Some have claim that flying after breast cancer operation had caused painful swelling in their arms. It is often warned that flying after operation to remove lymph nodes due to breast cancer can lead to lymphedema, a painful swelling in the arms.
The thoughts that fluid could easily be accumulated in a person's arm due to the changes in cabin pressure may influence the fluid movement in the lympathtic system that resulted the risk.
However in recent study, researchers found that lymphedema effects risk is small on breast cancer survivors in flight travel. The research examined 72 women before and after their air travelling. Majority have no signs of lymphedema effect, but only one shown signs of chronic swelling after six weeks. This findings were interesting but not definitive.
Normally, patients who have one or two lymph nodes removed will have no or less risk in flying compare to those that had completely removed the lymph nodes. The risks also depends on patients body fat and size of the arm.
Nevertheless, the risk of lymphedema appears to be small from flying.
Alcohol Breast Cancer Survivors
It is found that Alcohol will increase the risk of recurrence in Breast Cancer Survivors. Early stage breast cancer survivors should be aware that alcohol consumption can increase their breast cancer recurrence rate.
A study that was carried out over a period of seven years, with 1900 participants whom have been treated for early stage breast cancer discovered that those who have consume a couple of drinks a week have a higher risk of a breast cancer recurrence than those breast cancer survivors that don't drink.
The findings also found that the risk was higher among older or overweight woman. During the studied period, an overall of 35% were more likely to have a breast cancer relapses and 51% higher chances to die of breast cancer.
The researchers found that post menopausal woman who consume alcohol moderately had a higher risk of recurrence, 51%, compared to those younger one. These risk further increases in those obesity woman.
A study that was carried out over a period of seven years, with 1900 participants whom have been treated for early stage breast cancer discovered that those who have consume a couple of drinks a week have a higher risk of a breast cancer recurrence than those breast cancer survivors that don't drink.
The findings also found that the risk was higher among older or overweight woman. During the studied period, an overall of 35% were more likely to have a breast cancer relapses and 51% higher chances to die of breast cancer.
The researchers found that post menopausal woman who consume alcohol moderately had a higher risk of recurrence, 51%, compared to those younger one. These risk further increases in those obesity woman.
Breast Cancer Awareness I Like It
Breast Cancer Awareness month is on October, facebook users are seeing their facebook status update in the past few days that say "I like it on the floor" or "I like it on the couch" or "I like it on the kitchen counter".
Apparently, this "I like it..." has something to do with breast cancer awareness. This is a game campaign created on Facebook. Last year, where all of our lady friends suddenly had Facebook status updates like “Black,” “Red,” or “Polka dots” and no one had any clue what was up. Well, the game last year is about what color bra you were wearing at the moment. Words got around that the updates were for the bra colors of choice and the updates were meant to peak interest of those left out of the joke (read: males) in order to raise awareness about breast cancer.
The main purpose of Facebook was to step-up awareness in Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. The game was a tremendous success and it make the men wondering for days and created a lot of speculation for a few days, what was the colors about which also it made it to the news.
This year, the game has to do with the handbag or purse. The question is: Where we put our handbag the moment we get home? For example "I like it on the couch", "I like it on the kitchen counter", "I like it on the dresser" well you get the idea. Just put your answer as your status and the campaign starts rolling.
With all the aim of bringing about awareness, education, and empowerment to the masses, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrating its 25th year this month, October 2010. Breast cancer awareness is for bringing the reader some facts connected to the possibly life-threatening disorder, as well as some additional information on the most available approach for early detection. Breast Cancer Awareness I like it to continue forever.
Apparently, this "I like it..." has something to do with breast cancer awareness. This is a game campaign created on Facebook. Last year, where all of our lady friends suddenly had Facebook status updates like “Black,” “Red,” or “Polka dots” and no one had any clue what was up. Well, the game last year is about what color bra you were wearing at the moment. Words got around that the updates were for the bra colors of choice and the updates were meant to peak interest of those left out of the joke (read: males) in order to raise awareness about breast cancer.
The main purpose of Facebook was to step-up awareness in Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. The game was a tremendous success and it make the men wondering for days and created a lot of speculation for a few days, what was the colors about which also it made it to the news.
This year, the game has to do with the handbag or purse. The question is: Where we put our handbag the moment we get home? For example "I like it on the couch", "I like it on the kitchen counter", "I like it on the dresser" well you get the idea. Just put your answer as your status and the campaign starts rolling.
With all the aim of bringing about awareness, education, and empowerment to the masses, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrating its 25th year this month, October 2010. Breast cancer awareness is for bringing the reader some facts connected to the possibly life-threatening disorder, as well as some additional information on the most available approach for early detection. Breast Cancer Awareness I like it to continue forever.
Diagnostic Mammogram Results Breast Examination Recommendations
Recent breast examination research recommendations show that diagnostic mammogram results do not really help women over the age 50 as much as what has been believed. The benefits of mammography are limited
A study conducted in Norway concludes mammogram results reduce the risk of an early death, but the benefit is disappointingly low. Breast cancer death rates in women undergoing mammography breast examination screening fell 28% in areas where routine screening was introduced in Norway, but only around 30% of the reduction could be attributed to the screening.
The death rate benefit ascribed to diagnostic mammogram screening was a decrease of 2.4 breast cancer deaths per 100,000 person-years, out of the total decrease of 7.2 deaths per 100,000 person-years from historical levels. The apparent effect of screening mammography was considerably smaller than expected. It's not the great lifesaver that people think it is.
Researchers followed the women over 50 breast cancer death rates who got regular mammograms and compared those to the death rate in an older group of women who didn't get the breast examination screening. They ascertained mammograms actually made little difference. Some 2,500 women would have to be regularly screened over 10 years to save one life from breast cancer.
Experts say most of that benefit wasn't from the screening, but rather due to better treatment and greater awareness of the disease.
However, other doctors advised women not to be discouraged about these findings. Doctors advice would be to actually to continue with current breast examination recommendations as some doctors do have personal experience with people having early detection and saving their lives.
Some suggest that the little benefit of diagnostic mammograms in the latest study results may be because the women weren't followed long enough. Maximum follow-up time was less than nine years, which could be insufficient to fully valuate the effects of mammograms screening. The American Cancer Society has long advocated that women get annual breast cancer screenings starting at 40.
A study conducted in Norway concludes mammogram results reduce the risk of an early death, but the benefit is disappointingly low. Breast cancer death rates in women undergoing mammography breast examination screening fell 28% in areas where routine screening was introduced in Norway, but only around 30% of the reduction could be attributed to the screening.
The death rate benefit ascribed to diagnostic mammogram screening was a decrease of 2.4 breast cancer deaths per 100,000 person-years, out of the total decrease of 7.2 deaths per 100,000 person-years from historical levels. The apparent effect of screening mammography was considerably smaller than expected. It's not the great lifesaver that people think it is.
Researchers followed the women over 50 breast cancer death rates who got regular mammograms and compared those to the death rate in an older group of women who didn't get the breast examination screening. They ascertained mammograms actually made little difference. Some 2,500 women would have to be regularly screened over 10 years to save one life from breast cancer.
Experts say most of that benefit wasn't from the screening, but rather due to better treatment and greater awareness of the disease.
However, other doctors advised women not to be discouraged about these findings. Doctors advice would be to actually to continue with current breast examination recommendations as some doctors do have personal experience with people having early detection and saving their lives.
Some suggest that the little benefit of diagnostic mammograms in the latest study results may be because the women weren't followed long enough. Maximum follow-up time was less than nine years, which could be insufficient to fully valuate the effects of mammograms screening. The American Cancer Society has long advocated that women get annual breast cancer screenings starting at 40.
Breast Cancer Survival Rate Improved Using Targeted Therapy and Genetic Profiling
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer in women in many countries and the peak age of occurrence is between 44 and 60 years old. New research found that breast cancer survival rate are being improved using targeted therapy and genetic profiling of tumors. An advancement in breast cancer treatment.
