Breast Cancer & Joint Pain
Unfortunately, one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her life. Joint pain is one fairly common symptom associated with breast cancer, so it pays to understand exactly what it means.
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Breast Cancer
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There are two main types of breast cancer--those that begin in the milk ducts and those cancers that begin in the area of the breast that produces milk (the lobules). While cancer can theoretically begin in any portion of the breast, cases other than the two mentioned are exceedingly rare. Most breast cancers are estrogen-sensitive, which means that they develop due to the presence of the hormone estrogen.
Breast Cancer Treatment
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The typical treatment regime for combating breast cancer consists of chemotherapy designed to kill the cancer cells coupled with radiation to eradicate cancerous tissue. When necessary, surgery to remove all or part of the breast is also an option. All treatments are usually coupled with use of SERMs--selective estrogen receptor modulators--which are drugs designed to prevent estrogen from attaching to breast tissue.
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Breast Cancer and Joint Pain
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According to the experts at Breastcancer.org, joint pain is a common occurrence often coupled with breast cancer. Joint pain consists of localized pain in and around the joints that can vary widely in severity, frequency and duration. Joint pain can be attributed to numerous causes, including the spreading of the cancer into the bones or simple discomfort as a side effect of your course of treatment.
Treatment for Joint Pain
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Treatment for joint pain depends on the root cause of the aliment. Where the pain is a result of metastatic causes (the cancer spreading into the bones), the only real course of action is to curb the pain with utilization of prescription medication while aiming to treat the spread of the cancer as rapidly as possible. Where the pain is a result of the course of treatment, altering your treatment regime or intensity can help to diffuse resultant joint pain.
Considerations
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Regardless of its cause, the presence of joint pain during a bout with breast cancer should be a red flag indicating the need to set up an appointment with your doctor to discuss this new turn of events. Utilizing a proactive and rapid response to changing symptoms affords you the best opportunity to win your battle with cancer, regardless of the underlying reason behind your joint pain.
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