Causes | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Stages | Treatment
Causes and Risk factors

A person’s age, genetic factors, personal health history and diet all contribute to breast cancer. History of previous cancer in one breast, especially if it occurred before menopause increases a woman’s risk of developing a new breast cancer unrelated to the first one. About 5% to 10% of all breast cancers may be related to genes that are passed  through close relatives such as mother or sister, who developed breast cancer before menopause. Other factors include

First child over age of 30, hormonal changes during the time of pregnancy may influence a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer.

• Not having children

• Early menarchy (before age 12)

• Late menopause

• Over weight especially in the upper body

• Use of alcohol

• Excessive radiation

• Hormonal contraceptives.

• Hormone replacement therapy for more than five years.

• Usage of diethylstilbestrol to prevent miscarriage.

Signs and Symptoms of cancer.

Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain and may cause no symptoms at all. It is normally found when a suspicious  lump  is detected. It must be about the size of a finger tip before it can be felt. Other signs of cancer  include

• Breast or nipple skin that is warm, red, swollen, or scaly

• Change in the shape or size of the breast

A lump or thickening near the breast, or in the underarm

• Nipple discharge that is not breast milk

• Nipple tenderness

• A nipple that is turned inward, or inverted

• A rash around the nipple that may bleed, itch, or cause skin breakdown

• Ridges or pits in the breast

• Skin that is dimpled like an orange.

Diagnosis

To find out the cause of any of these signs or symptoms, a woman’s doctor does a careful physical exam and asks about her personal and family medical history. The most reliable method of detecting breast cancer is the clinical breast examination, followed by immediate evaluation of any abnormality.One can detect breast cancer at its earlier stage by performing breast self examination (BSE) on a monthly basis. Other diagnostic measures include mammography, Sonography,  Thermography and biopsy.

Sonography is a technique that produces an image of the breast using sound waves rather than radiation. Ultrasound allows significant freedom in obtaining images of the breast from almost any orientation. This procedure is used more clearly define suspicious area on the mammogram rather than a screening test.   Sonography’s main value is in distinguishing fluid filled cysts, which are usually benign, from solid growth, which sometimes represent cancer. Thus, a questionable area that turns out to be a cysts can often seen, while a solid mass may need a biopsy.  However, ultrasound does not have good spatial resolution like mammography, and therefore cannot provide as much detail as a mammogram image.

Thermography takes advantage of the fact that some breast cancer cause an increase in the breast skin temperature. Thermography provides a photographic image of the heat patterns on the breast surface. A heat detecting device maps and  records hot spots or areas of increased blood distribution.  While it avoids the risks of X-rays, thermography has very limited usefulness because it does not distinguish well between cancer and other breast diseases.  The result is a high percentage of ‘false positive’ thermograms.

Biopsy : Although a doctor may suspect a diagnosis of breast cancer after examination or mammography, it is ultimately diagnosed  by a breast biopsy.  In biopsy, a sample of breast tissue is removed by a radiologist or surgeon and sent to the laboratory for microscopic examination by a pathologist. If cancer is found to be present after biopsy, it is critical that the type and stages of the cancer be identified as soon as possible. Generally, the earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the greater a patient’s chances of survival.

There are several different methods of biopsy. They include Fine needle aspiration, biopsy, Core needle biopsy, Vaccum- assisted biopsy, Large core surgical and Open surgical. The most common method is surgical biopsy and fine needle biopsy.  In fine needle aspiration biopsy, a fine guage needle and syringe to take sample fluid from a breast cyst.