopsy is scheduled to take a sample of the tissue and fluid. This allows a physician to determine the type of cancer present in the breast.
Treatment
-
There are several treatment options available for breast cancer and many times a woman will receive more than one treatment type. In many cases, surgery is performed to remove the cancerous area from the breast. The amount of tissue removed varies based on the severity of cancer. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are used as both a primary treatment and secondary treatment, depending if surgery is needed.
-
