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Breast cancer exploratory essay
Breast cancer exploratory essay
Risk factors of breast cancer essay
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Breast Cancer
Introduction
Breast Cancer is the type of malignancy that is detected in the region of the breast. It occurs when the cell lining in the breast abnormally multiplies and grows. Both men and women are susceptible towards breast cancer, but the occurrence in women is more often as compared to men (Warren & Devine, 2003). Physically it is detected as a mass, lump, mole or a blemish. Some lumps are benign and do not impose health risks. The ones that are malignant can be life threatening if left untreated. The most common symptoms of breast cancer are swelling, redness irritation on the surface of breast. Discharge from the nipple or soreness is also a symptom of breast cancer (Komen, 2012). The chance of breast cancer in women is one in eight. The major risk factors include age, genes and personal factors ("Breast cancer," 2013). Some of the other common risk factors are obesity, hormone replacement therapy, alcohol consumption and fibroadenoma ("Breast cancer," 2013). The most commonly occurring type of breast cancer is Ductal carcinoma in-situ. Self examination and test such as ultrasound or mammography help in the early detection of the disease.
Content
Occurrence in America:
The most common type of cancer in American women is breast cancer. It is estimated by the American Cancer Society that there will be approximately 232,340 new cases detected in America. Moreover, out of these 64, 640 cases will be in Situ non-invasive breast cancer. Regretfully, 39,620 cases will be fatal ("What are the," 2012).
Signs and symptoms:
The most common sign of breast cancer is the detection of a lump in the breast region. It can be either stagnant at one position or can move around. The lump is mostly moveable...
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...d screening of breast cancer. Many preventive health programs have been initiated to spread awareness about self examination. Since breast cancer is a major cause of death in United States, education about it proves as a helping hand. Expert opinions are required to diagnose, treat and manage the malignancy. Cooperation and compliance from the patients helps the specialists achieve the disease free nation. Early detection of the breast cancer is easily treated and often saves the specialist from taking a decision such as surgery. This reduces the suffering of the patient as well as their attendants. Acknowledgment:
The material used in this assignment has been extracted from different databases such as Science Direct, Proquest and EBSCO. Moreover, information was also used from American Cancer Society website and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is usually found in one breast but can affect both breast at the same time. Increase in lump size and breast tenderness happens just before the menstrual cycle and decreases in size and resolution after the menstrual cycle. Having one or many cysts does not increase one’s risk of breast cancer but it may interfere with the ability to detect abnormal changes that may need to be evaluated. The supporting tissue that gives the breast shape is made up of fatty tissue and fibrous connective tissue. Cysts develop when there is an overgrowth of glands and fibrocystic changes within the milk ducts causing them to dilate and fill with fluid (Laronga et
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...
Cancer.gov. (2014). Comprehensive Cancer Information - National Cancer Institute. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.cancer.gov/ [Accessed: 7 Apr 2014].
Breast cancer can be invasive or noninvasive. If the cancer has spread from the milk duct or lobule to other tissues in the breast and leads to the severe tumor formation , it is Invasive Cancer. Noninvasive refers that the cancerous cells have not yet invaded other breast tissue. Noninvasive breast cancer is also termed as "in situ."
The purpose of this paper is to describe the diagnosis and staging of cancer, complications of cancer, the side effects of the cancer treatment, and methods to lessen the physical and psychological effects of cancer.
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).
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...
In the United States, starting from the first breast cancer case in 1930s to today, a woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer increases to one eighth (Gray et al.). Continuously increasing breast cancer rate has caused a lot of concerns among not only ordinary people but also scientists. For decades, scientists have been working on the causes of breast cancer in order to find the corresponding methods of treatment. However, only about 25% of the breast cancer cases got explained (Brody et al.); till today, heredity, lifetime exposure to environmental estrogen (the female sex hormone), and the dietary fat are the only major known causes (“Cover Story: Breast Cancer and Environment”). For the 75% unexplained breast cancers cases, scientists, through various of researches, have come up with several hypothetical breast cancer causes, in which synthetic chemicals and environmental radiations are the major ones.
The risks of getting cancer in this day and age has been increasing at a rate that could be detrimental to the human race if we do not act now. It is scary to think that you or someone you love and care about will get some type of cancer in their life time. Although there are many different types of cancer that is in existence today, the main focus is breast cancer. We are going to explore the causes breast cancer, the stages, how we can treat it and what precautions that can be taken to help lower ones risk of getting breast cancer. In America a baby girl born today has a 1 in 8 chance of getting breast cancer sometime in her life. These statistics do not seem so scary until they are put into perspective. Every three minute a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and one will die every 13 minutes in a given day. If these rates of breast cancer continue to rise there will soon be a one in one baby girl born that will et diagnosed with breast cancer. This is the future of our world that we are talking about here and no one seems to be changing the main factors that contribute to breast cancer. There are many different suspicious causes but one thing that is clear is that an unhealthy environment has an enormous impact on women and their development from babies to women.
Today in the United States, Breast Cancer occurs in about one in eight women which is currently the most common cancer among women. The number of cases is expected to decrease due to the advancements in technology and dedicated researchers. Scientists have put an estimated 4.8 billion dollars towards the research every year to help find a cure or a new treatment for breast cancer ("STAT Facts Breast Cancer"). Researchers have found causes, put in research and theories that help with understanding treatments, prevention and also common symptoms and coping mechanisms.
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.
Ways to early detect would be self-breast exams at home, annual mammograms and genetic testing for the BCRA1 and the BCRA2 abnormal gene. It has been said that when people are tested for the abnormal gene and are found to carry it, it is normally passed from either parent. Not only do women develop breast cancer, but men are also at risk. If detection is caught early enough there can be a high survival rate. Some symptoms and signs are a lump, change in size or shape of breast, nipple pain, discharge or bleeding of the nipple, change of skin color and texture, or breast becoming swollen or feels warm. It is advised to seek medical attention upon discovery of signs and symptoms. It can possibly allow a better treatment option for
Cancer is a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Over ten million new cases of cancer, with over six million deaths were estimated in the year 2000 (Parkin, 2001). The estimated numbers of incidence and mortality in 2002 were markedly increased as 10.9 million new cases, 6.7 million deaths with cancer (Parkin et al., 2005). Even developed countries suffering from cancer, in USA it was expected 2677860 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2009. In that same year , more than 562,340 deaths will occur due to cancer, this number represent 25 % of all deaths and makes cancer as a second leading cause of death after heart diseases (Jemal et al.
National Cancer Institute. 2 December 2013. April 2014. WHO. World Health Organization.
As defined by Majure, breast cancer is an “uncontrolled growth of abnormal breast cells” (Majure: 110). It is also one of the cancers that women fear the most. Not only do women get diagnosed with breast cancer, men do too. However, it isn't as bad, or as common, in men as it is in women so doctors don’t recommend screening for men. In the U.S more than one thousand men get affected by breast cancer every year and about two hundred thousand women are affected by breast cancer every year. Women are most likely to get diagnosed with it in their forties and fifties while some may be diagnosed with breast cancer in their twenties, if they started their menstrual cycles at an early age like 14. Typically, men are diagnosed with breast cancer in their sixties or seventies.