Sunday, June 7, 2009

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.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

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.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

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.

Monday, June 1, 2009

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.

Please find that this blog is for information purpose only. In emergency please take advice of health service provider or doctor.