iHumanBreast Cancer
Information
Case 2023
Treatment- 5 different types of treatment
Surgery: Most patients with cancer usually start off with
... [Show More] surgery to try and
removethe cancer form the breast as soon as possible.
a. Breast Conserving surgery- a surgery where the cancer inside the
breast willbe removed while the breast will remain intact.
• Lumpectomy- removes the tumor/lump and the tissue that
surrounds it.
• Partial mastectomy- removes part of the cancerous breast
and tissue surrounding it (also known as segmental
mastectomy).
• Total mastectomy- removes the whole part of the breast
that iscancerous
• Modified radical mastectomy- removes the whole cancerous
breast as well as the lymph nodes around the chest muscles
and arms.
• Radical mastectomy- removes the cancerous breast entirely,
chest wall muscles under the breasts, as well as most of the
lymph nodes under the arm (also known as a Halsted radical
mastectomy)
b. Many times if a patient has surgery on their breast, they will then
undergo breast reconstructive surgery to rebuild the breast’s shape
after the cancer-eliminating surgery.
Radiation Therapy
a. Uses high energy x-rays and other types of radiation in order to kill the
cancercells. By doing this, it also prevents them from growing.
b. Two types
• External radiation-uses a machine outside the body to
send theradiation towards the cancer
• Internal radiation- uses a radioactive substance that is placed
in wires, catheters, or needles and placed directly into or near
the cancer.
Chemotherapy
a. Uses drugs to stop and prevent the growth of cancer cells.
• Can be taken orally or injected into a vein or muscle.
• The drugs enter the bloodstream and then reach the
cancercells through the body.
• Different types of chemotherapy are distributed
dependingon what stage cancer one has.
Hormone Therapy
a. Removes hormones or blocks their actions
• This then causes the cancer cells from growing.
• Many hormones are produced by glands in the body and flow
directly into the bloodstream; these hormones can cause
certain cancers to grow
• There are different types of hormones that stop the
production andgrowth of cancerous cells.
Targeted Therapy
a. Uses drugs and other substances to identify specific cancer cells
• Once they are identified, the drug will attack these
dangerous cells without harming or destroying the body’s
normal healthy cells.
• Two examples of targeted therapies being studied right
now are: Monoclonal antibodies and Tyrosine Kinase
inhibitors.
There are also hundreds of clinical trials being tested for breast cancer right now. While
clinical trials are important to helping find a cure, it is vital to look at the side effects and
symptoms of the trial and see if they are worth it.
Statistics and Facts
● 2.4 million women living in just the United States have been diagnosed with and
treatedfor breast cancer.
● Excluding skin cancers, breast cancer is now the most common cancer
diagnosed inwomen with about 1 in 4 cancers being that of breast.
● Approximately 40,610 will die this year from breast cancer
● The more menstrual cycles a woman will have, the more likely she is to
develop breastcancer.
● In 2009, an estimated 192,370 new cases of breast cancer are expected to be
diagnosed inAmerican women and about 1,910 for men.
● 97% of breast cancer deaths occurred in women who were age forty and older.
Symptoms:
-Many breast cancers have no obvious symptoms at all. Symptoms that are
similar to those of breast cancer may be the result of non-cancerous conditions
like infection or acyst.
○ Symptoms You Can See or Feel
a. swelling or lump (mass) in the breast
b. swelling in the armpit (lymph nodes)
c. nipple discharge (clear or bloody)
d. pain in the nipple
e. inverted or retracted nipple
f. scaly or pitted skin on nipple
g. persistent tenderness of the breast
h. unusual breast pain or discomfort
i. Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin
○ Symptoms of Advanced (Metastatic) Breast Cancer (Stage 4)- Metastatic
breast cancer has spread beyond the breast and underarm lymph nodes into
other parts of thebody.
a. bone pain (bone metastases)
b. shortness of breath (lung metastases)
c. rop in appetite (liver metastases)
d. unintentional weight loss (liver metastases)
e. headaches, neurological pain or weakness (could be brain metastases)
○ Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) – Aggressive and Unusual Symptoms
A type of breast cancer that does not appear in lumps. This aggressive cancer
grows insheets instead of lumps, and it invades nearby skin, resembling a rash.
a. Symptoms of (IBC):
a.i. a sudden increase in mature breast size (as much as a cup size
in a fewdays)
a.ii. itching in the skin of the breast that is continuous and not relieved
by pillsor creams
a.iii. a change in the breast skin color, resulting in pink, red, or darkcoloredareas
a.iv. breast is excessively warm to the touch, or harder or firmer than
usual
a.v. unusual pain, which occurs out of the regular cycle
a.vi. sometimes a change in skin texture, similar to the skin of an orange
a.vii. breast skin ulcers (later stage IBC)
○ Symptoms of Breast Cancer Recurrence
a. Recurrence of breast cancer is classified as local, regional, and distant.
This is thesame as advanced (metastatic) breast cancer.
a.i. Regional recurrence may be in the chest wall muscles
a.ii. in lymph nodes located beneath your sternum [Show Less]