October is breast cancer awareness month – a time to reflect on one’s health, as well as that of friends and family.
People generally are aware of breast cancer, but they often forget to take the steps to detect the disease in its early stages. Improved screening and diagnosis, as well as a personalized approach to treatment, have led to better survival rates, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, the causes of breast cancer remain unclear, and the disease continues to warrant research and attention.
Knowing the facts
Breast cancer occurs when some breast cells begin growing abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass. The cells can metastasize to the lymph nodes or throughout the body. Approximately five to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to gene mutations passed through generations of a family – the most common being breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), according to the Mayo Clinic.
Additional factors associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:
- Being female. Women are much more likely than men are to develop breast cancer.
- The risk of breast cancer increases with age.
- Personal or family history of breast cancer.
- Radiation exposure. Patients who received radiation treatments to their chest as a child or young adult are at increased risk of breast cancer.
- Early menstruation or late menopause.
- Having never been pregnant or having a first child at an older age.
- Postmenopausal hormone therapy.
- Drinking alcohol.
Better diagnostic tools
The good news is that screening and diagnosis methods are consistently improving. Today’s standard tools include:
- Mammogram. An X-ray used to screen for breast cancer.
- Breast ultrasound. Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of structures deep within the body and may help distinguish between a solid mass and a fluid-filled cyst.
- Biopsy samples are sent to a lab for analysis to determine whether the cells are cancerous, as well as the type of cells involved, the aggressiveness (grade) of the cancer, and whether the cancer cells have hormone receptors or other receptors that may influence treatment options.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Staging and treatment
In order to determine the patient’s prognosis and best treatment options, the physician must determine the stage or extent of the cancer. Tests and procedures used to stage breast cancer may include:
- Blood tests, such as a complete blood count.
- Mammogram of the other breast to look for signs of cancer.
- Breast MRI.
- Bone scan.
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan.
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
Breast cancer stages range from 0 to IV, with 0 indicating cancer that is noninvasive or contained within the milk ducts, according to the Mayo Clinic. Stage IV breast cancer, also called metastatic breast cancer, indicates cancer that has spread to other areas of the body.
Once the extent of the disease is determined, treatments may include a lumpectomy; a mastectomy; a sentinel node biopsy, or the removal of a limited number of lymph nodes; an axillary lymph node dissection, or the removal of several lymph nodes; and, in severe cases, a double mastectomy.
Other treatments include:
- Radiation therapy. (External beam radiation is commonly used after lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer. Brachytherapy (placing radioactive material inside the body) also is an option.
- Chemotherapy.
- Hormone-blocking therapy, often used to treat breast cancers that are sensitive to hormones.
In addition, several targeted drug treatments are available to attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. The more informed people are about breast cancer, the more successfully they can minimize their risk.