Treatment of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer treatment depends on cancer stage. Now there are vast options for treatment of breast cancer like chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, surgery, radiation therapy, targeted therapy.
Treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ
Before proceeding, we should know what ductal carcinoma in situ is. It is a stage of breast cancer where cancer cells found only in the lining of breast duct. It is not spreading outside the duct or not invading other tissues of breast.
At this stage treatments used to given are,
Breast conserving surgery in which parts of breast or lump or some tissue-surrounding lump with lump are removed
Radiation therapy,
Total Masectomy
In some cases, radiation therapy and breast conversing surgery were done with tamoxifen or without tamoxifen drug.
Treatment of Lobular carcinoma in situ
Lobular carcinoma in situ is a stage of breast cancer, in which tumor cells or cancer cell found in lobules of breast. There is least possibility of invasion of this cancer but there is risk of spreading it from one breast to other breast.
Tamoxifen used for treatment of Lobular carcinoma in situ.
In some cases both the breast are removed to stop spreading of disease this is known as Bilateral prophylactic masetectomy.

Breast Cancer and Symptoms

When cells of breast multiply abnormally and cause malignant tumor then it is known as breast cancer.
In case of breast cancer the tumor generally develop in the duct which carry milk to nipple or in lobules which are milk producing glands.
Breast cancer is second most common cancer in world after lung cancer.
According to a data, about 192,370 cases are diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,170 will die of breast cancer in 2009 in US.
Symptoms of breast cancer
More often breast cancer diagnosed by presence of lump around breast tissue. More than 80% women diagnosed with breast cancer had found lump in their breast before diagnosis.
Some time lumps found in armpit are also indicating sign of cancer.
There are other kind of breast cancer where lumps generally do not form like inflammatory breast cancer and paget disease of breast.
In case of Inflammatory breast cancer, the breast look like peel of orange due to blockage of lymph nodes.
In case of Paget disease of breast, there is a scaly rash around nipple, often misdiagnosed as eczema . Some time there was painful itching sensation. The skin become red around nipple or areola.
Other breast cancer symptoms include, inverted nipple, change in shape of breast or nipple, spontaneous liquid discharge from nipple other than milk.
The discharge may contain blood or it may be clear.
My suggestion is if there are any kind of changes in breast then one should immediately consult physician.

Treatment and Diagnosis of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Diagnosis of IBC or inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is diagnosed by Biopsy, breast ultrasound and mammogram.
This cancer is categorized as stage IIIB cancer or IV stage cancer. There is much dissimilarities in physical appearance of breast of a ordinary stage3 breast cancer and inflammatory breast cancer. IBC grows very fast than normal breast cancer.
Treatment for inflammatory breast cancer
IBC or inflammatory breast cancer treated via various methods. Generally, chemotherapy is given first to destroy or control all cancer cells of body. Chemotherapy is a systematic therapy means it affects through out the body. Then it is followed by surgery and radiation therapy. The tumor removed from body by surgery and radiation therapy destroy other cancer cells. Both this therapies are worked locally. During surgery infected breast tissue or breast is removed from body.
Other therapy like hormone therapy, additional chemotherapy and targeted therapy are given to cancer patient to block reappearance of this cancer disease.

Inflammatory Breast cancer or IBC

Inflammatory Breast cancer is a rare type of cancer found generally in case of younger woman. In this type of cancer the lymph vessels are blocked by cancer cell caused red swollen breast. As in this disease, the primary symptom is red swollen breast or breast looked like inflamed so it is known as inflammatory breast cancer or IBC.

According to a statistic, In USA one to five percent people who are suffering from breast cancer have inflammatory breast cancer

Some studies show that Afro-American women are more sufferer of this disease.

Symptoms of Inflammatory breast cancer

The main symptom of inflammatory breast cancer is red swollen breast, which caused due to blockage of lymph vessel by tumor cells.

In case of IBC lumps often not found.

The breast skin becomes bruised, some times the skin looks like pitted and become orange in color. This is due to accumulation of fluid in breast

Other symptoms include heaviness of breast, burning sensation, pain, enlarged breast,

Nipple becomes inverted in this disease.

The breast become more soft

Sometime swollen nodes found under arm and collarbone.

