In life we come across many struggles and hardships. Some have more struggles then others but we all have them. Breast cancer could be one of those struggles whether male or female. Breast cancer is not just something that a woman can get like most people believe. Anyone can get it. In this essay you will about what breast cancer is, some symptoms, how it is treated, and my personal experience with it. Most people do not know what breast cancer is they just know that it is cancer in the breast.
What is breast cancer? According to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health breast cancer is a, “cancer that forms in tissues of the breast" (cancer.gov). More specifically breast cancer is a malignant tumor that grows inside the breast tissue. What happens is one cell in the tissue does not get the stop signal and keeps dividing into this big mass. This big mass continues to grow and grow and could eventually taking over space that is meant for other tissue or getting into the blood stream taking the dividing cells elsewhere. Breast cancer normally starts in one of two places.
Of the few people that know what breast cancer is some of them just believe that it is a lump. They do not know that there is a process to breast cancer they do not know that the tumor comes from somewhere and does not magically appear. Breast cancer can happen a few different ways in the breast, but “the most common type of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma” (cancer.gov). This type of breast cancer begins in the lining of the milk ducts. The ducts are the tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple. Think of them as little veins running from the nipple to a little pouch. Another place that the cancer could start is...
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... axillary lymph nodes. The third way IIA can be detected is if a tumor no smaller than two centimeters no larger than five centimeters is present and has not spread to the axillary nodes. IIA and IIB are similar, but the difference is in IIB tumors are found and they are larger than the few found in IIA.
Stage IIB can also be detected in three ways. If there is a tumor between two and five centimeters present with small groups of breast cancer cells sizes varying between .2 millimeters and 2 millimeters found in the lymph nodes. The second way that IIB can be found is if there is a tumor of those same dimensions found, but this time present with cancer cells that have spread to two to three axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone. The last way can be described as a tumor larger than five centimeters but has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.
If a lymph node is still enlarged then a lymph node biopsy is the only way to find out for sure, a sample of the lymph node is looked at under a microscope this procedure can be done at a day surgery unit and a patient can usually return home that same day. A CT scan can also be used to take a picture of the whole body to see all of the nodes that are affected and it can tell doctors on the best course of treatment for each individual patient. Once diagnosis of lymphoma it is also important to find out if the cancer has spread to the bone marrow so further test will be done and it has become best practice that a CT scan and a PET scan should be carried out at the start and half way thought treatment to see how the cancer has been affected and if treatment needs to be stepped up or back depending
Symptoms women often start noticing that indicate the possibility of having a cancerous tumor in the breast include a lump on the underarm or armpit, thickening of the nipple, fluid (not milk) leaking from the nipple, change in the size of the nipple or breast, changes of color, shape or texture of the nipple or the areola, and unusual pain in the breast or in the armpit (Stephan., 2010). These are the symptoms women usually start noticing before go to the doctor to ge...
The first, Littoral Cell Angiom (LCA) is a rare benign tumor that is usually discovered incidentally with sonography. It can arise from cells that line the red pulp and can manifest with splenomegaly. Treatment for this condition is most commonly a splenectomy. The second type of benign tumor that can be found on sonography is a splenic hemangioma. It is the most common benign tumor found within the spleen and usually does not exceed 2 millimeters. There are two types of Splenic Hemangioma that can be differentiated by their specific sonographic appearances. The first type is a cavernous hemangioma which can be determined by its mixed echogenic or hypoechoic structure and may show partial calcifications or cystic structures. The second type is a capillary hemangioma which can be determined by its hyperechoic lesion with defined margins. Splenic Hemangioma is generally not treated unless it is large or symptomatic, which in that case the patient would need a splenectomy. Hamartoma is another very rare benign tumor found incidentally during an ultrasound or during surgrey. It originates from the red pulp and is smaller than 3 cenitmeters in size. On sonography, a hamartoma may look like a hyperechoic solid mass and may show cystic or necrotic portions as well as small calcifications. Lastly, Splenic Cysts are the most frequent
This type is a marker for an amplified extent of invasive cancer risk in the same or both breasts.
About 12% of women in the United States will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, more than any other type of cancer (www.breastcancer.org, 2015). Many people lack the knowledge of how breast cancer is developed. Some people think they will not get cancer because they do not smoke cigarettes, but this is not the only cause of cancer developing in the breast. Anyone can get cancer. Everyone is potentially at risk for developing some form of Cancer (American Cancer Society, 2015).