Such advancements consists of developments in radiotherapy, which have enabled this treatment selection to get more targeted and develop less side effects and the existence of new chemotherapy and hormonal drugs.
Radiotherapy is now more exact and these cuts down long term adverse effect on the surrounding organs. Betterment in chemotherapy permits formerly resistive tumors to be controlled. Having more chemotherapy options allows oncologist to use less older and more toxic chemotherapy drugs.
Study has indicated that advancements in medical technology have corresponded with improvement in breast cancer survival rates. The latest betterment in breast cancer treatment are targeted therapy and tumor genetic profiling.
Targeted therapy is a new type of cancer treatment which utilizes drugs or other compounds to home in on and attack cancer cells. Genetic profiling of tumor correspondences and deciphers the genetic data of tumors. Genetic profiling permits doctor to anticipate the behavior of the cancer, especially its ability to induce a relapse in future.
One example of how targeted therapy can be used to fight breast cancer is the artificially produced antibody trastuzumab, which could be used in both early and late stage breast cancer if the target that the antibody works on is present.
These drugs switch off the growth breast cancer cells, which forces cancer to grow and proliferate. Their added advantage is that they have minimal side effects.
Besides advancements in breast treatment, a change in doctors approach to breast cancer treatment which may have also encouraged breast cancer survival rates. There is a trend in doctors towards being more restrained or conservative use of surgery and being more aggressive use of chemotherapy, targeted therapy and hormonal therapy.
By channelizing effort towards better control of relapse in the rest of the body, the survival rates of with breast cancer has steadily improved. Now, when breast cancer is discovered at an earlier stage, it is not rare to be able to reach long-term survival in eight or nine out of 10 women.
Such advancements consists of developments in radiotherapy, which have enabled this treatment selection to get more targeted and develop less side effects and the existence of new chemotherapy and hormonal drugs.
Radiotherapy is now more exact and these cuts down long term adverse effect on the surrounding organs. Betterment in chemotherapy permits formerly resistive tumors to be controlled. Having more chemotherapy options allows oncologist to use less older and more toxic chemotherapy drugs.
Study has indicated that advancements in medical technology have corresponded with improvement in breast cancer survival rates. The latest betterment in breast cancer treatment are targeted therapy and tumor genetic profiling.
Targeted therapy is a new type of cancer treatment which utilizes drugs or other compounds to home in on and attack cancer cells. Genetic profiling of tumor correspondences and deciphers the genetic data of tumors. Genetic profiling permits doctor to anticipate the behavior of the cancer, especially its ability to induce a relapse in future.
One example of how targeted therapy can be used to fight breast cancer is the artificially produced antibody trastuzumab, which could be used in both early and late stage breast cancer if the target that the antibody works on is present.
These drugs switch off the growth breast cancer cells, which forces cancer to grow and proliferate. Their added advantage is that they have minimal side effects.
Besides advancements in breast treatment, a change in doctors approach to breast cancer treatment which may have also encouraged breast cancer survival rates. There is a trend in doctors towards being more restrained or conservative use of surgery and being more aggressive use of chemotherapy, targeted therapy and hormonal therapy.
By channelizing effort towards better control of relapse in the rest of the body, the survival rates of with breast cancer has steadily improved. Now, when breast cancer is discovered at an earlier stage, it is not rare to be able to reach long-term survival in eight or nine out of 10 women.
Breast Cancer Radiation Treatments – Single Dose Treatment for Breast Cancer
A new Breast Cancer Radiation Treatments results were published in The Lancet medical journal indicating that single dose of radiation treatment for breast cancer during surgery is just as efficient for breast cancer patients compared to those receiving weeks of radiation.
Over 2,000 women from 9 countries in Europe, North America and Asia participated in the test, in which a one-time blast radiation or was directed at a tumor location during surgery. The test presented that four years after this single dose radiation treatment for breast cancer, the chances of having a recurrence of breast cancer was almost the same for both radiation treatments.
Applying the single dose procedure would be more convenient for patients and also greatly cut down the waiting lists. It is the next step in opening up a wider range of alternatives for women. These new treatment technique could save patients weeks of after operation radiotherapy that can lead to 20 or 30 visits to hospital. The single dose breast cancer radiation treatment during surgery also prevents possible harm from radiation exposure to organs such as the heart, lung, and oesophagus.
These new technique is called the Targets Intra-operative Radiotherapy, whereby a mobile radiotherapy machine is used to insert into the breast to direct the exact locate of the breast cancer. However, the major drawback is that while the study followed women for four years after their cancer was diagnosed, the disease can sometimes recur after eight or more years. Also, the findings were only applicable to women with a same type of breast cancer as those in the test but still researchers were excited about the findings.
Radiotherapy is already a very effective treatment, so improving it even further is an exciting prospect. Additional follow-up on these women will be required to affirm whether this breast cancer radiation treatment is not only makes the most of the therapy’s power but also reduces any long-term side effects.
Over 2,000 women from 9 countries in Europe, North America and Asia participated in the test, in which a one-time blast radiation or was directed at a tumor location during surgery. The test presented that four years after this single dose radiation treatment for breast cancer, the chances of having a recurrence of breast cancer was almost the same for both radiation treatments.
Applying the single dose procedure would be more convenient for patients and also greatly cut down the waiting lists. It is the next step in opening up a wider range of alternatives for women. These new treatment technique could save patients weeks of after operation radiotherapy that can lead to 20 or 30 visits to hospital. The single dose breast cancer radiation treatment during surgery also prevents possible harm from radiation exposure to organs such as the heart, lung, and oesophagus.
These new technique is called the Targets Intra-operative Radiotherapy, whereby a mobile radiotherapy machine is used to insert into the breast to direct the exact locate of the breast cancer. However, the major drawback is that while the study followed women for four years after their cancer was diagnosed, the disease can sometimes recur after eight or more years. Also, the findings were only applicable to women with a same type of breast cancer as those in the test but still researchers were excited about the findings.
Radiotherapy is already a very effective treatment, so improving it even further is an exciting prospect. Additional follow-up on these women will be required to affirm whether this breast cancer radiation treatment is not only makes the most of the therapy’s power but also reduces any long-term side effects.
Alcohol and Breast Cancer - Long Term Effects of Alcohol Abuse
A new study on Alcohol and Breast Cancer discovered that alcohol consumption early in a woman’s life could put her at a higher risk of developing breast disease, which could lead to cancer. This is the result of long term effects of alcohol abuse consumption.
A research based on a group of approximately 6,900 women, aged between 16 to 23 years old was conducted and researchers discovered that those who drank six or seven days per week had five times more than the odds of developing the so-called benign breast disease years later.
Women with benign breast disease will have hard lumps in their breasts, which may turn cancer in some instances. According to the National Cancer Institute, the general broad group of conditions includes irregular cysts, breast discomfort, sensitive nipples and itching.
These new study is the first to look into alcohol consumption directly during adolescence and continued following the girls into adulthood. About one (1) per cent or 67 of them said they had been diagnosed with benign breast disease when they were interviewed later at age 18 to 27 years old. Those who drank more were more likely to suffer from the condition, with each average drinking increasing to the risk of getting the breast disease.
It is unclear why alcohol would have an effect on the breast disease or cancer, but researchers assume that alcohol effect on oestrogen that could promote breast tissue growth. This study results give older girls and adolescents another reason to avoid alcohol consumption.
A research based on a group of approximately 6,900 women, aged between 16 to 23 years old was conducted and researchers discovered that those who drank six or seven days per week had five times more than the odds of developing the so-called benign breast disease years later.
Women with benign breast disease will have hard lumps in their breasts, which may turn cancer in some instances. According to the National Cancer Institute, the general broad group of conditions includes irregular cysts, breast discomfort, sensitive nipples and itching.