But the symptoms may appear due to some other reason also like injuries, infections or they may be symptoms of another cancer

After diagnosis, we can know whether this disease is Inflammatory breast cancer or not.

The most important thing is IBC grows very rapidly, so one should consult oncologist or health provider if a single symptom was found.

Metastasis and Metastatic Cancer

In simple term, spreading of cancer is known as metastasis. Before writing about metastasis, I want to write about primary cancer. When cancer begins in a part of body is known as primary cancer. At an advance stage of cancer, the cells of original tumor broke down, transport to other part of body through lymphatic vessels or by blood stream, and create tumor there. This is known as metastasis and the tumor is known as metastatic tumor. The disease is known as metastatic cancer
For an example, if lung cancer cells spread to brain and form tumor over there, then the disease is metastatic lung cancer not brain cancer. In this case the brain tumor cell resemble with lung cancer cell not with brain cell.
Since blood travels through out body, so spreading of cancer is common from one part to another part of body. Common examples are breast cancer metastasizes to lungs, liver bones and brain. Prostate cancer spread to bones.
As the cancer cells travel through blood or lymphatic fluid so, it is common to found cancer cell in blood. In that case, the phenomenon is not considered as metastasis.
Treatment of metastasis
Generally, metastatic cancer is treated with chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, cryosurgery hormone therapy etc. Sometimes it needs combination of therapy. Treatment of metastatic cancer solely depends on size, age and location of cancer. Chemotherapy kills cancerous cell. Sometimes it was give with anticancer drug.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a lung disease, which cause due to inhalation of asbestos fiber. Generally two types of asbestos fibers found in nature.

1. amphibole which is thin and straight fiber
2. serpentine, which is curved fiber.

The amphibole fibers penetrate easily into deeper part of lungs and reach alveoli. Alveoli is like a air sac which responsible for gaseous exchange ( oxygen from lungs to blood and elimination of carbon dioxide) . These asbestos fibers then triggered inflammatory reaction and form a scar (fiber) like tissue with in alveoli. This fibrous issue thickens alveolar wall. That’s why it losses elasticity and can’t expand or can’t perform gaseous exchange.

The severity of asbestosis depends upon how long the patient exposed to asbestos and how much he inhaled.

In more severe case, right sided heart failure may occur as lungs stiffen. It is also known as Cor pulmonale

Peritoneal mesothelioma

The inner lining of abdomen is known a Peritoneum. This lining protects abdomen. When cancer develops from peritoneum cells, the condition is known as peritoneal mesothelioma. It occurs in much lesser percentage pleural mesothelioma.Less than 30% of mesothelioma patient suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma. Generally pleural mesothelioma cells pass through lymph nodes or blood stream and cause cancer their
Asbestos and peritoneal mesothelioma
It is still not clear that how asbestos affect growth of cancer in peritoneum. But it was believed that when asbestos particle ingested somehow or when asbestos particle pass through lymph nodes or blood stream from lungs to abdomen then it triggered the peritoneal cells to divide uncontrollably and form cancer.

source:peritoneal mesothelioma

Lung Cancer stage

Lung cancer stage is determined on size of tumor and degree of spreading.
There are Five stages of lung cancer.
Stage 0 lung cancer- At this level the cancerous cell limited within the inner lining of lung.
Stage 1 lung cancer- At stage 1 lung cancer, cancer is small and didn’t invade lymph node.
Stage 2 lung cancer- At this stage,cancerous tissue invades some lymph nodes close to original tumor.
Stage 3 lung cancer-At this stage, cancerous cell invades near by healthy tissues and lymph nodes, which are away from original tumor.
Stage 4 lung cancer-This is the end stage of lung cancer. At this stage, cancer spread other parts of the body like, brain, liver etc
source:-stages of lung cancer

