Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. In the UK, there are more than 55,000 new cases each year and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it affects 266,000 women each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a duct or lobule of one of the breasts.
When breast cancer has spread to surrounding tissue, it is called “invasive.” Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” in which no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in people over 50, but sometimes younger women are also affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.
Staging tells you how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage, and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
Cancer cells are classified from low grade, meaning slow growth, to high grade, meaning fast growth. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have been treated for the first time.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumor originates from an abnormal cell. It is not known for certain why a cell becomes cancerous. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to become abnormal and multiply “out of control.”
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the likelihood, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The first common symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads is to the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this happens, a swelling or lump will form in the armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial evaluation: Your doctor will examine your breasts and armpits. You may have tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess whether it has spread. These may include blood tests, an ultrasound of your liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumor.
- Radiation therapy: Treatment that uses high-energy rays aimed at cancer tissue. This kills cancer cells or stops them from dividing. It is mainly used together with surgery.
- Chemotherapy: Treatment of cancer using anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing.
- Hormonal treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the “female” hormone called estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that reduce the level of these hormones or prevent their action are commonly used in patients with breast cancer.
How successful is the treatment?
The prognosis is better for patients who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage may offer a good chance of cure.
Routine mammography offered to women aged 50 to 71 means more breast cancers are diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information, visit breastcancernow.org or call their toll-free helpline at 0808 800 6000