Breast Cancer - Symptoms and Treatment Options

Breast cancer is the cancer of the breast. Although the incidence of this disease is highest among white women, breast cancer mortality rates are highest among racial minorities. Because this cancer incidence increases with age, the burden of suffering due to breast cancer in elderly women is substantial.

The risk of getting it increases with age. In essence, researchers concluded that this disease' survivors who regularly exercise reduce the risk of its recurrence. Breast-feeding for several months also seems to reduce its risk. For American women, besides skin cancer, this ailment is the most commonly diagnosed cancer.

An estimated 213,000 American women has been diagnosed with this disease in 2006. In 2008, the American Cancer Society estimated that there was 182,460 new cases in women. There were 194,280 new cases were diagnosed in women in the United States in 2009 alone.

The risk of this cancer recurrence may be lowered by hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is currently the treatment of choice for patients with high-risk metastatic this disease. In order to decrease a patient's risk of recurrent, patients are offered chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is currently being offered to node negative as well as node positive patients at increased risk for recurrence.

Symptoms

The symptoms of this disease can vary. While the symptoms do not confirm the existence of breast cancer, only your doctor can tell for sure. Breast cancer & its symptoms usually begin with a single cell that mutates in the lobule or duct. The symptoms can vary. If you notice the above mentioned symptom you should immediately see your doctor to clarify and confirm.

Treatment

There are many treatment options to this disease. Tamoxifen remains currently the 'gold standard' for all women with estrogen/progesterone receptor positive breast cancer. Tamoxifen, the most widely prescribed drug for the adjuvant treatment of this disease, often exacerbates hot flushes.

The treatment can be expensive, even if insurance covers the actual costs of treatment. Surgery is the most common treatment for this disease. For patients with small, early-stage this disease, breast-conserving surgery is the preferred treatment option.

No one doctor can handle all aspects of cancer care, so a treatment team is necessary. Choosing alternative care in the case of breast cancer treatment would mean forgoing chemotherapy and radiation. Treatment for inflammatory breast cancer usually involves chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biopsy and hormonal therapy. Radiation therapy is a treatment in which high energy rays are used to destroy cancer cells.

Vincent Cheng is an avid author on various topics particularly in the areas of health, online marketing, parenting, games and anything that catches his interest.

Breast Cancer and Health Insurance

Even though death rates due to breast cancer have steadily decreased since 1990, almost 40,000 women were expected to die of breast cancer in 2010. This form of cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and it has been estimated that one in eight females will develop this condition. Still, with almost 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States in 2010, more women are surviving than ever because of good health insurance plans that cover mammograms and other cancer treatments.

There are factors women cannot control like genetics, ethnicity, or mutations, but there are ways to significantly decrease your risk of developing life-threatening stages of cancer. To ensure you or your doctor find any abnormalities early on you should: 

• Get a mammogram and clinical breast exam regularly. This may be yearly depending on your age and could help catch early stages of cancer before it spreads.
• Perform self breast exams regularly at home and report any lumps or other unusual findings to your doctor
• In general, you should get a yearly mammogram if you are over the age of 40 and every three years if you are under the age of 40. You have a higher risk of cancer as you get older.

Women should make sure they have the necessary health insurance coverage in case they develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. Your insurance should cover mammograms and other treatment procedures if you are ever diagnosed with breast cancer. Having health insurance you can count on is crucial for individuals diagnosed with serious conditions like cancer, and it can be difficult or impossible to find affordable coverage if you wait until you have already been diagnosed.

What Type of Chemotherapy Used for Breast Cancer?

Chemotherapy is the treatment used for treating cancer by destroying the cancerous cells. It is also used for treating breast cancer. This treatment is taken either before surgery, after surgery or as a measure to stop the cancer spreading to other parts or reoccurrence of cancer.

The treatment given to the breast cancer patient is based on several factors such as the overall health of the person and the stage of breast cancer. However, there are two types of breast cancer chemotherapy used for treating it. They are Adjuvant chemotherapy and Neoadjuvant therapy.

Adjuvant chemotherapy: This type of chemotherapy is used for destroying the cancer and is a very primary form of treatment used for treating breast cancer. It is a very systematic method of treating cancer. This treatment is very useful and helps to increase survival rate of the patients affected with this cancer. There are some types of adjuvant chemotherapy also which use a combination of hormonal therapy, radiation therapy for treatment.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: This is used for reducing the tumor and is usually given before primary treatment. Once the tumor is reduced using this therapy it is then surgically removed.

There are some side effects which are faced by the individual undergoing this treatment. They are diarrhea, sore mouth, hair loss, feeling sick and sore eyes. These side effects are temporary and will be diminished after treatment.

You can consult a doctor to get medications which would help you to get a relief from these side effects. There are some long term side effects to this treatment as well. They are gaining weight, early menopause, affect on the heart; reduced cognitive functions and difficulty in losing the weight. Some of the long term side effects of this treatment can be life threatening.

