Written by Debbra A. Livingston, MSN, ARNP, BC- Jacksonville District
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant/uncontrolled growth/cancer cells of the breast. Cancer cells can grow and invade or spread into the surrounding tissue and spread in to other areas of the body. Breast cancer occurs entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer too.
The normal breast -
To understand breast cancer, it helps to have some basic knowledge about the normal structure of the breasts, shown in the diagram below.
The female breast is made up mainly of lobules (milk-producing glands), ducts (tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels.)
Most breast cancers begin in the cells that line the ducts (ductal cancers). Some begin in the cells that line the lobules (lobular cancers), while a small number start in other tissues.
Early detection of breast cancer may provide early intervention and increase survival rate. Usually by the time a women has symptom, the cancer may have already spread beyond the breast. In contrast, breast cancer found during screening, mammograms or self-breast examination are more likely to be small and still confined to the breast. Early detection tests for breast cancer save thousands of lives each year.
The key here is preventive care. The American Cancer Society encourages and highly recommend women to make healthy lifestyle choices such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular physical exercise. These healthy choices reduce the risk of breast cancer. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer in your family, it is recommended to start having mammograms as early as the age of 30 or sooner should you discover any abnormality. Breast cancer is not just an older women’s concern. Breast can effect a woman of child bearing years at any time.
In summary,
1 - See your health care professional annual.
2 – Continue self-breast examinations monthly (usually 2 weeks after menstrual cycle. You are not excluded if you are pre or post menopause. It is just as important to perform self-breast examinations at all ages.
3 – If you notice any change in your breast, whether you feel it’s minor or not, seek professional care. It’s better to see a healthcare professional with a false alarm than to ignore symptoms and the best possible treatment is unsuccessful. There is no sure way to prevent breast cancer but we can certainly things we can do to lower our risk.
Take the Quiz: Breast Cancer
http://www.cancer.org/healthy/toolsandcalculators/quizzes/breast-cancer-quiz/index
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