These new study is the first to look into alcohol consumption directly during adolescence and continued following the girls into adulthood. About one (1) per cent or 67 of them said they had been diagnosed with benign breast disease when they were interviewed later at age 18 to 27 years old. Those who drank more were more likely to suffer from the condition, with each average drinking increasing to the risk of getting the breast disease.
It is unclear why alcohol would have an effect on the breast disease or cancer, but researchers assume that alcohol effect on oestrogen that could promote breast tissue growth. This study results give older girls and adolescents another reason to avoid alcohol consumption.
Hyperthermia Surgery - Inflammatory Breast Cancer Survival
This patient was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer but she avoided the conventional treatments and went for Hyperthermia Surgery.
Hyperthermia is an alternative breast cancer treatment. The combination of Hyperthermia with low IMRT radiation therapy, is consider one of the best alternatives breast cancer treatment available in present days, this is due to the low or non side effects an high response rates. Extensive treatments and research from Duke University in the last two years shows proof that it is by Dr. James Bicher who had worked on this efficient modality of cancer treatment since 1983, which is over 36 years.
Hyperthermia is an alternative breast cancer treatment. The combination of Hyperthermia with low IMRT radiation therapy, is consider one of the best alternatives breast cancer treatment available in present days, this is due to the low or non side effects an high response rates. Extensive treatments and research from Duke University in the last two years shows proof that it is by Dr. James Bicher who had worked on this efficient modality of cancer treatment since 1983, which is over 36 years.
Signs Of Breast Cancer In Young Women
The signs of breast cancer in young women is quite difficult to detect. One cause for these is that young women don't think that they are prone to breast cancer and don't take the signs seriously. Therefore, though breast cancer in young women can be addressed at the early stages, imputable to the lack of recognition on the symptoms of breast cancer, the cancer could go unnoticed until it extends to a very advanced stage. Aside from this, the breast tissues in young women are denser than in older women and hence, it is a bit hard to discover the cancerous lump in their breasts. Even so, there are several other signs of breast cancer in young women that one should be aware of.
The following are some signs of breast cancer in young women:
Change in the Breasts or Nipples
Be mindful of any thickening or lumps that form in or on the breasts or underarms that last after when the period is over. Most women may observe that their nipples look retracted. The nipples may become reddish in color and may be painful as well as irritation. Clear fluid or blood-stained discharging from the nipples.
Some women may experience decrease in breast size while others could be increase in size. By the time the some woman starts noticing the change in breast size, it may have changed considerably as the changes in the size of the breasts occurs gradually. Younger women should be aware of non-pregnancy related changes in their breasts, including contour and size.
Appearance of Lumps
Lumps are the basic sign of breast cancer, nevertheless, young women are not always educated to recognize the lumps caused by breast cancer. A lump is a thickening which is found near the breasts or occasionally in the armpits. This lump that is felt like a small sized pea which may not be very painful, have tenderness or irritation near that area.
Changes in Breast Texture and Color
Young women may experience the change in the breast texture also the color of the breasts. The color of the breasts can transformed into red or pink in color, which can happen either on the entire breast or only on certain area of the skin. Some may experience breast giving the skin of an orange color due to scarring. Another sign of breast cancer in young women is the indentations on the breast or in the area above the breasts.
It is recommended to young women to indulge in self breast checkup each month after their periods. Consult a health practitioner immediately if any of the signs of breast cancer in young women is observed.
The following are some signs of breast cancer in young women:
Change in the Breasts or Nipples
Be mindful of any thickening or lumps that form in or on the breasts or underarms that last after when the period is over. Most women may observe that their nipples look retracted. The nipples may become reddish in color and may be painful as well as irritation. Clear fluid or blood-stained discharging from the nipples.
Some women may experience decrease in breast size while others could be increase in size. By the time the some woman starts noticing the change in breast size, it may have changed considerably as the changes in the size of the breasts occurs gradually. Younger women should be aware of non-pregnancy related changes in their breasts, including contour and size.
Appearance of Lumps
Lumps are the basic sign of breast cancer, nevertheless, young women are not always educated to recognize the lumps caused by breast cancer. A lump is a thickening which is found near the breasts or occasionally in the armpits. This lump that is felt like a small sized pea which may not be very painful, have tenderness or irritation near that area.
Changes in Breast Texture and Color
Young women may experience the change in the breast texture also the color of the breasts. The color of the breasts can transformed into red or pink in color, which can happen either on the entire breast or only on certain area of the skin. Some may experience breast giving the skin of an orange color due to scarring. Another sign of breast cancer in young women is the indentations on the breast or in the area above the breasts.
It is recommended to young women to indulge in self breast checkup each month after their periods. Consult a health practitioner immediately if any of the signs of breast cancer in young women is observed.
Young Survivors Of Breast Cancer
Young survivors of breast cancer talks about how they feel when they learned that they are being diagnosed with breast cancer. What they feel like doing...Sharing their experiences...An encouragement for young women affected by Breast Cancer.
Breast Cancer Pain
Breast cancer pain can last for many years. A survey shows that nearly half of the breast cancer survivors suffer from persistent pain after surgery that could last even two to three years. Nearly 60% of the 3,253 women being surveyed experience other symptoms of nerve damage, such as numbness or tenderness, according to a study of all Danish women treated for breast cancer in 2005 and 2006.
Breast cancer patient can experience pain that come from cancer pain and non-cancer pain.
Breast cancer pain may due to the following:
1. Breast tumor: occasionally the mass in the breast may hurt. Moderate to severe pain can be felt within the breast if it is an inflammatory breast cancer. These is due to cancer in the skin above the breast tumor. Pain can also be felt if the tumor has made an ulcer or sore through the skin covering the breast.
2. Metastases: The cancer that have spread into other parts of the body is called metastatic disease. These may produce pain in the involved areas. For instance, when the cancer spreads to the bone, it can cause pain in the back, hips, or other bones. Cancer that has spread to the brain may cause headaches. Severe back pain with leg weakness may be from cancer that has metastasized to the spinal cord. Patient may felt a dull back pain if the cancer spreads to the adrenal glands. If it spreads to the liver, the upper right part of the abdomen can be painful.
3. Treatment: Sometimes the treatment can makes the cancer hurt more. For instance, the commencement of hormone therapy or radiation for bone metastases may cause a burning of bone pain. This occurs because the cancer swells in reaction to treatment and places more pressure on the bone's nerve supply.
4. Breast pain: Although breast pain is typically non-cancerous, new and persistent uncomfortableness in only one breast may be of concern. This is particularly real if the pain is relapsing without any clear explanation. A breast exam, radiology studies, and possibly a biopsy may be recommended.
Pain can also come from these non-cancer sources like, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, recovery phase, non-cancerous breast changes.
A study show that non-Caucasian patients were 2.52-times more likely than their Caucasian counterparts to experience severe pain. Other predictors for greater pain were inactive performance status and having had radiation treatment beside the race. As noticed, non-Caucasian race was also a risk factor for worsening pain during follow-up.
A research show that Acupuncture may ease breast cancer pain. Women were expected to rate the severity of their pain and its effect on daily functions, on a scale of 0 to 10. At the beginning of the study, the average pain rating was 6.7. After six weeks, the rated pain scale is on average 3.0. In addition to seeing a significant reduction in the severity of their pain, the group also discovered betterment in their overall physical well-being.
Some alternative therapies can also help improve quality of life and control pain for women with breast cancer. For example:
1. Ioining a hypnosis and psychotherapy group. Pain was scaled down significantly for women with metastatic breast cancer who combined hypnosis and therapy .
2. Learn Zen meditation. Individuals who meditate felt reduced perception of pain that can cut down the need for pain medication.
3. Join a laughter yoga group. It is utilized as a complementary way to promote wellness and cope with illness.
Breast cancer patient can experience pain that come from cancer pain and non-cancer pain.
