There are many different approaches for management of breast cancer and treatment options that patients may select in collaboration with health care providers. Breast cancer is a complex disease that presents in many different types, with specific biological features unique to each patient. Invasive cancers are classified based on tumor type and histological grade, which is of utmost importance when deciding the course of treatment. Contemporary advances in breast cancer treatments have been made, especially in chemotherapy, hormone and biological therapies. Treatment can be a combination of local treatments, systemic treatments, and in some cases, new targeted treatments (Watts, 2013).
Treatment for primary, localized breast cancer commonly includes surgical interventions based on tumor type, size, and stage. Certain procedures such as a local excision or lumpectomy conserve more of a woman’s breast than others, where only the breast lump and surrounding area of tissue are removed. A mastectomy is a more radical procedure that removes the entire breast. After a mastectomy, some women choose to have breast reconstructive surgery to restore their sense of body integrity (LeMone et al., 2011). Recently, surgical techniques have improved, resulting in less radical and invasive surgeries. The increase in breast conserving surgery has been related to screening mammograms. On average, screening for breast cancer detects tumors in smaller and earlier stages, enabling patients to begin treatment before the cancer advances to more invasive stages (Watts, 2013).
Sometimes, undetected cancer cells that may cause recurrence remain after surgery either locally in breast tissue, scars, and lymph nodes, or in distant areas. Therefo...
... middle of paper ...
... of life. Many factors may affect decisions such as age, menopausal status, and stage of cancer. Culture, values, lifestyle, and support systems are other factors that have impact on the woman’s response and outlook when facing this disease process. Ongoing and long-term supportive care is important to meet the patient’s needs. Health care providers are responsible to provide education, support, and advocacy for women experiencing breast disorders (LeMone et al., 2011).
Works Cited
Watts, T. (2013). Primary Breast Cancer: What do practice nurses need to know?. Practice Nurse, 43(2), 36-42. https://login.dax.lib.unf.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost. com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=85803505&site=eds-live.
LeMone, P., Burke, K., Bauldoff, G. (2011). Medical-Surgical Nursing: Critical Thinking in Patient Care – 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Although, it is easy to believe that all cells in a tumor are neoplastic, evidence suggests otherwise. There are three characteristics that are present in all KS cells whether they are neoplastic or not. The first is absence of a histologically distinguishable neoplastic cell. The second is the lack of usual chromosomal abnormalities. The last is a combination of three features angiogenesis, inflammation, and proliferation.
Surgery is the oldest type of treatment for cancer. In its earlier use, surgery was not as successful as it is today. This was due to the difficulties involved with the anesthesias, excessive blood loss, respiratory distress, and a number of other complications. Tumors were removed, but metastases had formed, and the cancer returned quickly. In modern day surgery, namely laser surgery, these difficulties do not occur as readily. There are four basic ways to use surgery. One way is a diagnostic biopsy. This is a technique that involves removing part of the tumor, in order to test for malignancy. Another technique is surgery that removes the primary tumor. A third technique is removal of lymphatic tumors and metastases, which can help reduce the recurrence of cancer. The fourth technique is a combination of surgeries to detect and treat a malignant or benign tissue mass (1).
Over the past decade breast cancer has become one of the most predominant diseases in the United States. Breast cancer starts out as a malignant tumor in the tissues of the breast which is formed from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal breast cells. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. (Stephan, 2010)
Breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in Stage I and Stage II, where the size of the tumor is less than five centimeters in diameter. In these situations, surgery is often the second treatment option after chemotherapy and radiation therapy, both of which are used to shrink the tumor to a manageable size first. If the patient chooses to, the ...
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In 2008, more than one million women underwent a diagnostic evaluation for suspected breast cancer. Approximately 182,500 women of the more than one million that received an evaluation also received a positive diagnosis (Montgomery, 2010). Risk factors linked to Breast Cancer include: gender, age, family history, prior breast cancer, previous biopsy, race and ethnicity, breast density, and long menstrual history because of prolonged hormonal stimulation. Modifiable related risk factors also include hormone replacement therapy, alcohol, weight, and physical activity (Giurescu, Hu, Obembe, 2010). The period between the initial discovery of a breast lump until diagnosis is known to cause considerable suffering and distress among patients (Liao, Chen, Chen, Chen, 2009). Patients need to receive care during this period as “unresolved distress may lead to future mental health and adjustment difficulties” (Lally, 2010). Patients with suspected breast cancer who received informational and psychological supportive care during their diagnosis period have an improved psychological status when compared to patients who did not receive supportive care. The care received should be both culturally sensitive and individualized for each patient. In addition, patients care should be coupled with continuous evaluation of psychological and emotional status. A study was conducted to investigate the effect of supportive care on anxiety levels of women during the diagnostic period. Supportive care included evaluation of the participants health care and support nee...