Symptoms of lung cancer

Lung cancer cannot detect so easily. Generally, it detected when people go through chest X ray for some other reason.
There are many symptoms of lung cancer.
Chest pain is very common symptom of lung cancer. About 25% people who are suffering from lung cancer complain about chest pain.
Suffering from cough for long time is another symptom of lung cancer.
Some time there is bloodstain in sputum.
Difficulty or pain in breathing is also a symptom of lung cancer.
Shortening of breath is another symptom, which caused due to blockage of air passage. The air passage blocks due to two common reasons.
1. The air passage is blocked as liquid accumulate in pleura. This is also known as pleural effusion.
2. Due to growth of tumor, the passage is blocked.
3. Loss of appetite, fatigue and weight loss are other symptoms.
Finger clubbing
There is another very rare symptom of lung cancer, which is known as finger clubbing in which the shape of finger and fingernail changes. Finger Clubbing occurs in case of advance stage of disease. About 35% people with non small cell lung cancer found to have Finger clubbing but in contrast only 4% people suffering from small cell lung cancer have Finger clubbing.In Finger clubbing the nail curves and the tips of the fingers become large. It is also known as drumstick fingers.

Mesothelioma, types of mesothelioma, symptoms of mesothelioma, diagnosis of mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer. Actually it is called mesothelioma because in this case malignant tumor develops from cell of mesothelium. Mesothelium is covering tissue which covers all kind of human internal organ. When cells of mesothelium grows uncontrollably and forms malignant tumor then it is know as mesothelioma.
This type of cancer found in case of person who works with asbestos..Even person who washes cloth of person works with asbestos can be infected with this disease.
Types of mesothelioma.
By location of mesothelioma cancer is divided into two types.
Pleural mesothelioma
Peritoneal mesothelioma
What is Pleural Mesothelioma
Mesothelium is inner lining of internal organs like heart, lungs, abdomen etc. The mesothelium of lung is known as pleura or pleural membrane.It comprises of two membrane the outer one lines the chest cavity and diaphragm and the inner lining protects lungs. When cancer develops from cells of pleura is known as pleural mesothelium .Generally pleural mesothelioma cancer develops in one layer but it can spread to other layer.
Cause of pleural mesothelioma
Asbestos and mesothelioma-Asbestos is main cause of mesothelioma cancer especially pleural mesothelioma. People exposed to asbestos have greater risk because while working they inhale asbestos particles. These asbestos fibers then trapped in between layer of mesothelia. Our body cannot eliminate these asbestos fibers. Those particles then initiate pleural cells to multiply uncontrollably. Due to this reason the pleural layer thickens and fluid accumulate at the space that is known as pleural effusion. This fluid then put pressure on lungs cause difficulties in breathing
Symptoms of mesothelioma
Mesothelioma symptoms appears generally after 30/40 years after exposure of asbestos.
In case of pleural mesothelioma patient complain about chest pain and shortening of breath.

source: pleural mesothelioma

Lung cancer and types of Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a type of cancer in which cells of lung multiply vigorously and uncontrollably and form tumor. Tumor can be malignant or benign. Malignant tumors are dangerous. They invade surrounding tissue and destroy them. Sometime they pass through lymph node or blood stream and infect different parts of body.
Types of lung cancer
There are two types of lungs cancer.
1. Small cell lung cancer or SCLC
2. Non Small cell lung cancer or NSCLC

Small cell lung cancer or SCLC is rare one. Out of every 100-lung cancer patients, 20 are diagnosed with this type of cancer.
This type of cancer is named so because the cancer cells are small and filled up with nucleus. But it grows very fast This type of cancer also know as oat cell lungs cancer.
Smoking is the main reason of this cancer. It is very rare in case of nonsmokers.

Non Small cell lung cancer is most common type of lungs cancer. About 80% people who are suffering from lung cancer are diagnosed with Non small cell lung cancer.
This type of cancer grows slowly compare to SCLC.
There are three types of NSCLC

1. Squamous cell carcinoma
2. Adenocarcinoma
3. Large cell carcinoma

Squamous cell cancer is most common type of lung cancer. It commonly develops in inner lining of both bronchi.

Adenocarinoma develops from the cell, which produces mucus known as phlegm. Normal occurance of this type of cancer is outer region of lungs.

Large cell carcinoma is named so because they look as large cell under microscope.
The Non small cell lung cancer or NSCLC generally develops in both smokers and passive smokers.

Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is another rare type of lungs cancer, which develops on pleura of lung.
People who are more exposed to asbestos are affected by this kind of cancer.