Breast cancer pain may due to the following:
1. Breast tumor: occasionally the mass in the breast may hurt. Moderate to severe pain can be felt within the breast if it is an inflammatory breast cancer. These is due to cancer in the skin above the breast tumor. Pain can also be felt if the tumor has made an ulcer or sore through the skin covering the breast.
2. Metastases: The cancer that have spread into other parts of the body is called metastatic disease. These may produce pain in the involved areas. For instance, when the cancer spreads to the bone, it can cause pain in the back, hips, or other bones. Cancer that has spread to the brain may cause headaches. Severe back pain with leg weakness may be from cancer that has metastasized to the spinal cord. Patient may felt a dull back pain if the cancer spreads to the adrenal glands. If it spreads to the liver, the upper right part of the abdomen can be painful.
3. Treatment: Sometimes the treatment can makes the cancer hurt more. For instance, the commencement of hormone therapy or radiation for bone metastases may cause a burning of bone pain. This occurs because the cancer swells in reaction to treatment and places more pressure on the bone's nerve supply.
4. Breast pain: Although breast pain is typically non-cancerous, new and persistent uncomfortableness in only one breast may be of concern. This is particularly real if the pain is relapsing without any clear explanation. A breast exam, radiology studies, and possibly a biopsy may be recommended.
Pain can also come from these non-cancer sources like, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, recovery phase, non-cancerous breast changes.
A study show that non-Caucasian patients were 2.52-times more likely than their Caucasian counterparts to experience severe pain. Other predictors for greater pain were inactive performance status and having had radiation treatment beside the race. As noticed, non-Caucasian race was also a risk factor for worsening pain during follow-up.
A research show that Acupuncture may ease breast cancer pain. Women were expected to rate the severity of their pain and its effect on daily functions, on a scale of 0 to 10. At the beginning of the study, the average pain rating was 6.7. After six weeks, the rated pain scale is on average 3.0. In addition to seeing a significant reduction in the severity of their pain, the group also discovered betterment in their overall physical well-being.
Some alternative therapies can also help improve quality of life and control pain for women with breast cancer. For example:
1. Ioining a hypnosis and psychotherapy group. Pain was scaled down significantly for women with metastatic breast cancer who combined hypnosis and therapy .
2. Learn Zen meditation. Individuals who meditate felt reduced perception of pain that can cut down the need for pain medication.
3. Join a laughter yoga group. It is utilized as a complementary way to promote wellness and cope with illness.
Breast Cancer Radiation Short Term Successful
An intense short term breast cancer radiation therapy just as effective. A three-week course found to be just as effective as the standard five-week regime for early-stage breast cancer women.
A professor of oncology of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University, Dr. Tim Whelan, headed a team of researchers to discover that women who accepted the accelerated therapy have a lower risk of the breast cancer for as long as 12 years after treatment.
Women who undergo a three-week treatment - called the accelerated hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation were found to have a low risk of side effects and recurrence of the cancer more than a decade after the treatment. This conclude that short term breast cancer radiation therapy is just as effective as the standard five-week course of radiation following surgery to remove the malignancy.
These study's results will change cancer treatment practice not just in Canada, but throughout North America and around the world, said Dr. Whelan .
Dr. Whelan, who is also a radiation oncologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences, said "This is win-win: shorter intense treatment is better for the patient and less costly to provide."
A lot of women with early-stage breast cancer are able to undergo breast-conserving therapy to keep their breast after treatment. Generally, this implies that they first will have a lumpectomy to get rid of the cancer followed by a feed of radiation therapy to kill any unexpanded cancer cells.
Researchers randomly designated 1,234 women from Ontario and Quebec to be addressed with either accelerated radiation or standard radiation between April 1993 and September 1996, The participants were observed for 12 years to ascertain if the accelerated whole-breast radiation was as effective as the standard treatment.
After a decade of treatment, the breast cancer recurrence is 6.2 percent in patients treated with the accelerated radiation therapy, compared to 6.7 percent for patients treated with standard therapy. Both groups of patients also had a good or excellent cosmetic result from the radiation treatments.
Further research is now looking at even shorter more intensive therapy, said Whelan .
"We're now in the middle of further study on more intense radiation over an even shorter time, and we're seeing positive results."
A professor of oncology of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University, Dr. Tim Whelan, headed a team of researchers to discover that women who accepted the accelerated therapy have a lower risk of the breast cancer for as long as 12 years after treatment.
Breast Cancer Radiation Short Term Successful
The study concluded that a more intense but shorter course of therapy is as safe and efficient as the standard treatment for chosen women who have undergone breast-conserving surgery.Women who undergo a three-week treatment - called the accelerated hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation were found to have a low risk of side effects and recurrence of the cancer more than a decade after the treatment. This conclude that short term breast cancer radiation therapy is just as effective as the standard five-week course of radiation following surgery to remove the malignancy.
These study's results will change cancer treatment practice not just in Canada, but throughout North America and around the world, said Dr. Whelan .
Dr. Whelan, who is also a radiation oncologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences, said "This is win-win: shorter intense treatment is better for the patient and less costly to provide."
A lot of women with early-stage breast cancer are able to undergo breast-conserving therapy to keep their breast after treatment. Generally, this implies that they first will have a lumpectomy to get rid of the cancer followed by a feed of radiation therapy to kill any unexpanded cancer cells.
Researchers randomly designated 1,234 women from Ontario and Quebec to be addressed with either accelerated radiation or standard radiation between April 1993 and September 1996, The participants were observed for 12 years to ascertain if the accelerated whole-breast radiation was as effective as the standard treatment.
After a decade of treatment, the breast cancer recurrence is 6.2 percent in patients treated with the accelerated radiation therapy, compared to 6.7 percent for patients treated with standard therapy. Both groups of patients also had a good or excellent cosmetic result from the radiation treatments.
Further research is now looking at even shorter more intensive therapy, said Whelan .
"We're now in the middle of further study on more intense radiation over an even shorter time, and we're seeing positive results."
Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act
Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act to require that health plans provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for mastectomies, lumpectomies, and lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer and coverage for secondary consultations.
In January 1997, representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut sponsored H.R. 135, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 1997, in the 105th Congress. The bill tried to "amend the Public Health Service Act and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to ask that group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans furnish coverage for a minimum hospital stay for mastectomies and lymph node dissections executed for the treatment of breast cancer." Among other provisions, the suggested law mandated that the welfares of patients covered under group insurance plans not be confined "for any hospital length of stay in connection with a mastectomy for the treatment of breast cancer to less than 48 hours.
This bill was never conveyed to the floor for a ballot after its introduction to Congress. It was brought up to various congressional committees, where it faded without action until it expired with the end of the 105th Congress. Rep. DeLauro sponsored the same bill five more times: as H.R. 116 to the 106th Congress in January 1999 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 1999), as H.R. 536 to the 107th Congress in February 2001 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2001), as H.R. 1886 to the 108th Congress in April 2003 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2003), as H.R. 1849 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2005) to the 109th Congress in April 2005, and as H.R. 119 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007) to the 110th Congress in January 2007. In each case, the bill's destiny was the same: it was brought up to committees and exited without being brought to a ballot. In September 2008 the House finally took up H.R. 758 (a revised edition of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007, which had been introduced 21 months earlier) and authorized it; but the bill was not approved by the Senate before the end of the 110th Congress.
The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act passed the House last year by a vote of 421-2. The legislation would permit a woman and her doctor to choose whether she should recuperate from a mastectomy or lumpectomy for at least 48 hours in the hospital or whether she has enough support to get quality care at home. This is a bill in the U.S. Congress originating in the House of Representatives (”H.R.”). A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate and then be signed by the President before it becomes law. Bill numbers resume from 1 every two years. Each two-year cycle is called a session of Congress. This bill was created in the 111th Congress, in 2009-2010.