However along with these side effects, you should also consider the fact that this treatment increases the survival rate of the patient and also the chances of reoccurrence of this cancer is reduced.

Shattering My Lymphedema Schema

One definition of schema is a structured cluster of pre-conceived ideas. A recent clinical investigation of breast cancer and lymph node removal repudiates the time-honored ideas of many in the medical field that lymph node removal prevents cancer recurrence or improves survival.

The study, made public in early February, 2011, suggests that many women with early-stage breast cancer no longer need to have cancerous lymph nodes removed from their armpit. Conducted at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and more than 100 other sites, the study found that taking out cancerous lymph nodes from a certain subset of women does not change their treatment plan, improve survival or make the cancer less likely to recur.

The results would seem to apply to women whose condition is like those in the study: stage T1 or T2 tumors (less than two inches across), no palpable lymph nodes, no metastases to other parts of the body and no more than two positive lymph nodes found in the sentinel node biopsy. Of course, the ultimate decision must be made in consultation with the treating surgeon and oncologist.

Many experts predict that this discovery, combined with earlier studies of a similar nature, will change medical practice for many patients. According to the February 8, 2011 New York Times article reporting the finding, some centers have already acted on the new information. For example, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City changed its practice in September 2010, because doctors knew the study results before they were published. But, like adoption of the sentinel node biopsy procedure more than a decade ago, more widespread change in practice will take longer, due to the deeply held belief that removing more lymph nodes is beneficial.

It's important to remember that a life-long risk of lymphedema exists even after only a few nodes are taken for sentinel node biopsy. However, that risk is much lower than when many nodes are removed.

As a lymphedema survivor of 14 years, I have witnessed the dramatic improvement in more conservative node-removal surgery since 1996, when I had 14 nodes removed, all negative for cancer. I applaud the results of these advancements, even though I personally will not benefit from them. If they lead to practice changes, new breast cancer patients will no longer need to endure the pain and disabling side-effects of further lymph node removal and face further risk of developing lymphedema. After all, I--along with countless other women-- benefited from the now-decades-old studies that disproved the necessity for radical mastectomies.

Brava to the women who volunteered to participate in these ground-breaking clinical trials. I'm happy to shed my schema on treatment of lymphedema. It's welcome, and it's a relief.

The author's first book, "Mourning Has Broken: Reflections on Surviving Cancer" (Xulon Press, 2008) recounts her personal journey through two bouts with breast cancer. Her second book, a fanciful poetic look at breast cancer, is entitled "The Pebble Path: Returning Home from a Forest of Shadows" (Outskirts Press 2010).

She is an American Cancer Society volunteer, a breast cancer and lymphedema patient-advocate, blogger, and speaker.

Breast Reconstruction Options - How To Get Your Breasts Back After Cancer

Breast reconstruction surgery offers a way for women to get their natural bodies back after losing breasts to cancer. It offers a great way to restore your natural figure after mastectomy.

What Is Mastectomy

Mastectomy is a procedure where the doctor removes one or both breasts in order to get rid of the cancer. To do this successfully and eliminate the risk of remaining cancer cells, all of the tissue must be removed. This means that all of the skin, fat and other tissue that makes up the breasts is gone. The end result is a flat chest. With a single mastectomy, one side will be completely flat; with a double, the chest is completely without breasts.

The psychological effect of mastectomy is devastating. Although it initially gives women hope, triumph and closure, knowing that the disease is now gone from their body, a darker mood sets in once this initial feeling fades. You are now left with a disfigured body that causes embarrassment and shame. Breast reconstruction surgery offers a way to reclaim your body and restore your breasts to a healthy and natural state.

Breast Reconstruction Options

Following a mastectomy, many women have trouble considering doing breast reconstruction. This surgery to remove cancer can be traumatic and painful, and the last thing most women want to do is get back under the knife. However, studies show that breast reconstruction surgery works best if done immediately following mastectomy. It is easier, more effective and less painful if done immediately. There are also some techniques that make it easier.

Tissue Expanders

Breast reconstruction means placing implants behind the chest muscles so that you can have your chest back. One way to make the implantation procedure easier is to use a tissue expander. This is sort of like a balloon. This sac is filled with saline gradually over time to help the tissue inside the chest gradually get used to the implant that's going to be put in. By expanding this tissue over time, it is given a chance to slowly stretch. Then, when the surgeon puts in the implants, it is not such a shock.

Implant Options

Just like in a regular implant procedure, you'll be given a choice by the doctor of whether you'd like saline or silicone implants. Silicone is generally considered to be more natural in terms of look and feel, but saline is also good. Some women prefer saline because they're worried about the silicone implants rupturing, although this risk has been reduced to almost zero.

Another option is to use fat tissue from other parts of the body for your implants. This technique is fairly new and not all doctors perform it, but you might want to ask your physician. It requires a bit more surgery, but the main advantage is that you won't have any foreign tissue in your body.

Whichever option you choose, breast reconstruction can really help you get your breasts back after you've lost them to cancer. If you can, get it done immediately afterwards so that it will be easier.