Breast Cancer and its prevention
Breast cancer is one of the most common camcer that affects women and people assigned female at birth . it happens when cancerous cells in your breasts multiply and become tumors . about 80% of breast cancer are invasive,meaning a tumor may spread from your breast to other areas of your body .
types of breast cancer
Angiosarcoma-
Angiosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the lining of the blood vessels and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels are part of the immune system. The lymph vessels collect bacteria, viruses and waste products from the body and dispose of them.
This type of cancer can occur any place in the body. But it most often occurs in the skin on the head and neck. Rarely, it may form in the skin on other parts of the body, such as the breast. Or it may form in deeper tissue, such as the liver and the heart. Angiosarcoma can occur in areas that were treated with radiation therapy in the past.
Symptoms
Angiosarcoma signs and symptoms may vary based on where the cancer occurs.
Angiosarcoma that affects the skin
Most often, angiosarcoma occurs in the skin on the head and neck. It often happens on the scalp. Symptoms of this form of angiosarcoma include:
- A raised area of skin that looks like a bruise
- A bruise-like lesion that grows larger over time
- A lesion that may bleed when scratched or bumped
- Swelling in the skin around the lesion
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)- Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is cancer in your breasts’ milk ducts. It isn’t aggressive and it typically doesn’t spread. This early form of breast cancer is usually curable with appropriate treatment, which often includes lumpectomy and radiation therapy. DCIS is highly treatable, and the outlook is excellent.
What is ductal carcinoma in situ?
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a type of very early breast cancer where cancer cells line your milk ducts within one or both breasts. Milk ducts are tubes that carry milk from the lobes of your breasts to your nipples so you can breastfeed (chestfeed). The cancer is “in situ,” or situated (contained) inside of your milk ducts.
Healthcare providers may call DCIS noninvasive or pre-invasive breast cancer. This means that the cancer cells haven’t spread beyond the walls of your milk ducts. Ductal carcinoma in situ doesn’t typically metastasize, or spread to other organs in your body, as aggressive or invasive cancers do.
While DCIS can’t spread outside of your breast, it can turn into invasive ductal carcinoma — which can spread outside of your breast — in some cases. That’s why talking to a healthcare provider is so important. They can discuss treatment options to help reduce this risk.
Symptoms
Ductal carcinoma in situ doesn’t generally cause symptoms. But a few people with DCIS may notice a breast lump, itchy skin or nipple discharge (like blood).
What causes ductal carcinoma in situ?
DCIS happens when healthy cells in your milk duct mutate (change) and grow uncontrollably. But experts aren’t sure why these changes take place to begin with, or why DCIS spreads in some cases but not others.
Inflammatory breast cancer- Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare, fast-growing cancer that requires immediate treatment. It causes symptoms similar to a breast infection. Signs of IBC may include redness, swelling, pain, enlargement of one breast and breast skin that resembles an orange peel. Treatments include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation.
What is inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare type of cancer that spreads quickly. Unlike most breast cancers, IBC doesn’t usually cause lumps in breast tissue. Instead, it appears as a rash, creating skin texture on the affected breast similar to an orange peel. IBC causes pain, redness, swelling and dimpling on the affected breast.
IBC results when cancer cells block lymph vessels — the small, hollow tubes that allow lymph fluid to drain out of your breast. The blockage leads to inflammation, causing symptoms that make it easy to mistake IBC for an infection.
IBC grows fast and requires immediate treatment. Healthcare providers usually treat IBC with chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy.
Who is likely to have inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)?
Anyone can develop inflammatory breast cancer, but certain factors may raise your risk.
Gender: IBC can affect people of all genders, but it’s more common in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB).
Age: People with IBC tend to be younger than people with other forms of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women and people AFAB who are younger than 40. The median age of diagnosis is 57.
Race: People who are Black are more likely to get diagnosed with IBC than people who are white.
Weight: People with obesity or overweight are more likely to get diagnosed than people with a BMI that falls within the normal range.
Symptoms- Inflammatory breast cancer can be challenging to catch because it doesn’t often cause a lump like more common forms of breast cancer. Instead, the first signs are related to inflammation (redness, swelling, pain) in your affected breast. These symptoms make it easy to confuse IBC for a less serious condition, like an infection.
Symptoms of IBC progress quickly, over three to six weeks, and may include:
Areas of discoloration (red, pink or purple), a bruise or rash spread over one-third of your breast.
Dimpling, pitting or thickening of your breast skin that resembles an orange peel.
Pain, swelling, itchiness, firmness or tenderness in one breast.
Warmth, burning, heaviness or enlargement of one breast.
Inverted or retracted nipple (a nipple that points inward).