In January 1997, representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut sponsored H.R. 135, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 1997, in the 105th Congress. The bill tried to "amend the Public Health Service Act and Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to ask that group and individual health insurance coverage and group health plans furnish coverage for a minimum hospital stay for mastectomies and lymph node dissections executed for the treatment of breast cancer." Among other provisions, the suggested law mandated that the welfares of patients covered under group insurance plans not be confined "for any hospital length of stay in connection with a mastectomy for the treatment of breast cancer to less than 48 hours.
This bill was never conveyed to the floor for a ballot after its introduction to Congress. It was brought up to various congressional committees, where it faded without action until it expired with the end of the 105th Congress. Rep. DeLauro sponsored the same bill five more times: as H.R. 116 to the 106th Congress in January 1999 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 1999), as H.R. 536 to the 107th Congress in February 2001 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2001), as H.R. 1886 to the 108th Congress in April 2003 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2003), as H.R. 1849 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2005) to the 109th Congress in April 2005, and as H.R. 119 (the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007) to the 110th Congress in January 2007. In each case, the bill's destiny was the same: it was brought up to committees and exited without being brought to a ballot. In September 2008 the House finally took up H.R. 758 (a revised edition of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007, which had been introduced 21 months earlier) and authorized it; but the bill was not approved by the Senate before the end of the 110th Congress.
The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act passed the House last year by a vote of 421-2. The legislation would permit a woman and her doctor to choose whether she should recuperate from a mastectomy or lumpectomy for at least 48 hours in the hospital or whether she has enough support to get quality care at home. This is a bill in the U.S. Congress originating in the House of Representatives (”H.R.”). A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate and then be signed by the President before it becomes law. Bill numbers resume from 1 every two years. Each two-year cycle is called a session of Congress. This bill was created in the 111th Congress, in 2009-2010.
Breast Cancer Radiation
Breast cancer radiation therapy is a treatment that applies high energy x-rays to destruct cancer cells. Breast cancer radiation is a local treatment aimed at the breast and sometimes the surrounding lymph node area to destroy any isolated cells that may have been left behind to cut down the chance of a breast cancer recurrence. Radiation treatments are nomally given after a lumpectomy, or a mastectomy, but only if there is a high risk of a local recurrence.
Radiation breaks the DNA in cancer cells, so they cannot divide and multiply. The non-cancerous cells will survive radiation treatments. Patients who need systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy, may receive their radiation after chemotherapy is accomplished.
External Beam Radiation
The most common and standard type of breast cancer radiation treatment is the External Beam Radiation. Collimated beams of radiation is aimed from external of the body by a machine at the treatment area. Treatments will not begin only after the patient have healed from the breast surgery, or completed chemotherapy.
Accelerated Breast Irradiation
Accelerated Breast Irradiation treatments is used over a relatively short period of time for some patients. It is called Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI). This method of breast radiation appears to work similarly as the standard program.
Internal Breast Radiation - Brachytherapy
Internal breast radiation is performed after a lumpectomy, and only uses small seeds or pellets of radioactive material to render a dose of radiation from within the breast tissue. The dose of radiation is given directly to the tumor bed, and greatly reduces potential damage to healthy breast tissue nearby. The size and location of the tumor will determine whether or not a patient is suitable for brachytherapy.
Radiation During Breast Surgery
There is an experimental method of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) used during the breast surgery. IORT uses one large dose of radiation, applied directly into the tumor bed, after the tumor has been removed with a lumpectomy when the incision is still open. After the radiation, the incision is then closed, and no any further radiation therapy is needed. The surgical margins must be clear in order to be a suitable for this type of treatment.
The choice of breast cancer radiation treatments will be determined by several details of your diagnosis:
* Cancer stage
* Lymph node status
* Tumor size
* Type of surgery
* Surgical margins
* Location of tumor
* Location, and of extent of metastasis
 |
| Breast Cancer Radiation |
Radiation breaks the DNA in cancer cells, so they cannot divide and multiply. The non-cancerous cells will survive radiation treatments. Patients who need systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy, may receive their radiation after chemotherapy is accomplished.
Breast Cancer Radiation
External Beam Radiation
The most common and standard type of breast cancer radiation treatment is the External Beam Radiation. Collimated beams of radiation is aimed from external of the body by a machine at the treatment area. Treatments will not begin only after the patient have healed from the breast surgery, or completed chemotherapy.
Accelerated Breast Irradiation
Accelerated Breast Irradiation treatments is used over a relatively short period of time for some patients. It is called Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI). This method of breast radiation appears to work similarly as the standard program.
Internal Breast Radiation - Brachytherapy
Internal breast radiation is performed after a lumpectomy, and only uses small seeds or pellets of radioactive material to render a dose of radiation from within the breast tissue. The dose of radiation is given directly to the tumor bed, and greatly reduces potential damage to healthy breast tissue nearby. The size and location of the tumor will determine whether or not a patient is suitable for brachytherapy.
Radiation During Breast Surgery
There is an experimental method of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) used during the breast surgery. IORT uses one large dose of radiation, applied directly into the tumor bed, after the tumor has been removed with a lumpectomy when the incision is still open. After the radiation, the incision is then closed, and no any further radiation therapy is needed. The surgical margins must be clear in order to be a suitable for this type of treatment.
The choice of breast cancer radiation treatments will be determined by several details of your diagnosis:
* Cancer stage
* Lymph node status
* Tumor size
* Type of surgery
* Surgical margins
* Location of tumor
* Location, and of extent of metastasis
Breast Cancer Lymph Nodes
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| Breast Cancer Lymph Nodes |
Breast Cancer Lymph Nodes
Basically, there are three types of lymph node involvement in breast cancer:1. Minimal (or microscopic) lymph node involvement:
The lymph nodes are found with only a small number of cancer cells.
2. Significant (or macroscopic) lymph node involvement:
The cancer has spread to a particular lymph node or group of nodes and most of the time it can be felt by hand or seen without a microscope.
3. Extra-capsular lymph node extension:
The whole lymph node is taken over by a breast cancer tumor and spills beyond the wall of the lymph node into the surrounding fat.
Generally, the more extensive the lymph node involvement, the more aggressive the breast cancer will be. But the extent of disease within a particular lymph node is less important than the total number of lymph nodes affected. The more lymph nodes that are involved, the more threatening the breast cancer may be.
The following categories are used to describe the overall level of breast cancer lymph nodes involvement:
* no lymph nodes involved
* 1–3 nodes involved
* 4–9 nodes involved
* 10 or more nodes involved
Negative and Positive Breast Cancer Lymph Nodes:
If lymph nodes are clear of cancer, they are considered negative or clear, and rated N0. Lymph nodes are considered positive or cancerous and rated N1, N2, or N3 depending on the number affected and the location when it contain cancer cells or micro-metastasis. Rating positive breast cancer lymph nodes:
* N1: Cancer is found in 1-3 lymph nodes under the arm or lymph nodes within the breast
* N2: Cancer is found in 4-9 lymph nodes under the arm or lymph nodes within the breast
* N3: Cancer is found in 10 or more lymph nodes under the arm, or has spread under or over the collarbone. It may have been found in the underarm nodes as well as lymph nodes within the breast.
Determining whether the lymph nodes are free of cancer or not is an essential part of the breast cancer staging process and will help determine treatment and prognosis. Tumor size and the extent to which breast cancer has metastasized (spread) to other regions of the body is also examined.
| Stage | Tumor Size | Lymph Node Involvement | Metastasis (Spread) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Less than 2 cm | No | No |
| II | Between 2-5 cm | No or in same side of breast | No |
| III | More than 5 cm | Yes, on same side of breast | No |
| IV | Not applicable | Not applicable | Yes |
An axillary node dissection is a standard way to examine the lymph nodes. This procedure is normally done during the lumpectomy or mastectomy operation. It involves removing 10 to 30 lymph nodes for pathological examination using a microscope. The most common side effect of an axillary node dissection is lymph-edema (chronic swelling) of the arm, which may affect up to 10% of patients. Lymph-edema is caused when fluid to build up in the arm due to disruption or blocking of the normal process of draining lymph from the arm.