The book begins with a narrative of cancer relating back to its history. Cancer in the book is discussed as a confusing, complex disease that was hard to decode by doctors for over a century. Mukherjee gives rich details about the way people assessed breast cancer in the nineteenth century discussing how radiation and chemotherapy were once used before modern times. Further, into the book, Mukherjee shares with personal experience working in the field of
According to the American Cancer Society, Each year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer; furthermore Twelve percent of all women will contract the disease, and 3.5% of them will die from breast cancer (American Cancer Society, 2005). There are risk factors that may lead to breast cancer. There are 4 stages of breast cancer and several treatments, although treatments vary from types and stages of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women who are 40 to 55 years old (Breast Cancer, 2009).Cancer occurs when cells divide uncontrollably. It changes from a normal cell to cancerous cells that require gene alterations. Therefore the altered genes and the uncontrolled growth may lead to tumors. Tumors can be benign or malignant, benign tumors are not cancerous whereas malignant are cancerous. Benign tumors will not spread, but it can damage the tissues around it. Malignant tumors invade, damage, and destroy tissues that are nearby and can spread. When cancer cells break away from a malignant tumor and enter into the bloodstream, cancer can spread throughout the body. The cancer cells from breast cancer can be found in the lymph nodes under the arm. Cancer that spreads into other parts of the body; its still has the same name as the original cancer. So basically if you are diagnosed with breast cancer and it goes into your lungs, you still have breast cancer.
Breast Cancer, as well as other forms of cancer, scientists do know how it occurs, but they do not know an exact cause. There are some genes in our body called oncogenes, genes that have potential to cause cancer, that increases the speed of cell division while other genes such as tumor suppressors, cause the cells to die at the correct time. Mutations that occur in the DNA, which “turn on” the oncogenes or “turn off” tumor suppressor genes, will cause some of the cells to be cancerous in the breast("American Cancer Society"). Also, Breast Cancer can be increased by inherited gene mutations and acquired gene mutations. The risk of Breast Cancer can be increased dramatically, through the inheritance from parent to offspring, if a mutation occurs. For example, if a suppressor gene, such as BRCA, forms a mutation, then it is likely to be passed to future generations. This gene no longer suppresses abnormal growth, therefore there is a higher chance of cancer being developed. Even though Breast Cancer can be inherited it is more likely to be acquired through one breast cell. The acquired mutations could be a result of of radiation or cancer-causing chemicals. ...
Each stage is characterized by an A, B, or C letter, depending on the degree to which the symptoms present themselves. The differences in each stage are as follows: stage 1 is when the cancer is either found in one ovary or both, stage 2 the tumor is found in one or both ovaries and extends to other pelvic structures, stage 3 the cancer has spread beyond the pelvis to the lining of the abdomen or to the lymph nodes and finally in stage 4 the cancer has spread to other organs in the body including the liver or lungs (Ovarian Cancer National Alliance). Cancer is “staged” by taking a sample of the infected tissue surgically and sending it to a lab for examination. Staging is crucial in order for medical professionals to determine which course of treatment would be the most effective for the given patient. If misdiagnosed, an entire area affected by this disease could potentially be missed and left untreated.
“Just take my hand, together we can do it, I’m gonna love you through it.” (I’m Gonna Love You Through It- Martina McBride). Breast cancer is an awful disease that will change your life in a single moment. ”Everything in my life was turned upside-down. I really had a wonderful life; A husband, three children. And breast cancer came along and just smashed my world” (Janelle’s Journey). Breast cancer is an aggressive war that takes a great amount of fighting to survive. “You go from being perfectly healthy, to feeling like, ‘okay, I’m dying’. It started a whirlwind of things that I never anticipated having to go through.” (Bonnie’s Story- Beyond The Shock). Did you know that the youngest person ever to have been diagnosed with breast cancer
Annette could not take that as a final answer and told her that she would not just leave it and should get a second opinion and have another test run. The patient went back and requested a more thorough test be completed, she got the results back and everything was clear and her primary care physician assured her she was fine. Initially she would perform the exams as learned in school, but now after finding something abnormal, she now does a more thorough check, especially on patients with a previous history of cancer. This incident solidified her belief in early detection and proper documentation.
Breast Cancer affects 1 in 8 women and 1 in 631 men. Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast grow out of control and form a growth or tumour which may be cancerous or not cancerous.
Historically speaking breast cancer has been around for hundreds of years. Thankfully the treatment has improved. Patients who get the cancer removed and take care of themselves after, for example, by exercising and eating healthy, will live longer. There are many risks that increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer, for instance, age, family history, and race. A women who made history with breast cancer was Betty Ford, Betty was one of the first lady’s to speak openly about her disease. Betty encouraged women who have been affected with the disease to go to their doctor as soon as possible and told women who had shared that they didn’t have breast cancer to do self breast exams regularly and get mammograms. She also said when women get diagnosed with it don’t be embarrassed. Treatments in the past were pretty good and quite the same compared to the treatments given to people now, for instance, mastectomy’s which was the primary...
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too (What is Breast Cancer, 2015). The purpose of this evaluation is to introduce the audience to breast cancer; discuss risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis; address the mind- body connection of breast cancer and suggestions for prevention and treatment; and provide an overview of breast cancer in social cognitive theory framework. Lastly, one alternative intervention for breast cancer will be highlighted in accordance with the social cognitive
Breast cancer affects nearly fifty thousand women each year in the UK. Breast cancer in women is more common over the age of fifty however in recent years there has seen a spike in younger women falling victim to breast cancer (Macmillan.org, 2012). Cancer Research (2012) states that there are a large mixture of emotions for someone being diagnosed with Breast Cancer and this also may directly impact the families and friends of those diagnosed. Furthermore Macmillian (2012) said that the feelings and emotions that come with a diagnosis of ...