Swollen lymph nodes near your collarbone or under your arm
Invasive lobular carcinoma- Invasive ductal carcinoma typically affects women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) who are age 55 or older. It’s the most common form of breast cancer in women and people AFAB. Often, healthcare providers can cure it if tests detect cancerous tumors before they spread to other areas of your body.
What is invasive ductal carcinoma?
Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) accounts for about 80% of all breast cancer cases in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB). It typically affects women and people AFAB age 55 and older. It’s also the most common male breast cancer. This article focuses on IDC affecting women and people AFAB.
Invasive ductal carcinoma starts in cells that line the milk ducts in your breast. It can spread from your milk duct to surrounding breast tissue. From there, the cancer can get into your bloodstream or lymphatic system and spread to other areas of your body.
Healthcare providers may use names like ductal carcinoma, infiltrating ductal carcinoma or IDC breast cancer when they talk about this condition. Often, healthcare providers can cure it if tests detect cancerous tumors before they spread to other areas of your body.
Symptoms and Causes-
Often, routine mammograms detect invasive ductal carcinoma before you have noticeable symptoms. When IDC symptoms do appear, they may include:
A change in the size, shape or contour of your breast.
A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea.
A lump or thickening in or near your breast or in your underarm that persists through your menstrual cycle.
A change in the look or feel of your skin on your breast or nipple. Your skin may look dimpled, puckered, scaly or inflamed and reddened.
A marble-like hardened area under your skin.
A blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from your nipple.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)- Lobular breast cancer (also called invasive lobular carcinoma) is breast cancer that starts in the milk-producing gland, or lobules, of your breast and has spread into surrounding breast tissue. It can be cured if caught early. Left untreated, lobular breast cancer spreads to nearby lymph nodes, and then to other areas of your body.
What is lobular breast cancer?
Lobular breast cancer (also called invasive lobular carcinoma, or ILC) is breast cancer that starts in the milk-producing gland, or lobules, of your breast and has spread into surrounding breast tissue. It accounts for about 10% to 15% of all breast cancers and is the second most common type of breast cancer. Left untreated, lobular breast cancer spreads to nearby lymph nodes, and then to other areas of your body.
Who’s affected by lobular breast cancer?
Women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) who are age 55 and older are most likely to develop invasive lobular carcinoma. Men and people who are assigned male at birth can develop ILC, too, though it’s rare. Transwomen have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than cisgender men. Conversely, transmen have a lower risk compared to cisgender women.
Unlike invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), invasive lobular carcinoma usually occurs later in life. Many people are in their early 60s at the time of their diagnosis.
Symptoms and Causes
What are lobular breast carcinoma symptoms?
Unlike other breast cancer types, lobular breast cancer doesn’t form lumps in your breast tissue or under your arm. Instead, it may cause the following symptoms:
Hard or thickened area inside of your breast or underarm.
Your nipple is inverted, meaning it points into your breast instead of pointing out.
Dimpling, dent or puckering skin on a part of your breast.
Changes in breast size or shape.
A feeling of warmth or redness.
Nipple discharge.
An area of swelling or fullness in your breast.
A lump near your armpit.
Breast pain.
Male breast cancer
Paget’s disease of the breast- Paget’s disease of the breast is a rare type of breast cancer that develops in the skin of the nipple. It may be mistaken for a skin condition, such as eczema. Most people who have Paget’s disease of the breast also have underlying cancer in the milk ducts of the breast (ductal carcinoma). The primary treatment is surgery.
What is Paget’s disease of the breast?
Paget’s disease of the breast is a rare type of cancer that develops in the skin of your nipple, and sometimes the areola (the darker skin surrounding the nipple). It may be isolated to the nipple as stage 0 breast cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ), or it may be accompanied by invasive breast cancer in the milk ducts of the same breast. It’s also called mammary Paget’s disease.
Paget’s disease of the breast resembles eczema on your nipple and may be mistaken for an ordinary rash at first. It may cause itching and scaling, red or raised plaques on your skin and discharge from the nipple. Most people who have these symptoms don’t have Paget’s disease. However, if you do, these may be the first noticeable signs of underlying breast cancer.
Recurrent breast cancer
Recurrent breast cancer is when breast cancer cells that were originally treated break away and grow again. It can occur in the same breast, in nearby lymph nodes, or in other parts of the body.
- Cancer cells may be dormant for years after treatment and then become active again.
- The exact cause of recurrence is not clear.
Symptoms
- Pain in the chest, back, or hip that persists and worsens
- Cough that doesn’t go away
- Breathing problems
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss without trying
- Severe headaches
- Seizures
Prevention
Can breast cancer be prevented?
You may not be able to prevent breast cancer. But you can reduce your risk of developing it. Just as important, regular self-exams and mammograms can help detect breast cancer early on, when it’s easier to treat.
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