Sentinel node biopsy is another surgical option being used on selected breast cancer patients to determine whether breast cancer is present in the lymph nodes. A sentinel node biopsy involves removing only one to three sentinel lymph nodes (the first nodes in the lymphatic chain).
Breast Cancer Treatment Options
There are several breast cancer treatment options to choose from, which could can be confusing and overwhelming. The treatment options can differ from patient to patient, from a breast cancer type to another and from a breast cancer stage to another. To give an example, the treatment goal for breast cancer in stage I, II and III is to cure the cancer and prevent a recurrence either in the original location of the tumor or anywhere else within the body. However, The treatment goal for cancer in stage IV is symptom improvement and prolonged survival. Most breast cancer types in the last stage cannot be cured.
Surgery
Surgery is for the premier local option available in the treatment of local tumors in breast cancer, which include breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy. The type of surgery chosen will depends on the size of the tumour, location of the tumour and risk for recurrence. This treatment option removes the tumour in its entirety.
Radiation Therapy
Radition therapy is a treatment type that uses high-energy rays or particles that destroy the cancer cells. There are two types a radiation therapy: external beam radiation and internal radiation.
Radiation Therapy is usually administered several weeks after a lumpectomy or whenever the surgery has healed after a mastectomy. Treatment can last from three to six weeks. It is administered externally but in some cases treatment can be administered internally.
Systemic Therapy
Systemic therapy treatment is received through oral or IV medication to reach and dismiss the cancer cells that may have spread beyond the breast region. Systemic therapy includes: chemotherapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy.
The chemotherapy treatment can be taken by mouth, by injection, by intravenous injection or by intravenous pump at set cycles or rounds that are determined by the drugs prescribed. These treatments cause the fast growing cancer cells to stop dividing, stop growing and die. Chemotherapy can be given before surgery to shrink a tumour or after surgery to reduce the chances of recurrence.
Hormone Therapy
About two thirds of breast cancers containing estrogen or progesterone receptors are caused by the hormone called estrogen. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries until menopause. This hormone will continue to be present in a woman's body after menopause because a testosterone-like hormone produced by the adrenal gland is converted into estrogen mostly into the fat tissues of the body. Hormone therapy is trying to block the estrogen effect and to reduce the estrogen level.
There are several hormone therapy options like TAMOXIFEN and ARIMIDEX
Lumpectomy is often a suitable treatment option for patients with the following breast cancers:
- Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
- Stage 1
- Stage 2
- Stage 3
Stage 2 breast cancers are curable with current multi-modality treatment consisting of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy.
Surgery
Surgery is for the premier local option available in the treatment of local tumors in breast cancer, which include breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy. The type of surgery chosen will depends on the size of the tumour, location of the tumour and risk for recurrence. This treatment option removes the tumour in its entirety.
Radiation Therapy
Radition therapy is a treatment type that uses high-energy rays or particles that destroy the cancer cells. There are two types a radiation therapy: external beam radiation and internal radiation.
Radiation Therapy is usually administered several weeks after a lumpectomy or whenever the surgery has healed after a mastectomy. Treatment can last from three to six weeks. It is administered externally but in some cases treatment can be administered internally.
Systemic Therapy
Systemic therapy treatment is received through oral or IV medication to reach and dismiss the cancer cells that may have spread beyond the breast region. Systemic therapy includes: chemotherapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy.
The chemotherapy treatment can be taken by mouth, by injection, by intravenous injection or by intravenous pump at set cycles or rounds that are determined by the drugs prescribed. These treatments cause the fast growing cancer cells to stop dividing, stop growing and die. Chemotherapy can be given before surgery to shrink a tumour or after surgery to reduce the chances of recurrence.
Hormone Therapy
About two thirds of breast cancers containing estrogen or progesterone receptors are caused by the hormone called estrogen. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries until menopause. This hormone will continue to be present in a woman's body after menopause because a testosterone-like hormone produced by the adrenal gland is converted into estrogen mostly into the fat tissues of the body. Hormone therapy is trying to block the estrogen effect and to reduce the estrogen level.
There are several hormone therapy options like TAMOXIFEN and ARIMIDEX
Lumpectomy is often a suitable treatment option for patients with the following breast cancers:
- Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
- Stage 1
- Stage 2
- Stage 3
Stage 2 breast cancers are curable with current multi-modality treatment consisting of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy.
Male Breast Cancer
Male breast cancer is uncommon, accounting for only about 1% of all breast cancers. Male breast cancer is cancer that forms in the breast tissue of men. Though breast cancer is most commonly thought of as a woman's disease. It happens most common in older men, men between the ages of 60 and 70. though male breast cancer can occur at any age.
The cause of male breast cancer has not been fully characterized, but both environmental influences and genetic (inherited) factors are likely to play a role in its development. The following risk factors for the development of male breast cancer have been identified. Risk factors for male breast cancer include exposure to radiation, a family history of breast cancer and having high estrogen levels, which can occur with diseases like cirrhosis or Klinefelter's syndrome.
The most common type of male breast cancer is infiltrating ductal carcinoma, which is also a common type of breast cancer in women. Other uncommon types of cancers of the breast that have been reported in men include ductal carcinoma in situ (cancer in the ducts that has not spread beyond the ducts themselves).
Symptoms of male breast cancer include lumps, changes to the nipple or breast skin, or discharge of fluid from the nipple. The most common symptom of breast cancer in men is finding a firm, non-painful mass located just below the nipple. The average size of breast cancer in men when first discovered is about 2.5 cm in diameter. The cancer may cause skin changes in the area of the nipple. These changes can include ulceration of the skin, puckering or dimpling, redness or scaling of the nipple, or retraction (turning inward) of the nipple. Bloody or opaque discharge from the nipple may also occur.
Men diagnosed with male breast cancer at an early stage have a good chance for a cure. Still, many men delay seeing their doctors if they notice unusual signs or symptoms, such as a breast lump. This is due to lack of awareness. Some men ignore breast lumps or think they are caused by an infection or some other reason, and they do not get medical treatment until the mass has had a chance to grow. Some men are embarrassed about finding a breast lump and worry that someone might question their masculinity. This may also delay diagnosis and reduce a man's chances for successful treatment. For this reason, many breast cancer in man are diagnosed when the disease is more advanced.
Treatment for male breast cancer is usually a mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast. Other treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy.
The cause of male breast cancer has not been fully characterized, but both environmental influences and genetic (inherited) factors are likely to play a role in its development. The following risk factors for the development of male breast cancer have been identified. Risk factors for male breast cancer include exposure to radiation, a family history of breast cancer and having high estrogen levels, which can occur with diseases like cirrhosis or Klinefelter's syndrome.
The most common type of male breast cancer is infiltrating ductal carcinoma, which is also a common type of breast cancer in women. Other uncommon types of cancers of the breast that have been reported in men include ductal carcinoma in situ (cancer in the ducts that has not spread beyond the ducts themselves).
Symptoms of male breast cancer include lumps, changes to the nipple or breast skin, or discharge of fluid from the nipple. The most common symptom of breast cancer in men is finding a firm, non-painful mass located just below the nipple. The average size of breast cancer in men when first discovered is about 2.5 cm in diameter. The cancer may cause skin changes in the area of the nipple. These changes can include ulceration of the skin, puckering or dimpling, redness or scaling of the nipple, or retraction (turning inward) of the nipple. Bloody or opaque discharge from the nipple may also occur.
Men diagnosed with male breast cancer at an early stage have a good chance for a cure. Still, many men delay seeing their doctors if they notice unusual signs or symptoms, such as a breast lump. This is due to lack of awareness. Some men ignore breast lumps or think they are caused by an infection or some other reason, and they do not get medical treatment until the mass has had a chance to grow. Some men are embarrassed about finding a breast lump and worry that someone might question their masculinity. This may also delay diagnosis and reduce a man's chances for successful treatment. For this reason, many breast cancer in man are diagnosed when the disease is more advanced.