Every woman has her own reasons behind her decision to get breast implants. Some women have undergone mastectomies, and get breast implants in order to feel “normal” again. According to the National Women’s Health Network (http://www.womenshealthnetwork.org) women who have lumpectomies have the same survival rate of women who have mastectomies as a result of breast cancer. They concluded that up to 40 percent of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer underwent unnecessary mastectomies. These mastectomies, whether necessary or not may lead to women to undergo breast augmentation surgery.
Breast cancer is the top cancer in women both in the developed and the developing countries [133] and it is one of the major reasons for the increase in mortality among middle aged women especially in developed countries [58]. If it is detected and diagnosed in early stages of development, it will increase the possibility of successful treatment and chances for complete recovery of the patient. Mammography screening programs have reduced mortality rates by 30-70% [111]. In mammography images, ...
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).
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women and 70 percentage of breast cancer is caused by the over expression of Estrogen receptor (ER). ER represents a viable and important pharmaceutical target against cancer. It is targeted by pharmaceutical agents for hormone replacement in menopausal women and reproductive cancers such as prostate cancer, uterine cancer and breast cancer [1]. ERs are classified into two types, ER alpha and ER beta which belongs to the super family of nuclear receptors. ER alpha and ER beta have similar but not identical structures. Up regulation of ER alpha causes cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, stimulation of invasion and metastasis, and promotion of angiogenesis. While not much is known about ER beta, it is believed that its function is distinct from ER alpha and it probably has opposing activity on tumour growth [2]. Tamoxifen is the drug regularly prescribed for the treatment of breast cancer. The anticancer property of Tamoxifen has been attributed to its anti estrogenic properties. The use of Tamoxifen is limited due to the acquired Tamoxifen resistance in many cancer patients [3].
Breast Cancer is defined as “a group of solid tumor malignancies arising in the tissues of the breast” (Sarah Crawford, Richard Alder, 2013) in human and other mammals. It can happen to both men and women. For women, breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death. According to National Cancer Institute, in the United States, the 2014 estimated new cases and deaths of female from breast cancer are 232,670 and 40,000, respectively. For male, it’s 430 deaths out of 2,360 new cases. From these numbers, we can see that women in the U.S. are greatly affected by breast cancer, thus, it’s not difficult to imagine the impact on a worldwide level. Although these numbers look frightening, people can actually survive from breast cancer if it is detected early and treated properly, so it is extremely important for all of us, especially women, to have a better understanding of breast cancer.
“The American Cancer Society estimates that, in 2010, about 207,000 women developed invasive breast cancer; 54,010 developed non-invasive breast cancer…And yet 90% of the women who are diagnosed with breast cancer this year will probably be cured following initial treatment (Bluming 133)”. “Mammography techniques are improving too, Newer scans in development, such as molecular breast imaging and tomosynthesis (which creates a three-dimensional image of the breast) may soon improve the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis and reduce the risk of false positive results (“Do you…”)”. So ask yourself, what would it hurt to get mammograms? They could potentially be a life saver.
There are two main categories of breast cancer, carcinomas and sarcomas. They have different origin, carcinomas arise from epithelial lining of the duct which carries milk from breast lobules to nipple. They are the most common type of human breast cancer and they can spread easily to surrounding tissues though blood and lymph. Whereas, sarcomas is the rare type of breast cancer and it originate from connective tissues and fatty substances around the ducts and lymphatic vessels called stroma Management of these two types of breast cancer relies on early diagnosis. In clinical settings physicians use cancer grading method during breast cancer diagnosis, which allows them to choose the right treatment plan for their patients. In general, there are three levels of grading, grade-I cancer cells resemble normal cell growth and have steady growth speed, grade-2 cancer cells appear to be different from normal cells and they divide faster than normal cells and grade-3 cancer cells identifies the fastest growing tumors that look completely different from the normal cells (Veer 2002). Thus, cancer with highest grading appears aggressive and divides more than lower grade cancer cells. Now we know the three level of breast cancer, let’s see different grading
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 ...