Treatment for male breast cancer is usually a mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast. Other treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy.
Breast Cancer Survivor - Stefanie LaRue
Meet Stefanie LaRue, she was diagnosed with a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer at the age of 30. Contradictory after being told by her doctors that she was too young to have breast cancer. She went through multiple surgeries and months of chemo, Stefanie's doctors have classified her as having no evidence of the disease. Today, Stefanie acts as an advocate for breast cancer education and prevention, sharing her story with others and urging women to empower themselves as patients.
Breast Cancer Survivor Story - Laura Brokaw
This video is about Laura Brokaw, a breast cancer survivor. In this video, she tells her story on how she discovered she had breast cancer, then what happened next, and how she found a hospital for the treatment that gave her a second chance.
One Of The Youngest Breast Cancer Survivor
One of the youngest breast cancer survivor, Hannah Powell-Auslam, return to talk about how she return to a normal life after battling with Breast Cancer.
At the tender age of 11 Hannah Powell-Auslam is now a sixth-grader, a big Jonas Brothers fan and a softball lover who enjoys spending time with her friends.
Hannah Powell-Auslam talks about her cancer treatment.
She's also likely the youngest breast cancer survivor in the country.
After battling the disease since April, Hannah finally had her last chemotherapy treatment this fall, and shortly thereafter found out her cancer was no longer detectable.
The young girl from Fullerton, Calif., told Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" Friday that she is now feeling "good" and is advocating for all children to tell their parents immediately when there is something wrong with your body.
"Tell your parents right away," Hannah said, adding that she had waited to tell her mom about the lump in her breast because she was "embarrassed."
When "GMA" first reported Hannah's story this past spring, she had just been diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her primordial breast tissue -- the very tissue that in a healthy body would begin to develop into a breast once the child hits puberty.
"Originally I thought it was no big deal," Hannah's mom, Carrie Auslam, told "GMA."
But what had started as an itch to Hannah, her mother and doctors soon realized was much more serious.
Following the removal of the lump in her breast the doctor called her parents back into the office.
"He said, 'I'm really sorry to tell you, but it's cancer," Hannah's father, Jeremy Auslam, said.
Hannah's parents said they waited a few days to learn more about the disease and treatment plan before they told Hannah about the diagnosis.
"Her first question was, 'Am I going to die?'" Carrie Auslam said.
It was devastating news to the 10-year-old girl.
"I was just, how could this happen? I'm 10, so I was really shocked" Hannah told "Good Morning America" in May. "I just want to be a normal kid. I want to go back to school, play sports, hang out with my friends."
But Hannah couldn't go back to normal, at least not yet. And because of her young age and the rarity of the disease, doctors struggled to find a treatment plan that was age appropriate.
"Breast cancer in this population is exceedingly rare, less than one in a million" said Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
The form of breast cancer that Hannah had, secretory carcinoma, has been found in only a few hundred cases of young girls, representing less than .1 percent of all breast cancers, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Friends Band Together Behind Hannah
From tumor-removal to mastectomy to removal of the four cancerous lymph nodes under her arms and an exhausting 12 weeks of chemo, Hannah braved it all and even invited us to be there as her friends threw her a party where they shaved her head and showed their support.
"I feel sad. My hair is gone," Hannah told us choking back tears. "You feel like you are sick all of the time. You just want to lie in bed and be in your closed-off little box."
"It should be the furthest thing from your mind," said Hannah's mom. "Ten-year-olds don't get breast cancer."
But this 10-year old did and fought it with fortitude far surpassing her years.
First stop to celebrate the good news? Hannah became the envy of young girls the world over when she got to meet her heroes, the Jonas Brothers.
And this morning on "Good Morning America," Roberts surprised Hannah and her parents with American Girl dolls and a gift certificate for lunch at the store with her parents.
The 11-year-old, who said she was "excited to be here," was also excited to receive the new dolls.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/11-year-youngest-breast-cancer-survivors/story?id=8782697
At the tender age of 11 Hannah Powell-Auslam is now a sixth-grader, a big Jonas Brothers fan and a softball lover who enjoys spending time with her friends.
Hannah Powell-Auslam talks about her cancer treatment.
She's also likely the youngest breast cancer survivor in the country.
After battling the disease since April, Hannah finally had her last chemotherapy treatment this fall, and shortly thereafter found out her cancer was no longer detectable.
The young girl from Fullerton, Calif., told Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" Friday that she is now feeling "good" and is advocating for all children to tell their parents immediately when there is something wrong with your body.
"Tell your parents right away," Hannah said, adding that she had waited to tell her mom about the lump in her breast because she was "embarrassed."
When "GMA" first reported Hannah's story this past spring, she had just been diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her primordial breast tissue -- the very tissue that in a healthy body would begin to develop into a breast once the child hits puberty.
"Originally I thought it was no big deal," Hannah's mom, Carrie Auslam, told "GMA."
But what had started as an itch to Hannah, her mother and doctors soon realized was much more serious.
Following the removal of the lump in her breast the doctor called her parents back into the office.
"He said, 'I'm really sorry to tell you, but it's cancer," Hannah's father, Jeremy Auslam, said.
Hannah's parents said they waited a few days to learn more about the disease and treatment plan before they told Hannah about the diagnosis.
"Her first question was, 'Am I going to die?'" Carrie Auslam said.
It was devastating news to the 10-year-old girl.
"I was just, how could this happen? I'm 10, so I was really shocked" Hannah told "Good Morning America" in May. "I just want to be a normal kid. I want to go back to school, play sports, hang out with my friends."
But Hannah couldn't go back to normal, at least not yet. And because of her young age and the rarity of the disease, doctors struggled to find a treatment plan that was age appropriate.
"Breast cancer in this population is exceedingly rare, less than one in a million" said Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
The form of breast cancer that Hannah had, secretory carcinoma, has been found in only a few hundred cases of young girls, representing less than .1 percent of all breast cancers, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Friends Band Together Behind Hannah
From tumor-removal to mastectomy to removal of the four cancerous lymph nodes under her arms and an exhausting 12 weeks of chemo, Hannah braved it all and even invited us to be there as her friends threw her a party where they shaved her head and showed their support.
"I feel sad. My hair is gone," Hannah told us choking back tears. "You feel like you are sick all of the time. You just want to lie in bed and be in your closed-off little box."
"It should be the furthest thing from your mind," said Hannah's mom. "Ten-year-olds don't get breast cancer."
But this 10-year old did and fought it with fortitude far surpassing her years.
First stop to celebrate the good news? Hannah became the envy of young girls the world over when she got to meet her heroes, the Jonas Brothers.
And this morning on "Good Morning America," Roberts surprised Hannah and her parents with American Girl dolls and a gift certificate for lunch at the store with her parents.
The 11-year-old, who said she was "excited to be here," was also excited to receive the new dolls.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/11-year-youngest-breast-cancer-survivors/story?id=8782697
Breast Cancer Youngest Age Patient
For many of the estimated 180,000 women whose doctors will tell them they have breast cancer this year, the diagnosis will no doubt come as a shock. A fifth-grade student recently underwent a mastectomy after a cancer diagnosis.
But for the parents of 10-year-old Hannah Powell-Auslam of Fullerton, Calif., who learned in early April that their daughter had breast cancer, the news was particularly hard to swallow.
"It should be the furthest thing from your mind," Hannah's mother Carrie Auslam told reporters from KCAL-TV in Los Angeles. "Ten-year-olds don't get breast cancer."
For Hannah, the realization that she would have to deal with a disease normally associated with women many times her age was a difficult one to take.
"I told my mom, I just wanna be a normal kid," she told reporters. "I want to go back to school, play sports, hang out with my friends. So I started crying."
According to the family Web site documenting Hannah's fight against her cancer, Hannah underwent surgery to remove her breast on May 7, and she will likely progress to chemotherapy to minimize the chances that the cancer will spread or recur.
But Hannah's family said that the girl has endured the diagnosis with remarkable strength. Today, after an operation to remove the tumor and the surrounding breast tissue, her parents say on a family blog that she is back home and now has become a young symbol of the fight against cancer.
Breast Cancer Exceedingly Rare in Kids
As of Monday evening, requests by ABC News to contact both the family and Hannah's doctors were unsuccessful. Media reports have identified her cancer as an invasive ductal carcinoma at Stage IIA -- a type of cancer that oncologists say has rarely, if ever, been found in a girl of Hannah's age.
However, Hannah's father Jeremy Auslam said on the Web site that while his daughter had originally been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, it was later changed to invasive secretory carcinoma. This type of cancer is also rare in girls of Hannah's age and younger; it has only ever been documented in perhaps a few hundred girls in this age group.
But Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said that the change in diagnosis is good news, if true.
"This type of cancer is also extremely rare, but in children is more common than ductal carcinoma," he said. "The rarity of this disease makes information about it scarce; nonetheless it is thought to be a slow growing tumor with an excellent prognosis."
Hannah's Cancer a Scary Diagnosis
Regardless of what type of tumor it was, any kind of cancer is a heavy diagnosis to handle for a child Hannah's age, noted Lillie Shockney, administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center in Baltimore, Md.
"This is the youngest case I've ever heard of," Shockney said. "I find for youngsters at this age its best to not be focusing on the kind of cancer it is, but that it is cancer and that surgery and other treatment are needed.
"It's hard enough for adults to get their heads around breast cancer, much less a child."
While Hannah's story is ultimately a hopeful one, Shockney said that it is also highly unusual, and she added that she does not feel that it would be appropriate for parents to believe breast cancer is a major risk for their young daughters.
"I don't want the outcome to be that mothers are panicked across the country wanting to have their daughters in elementary and middle and high school to get mammograms or even clinical breast exams," Shockney said. "This is a highly unusual situation."
Shockney was not the only one to express reservations about how the situation should be broached to the public. While the Auslam family has been very open about Hannah's fight, the media coverage of her experience has sparked debate among breast cancer experts as to whether or not such a rare case of cancer should be given widespread coverage.
The risk of calling attention to such a story, said Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, could give parents and their daughters the impression that this form of cancer is far more common in young girls than it actually is -- a misconception that she said could lead to unnecessary fear and unneeded medical procedures.
"Breast cancer in this population is exceedingly rare, less than one in a million," Visco said. "We don't want these girls doing self exams and getting mammograms. We don't want to spread that message; it will only result in harm and no benefit. It's important to understand: this could be harmful to these young women."
Cancer in Young Girls 'Not a Public Health Issue'
Dr. Daniel Hayes, clinical director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, agreed that there was no need for young girls to begin unnecessary cancer screening.
"This is not a major public health issue, and there is no 'take home' message," he said. "What we don't want is a bunch of young girls having unnecessary biopsies or, worse, mammograms."
On the other side of the debate is Dr. Marisa Weiss, the president and founder of Breastcancer.org and author of the book "Taking Care of Your 'Girls': A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens, and In-Betweens."
Weiss heads up the Prevention Initiative for girls, a national outreach program designed to educate girls ages 8 to 18 on breast health and breast cancer prevention. She firmly supports the idea of educating girls about breast cancer and how to prevent it, even at a young age range. At the same time, she noted, "the fact is that breast cancer in girls is extraordinarily rare, though it does happen."
So why tell these girls about breast cancer at all? Weiss said that educating girls when they are young lays the foundation for a lifetime of breast health.
"What we do is explain to them what to expect in terms of breast development -- what are healthy changes, and what are unhealthy changes."
Weiss added that establishing positive breast health habits when girls are young -- habits such as healthy eating, exercise and smoking avoidance -- has the potential to lower future breast cancer rates.
"There is an opportunity, while they are that age, to build the healthiest foundation possible… this is just about the time when they begin to take up those unhealthy behaviors."
Parents Must Communicate Concerns to Doctors
Regardless of how rare Hannah's cancer is, some doctors said the case illustrates the need for parents to communicate their concerns to doctors -- and for doctors to take into account any potential health threats, however unusual.
"What bears emphasizing is that: a) this is incredibly rare, and teenagers need not worry about this happening to them; and b) physicians need to be aware that, while rare, this can happen, so that new lumps should be taken seriously," said Dr. George Sledge, professor of Medicine and Pathology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and editor-in-chief of the journal Clinical Breast Cancer.
Lichtenfeld agreed. "Hannah's case, which thankfully appears to be having an excellent outcome, is extremely unusual and should not be cause for undue alarm," he said. "As with any health issue, parents who are concerned about any seemingly unusual physical change should talk to their family's health care professional."
Likewise, Hannah told KCAL that she hopes her experience will help other children like her keep open lines of communication with their parents when it comes to health issues.
"I want to set an example for all the kids in the world, that if there's something wrong with your body, you tell your parents," she said.
Michelle Schlief and the ABC News Medical Unit contributed to this report.
Source: http://a.abcnews.com/Health/OnCallPlusBreastCancerNews/story?id=7619276&page=1
But for the parents of 10-year-old Hannah Powell-Auslam of Fullerton, Calif., who learned in early April that their daughter had breast cancer, the news was particularly hard to swallow.
"It should be the furthest thing from your mind," Hannah's mother Carrie Auslam told reporters from KCAL-TV in Los Angeles. "Ten-year-olds don't get breast cancer."
For Hannah, the realization that she would have to deal with a disease normally associated with women many times her age was a difficult one to take.
"I told my mom, I just wanna be a normal kid," she told reporters. "I want to go back to school, play sports, hang out with my friends. So I started crying."
According to the family Web site documenting Hannah's fight against her cancer, Hannah underwent surgery to remove her breast on May 7, and she will likely progress to chemotherapy to minimize the chances that the cancer will spread or recur.
But Hannah's family said that the girl has endured the diagnosis with remarkable strength. Today, after an operation to remove the tumor and the surrounding breast tissue, her parents say on a family blog that she is back home and now has become a young symbol of the fight against cancer.
Breast Cancer Exceedingly Rare in Kids
As of Monday evening, requests by ABC News to contact both the family and Hannah's doctors were unsuccessful. Media reports have identified her cancer as an invasive ductal carcinoma at Stage IIA -- a type of cancer that oncologists say has rarely, if ever, been found in a girl of Hannah's age.
However, Hannah's father Jeremy Auslam said on the Web site that while his daughter had originally been diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, it was later changed to invasive secretory carcinoma. This type of cancer is also rare in girls of Hannah's age and younger; it has only ever been documented in perhaps a few hundred girls in this age group.
But Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said that the change in diagnosis is good news, if true.
"This type of cancer is also extremely rare, but in children is more common than ductal carcinoma," he said. "The rarity of this disease makes information about it scarce; nonetheless it is thought to be a slow growing tumor with an excellent prognosis."
Hannah's Cancer a Scary Diagnosis
Regardless of what type of tumor it was, any kind of cancer is a heavy diagnosis to handle for a child Hannah's age, noted Lillie Shockney, administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center in Baltimore, Md.
"This is the youngest case I've ever heard of," Shockney said. "I find for youngsters at this age its best to not be focusing on the kind of cancer it is, but that it is cancer and that surgery and other treatment are needed.
"It's hard enough for adults to get their heads around breast cancer, much less a child."
While Hannah's story is ultimately a hopeful one, Shockney said that it is also highly unusual, and she added that she does not feel that it would be appropriate for parents to believe breast cancer is a major risk for their young daughters.
"I don't want the outcome to be that mothers are panicked across the country wanting to have their daughters in elementary and middle and high school to get mammograms or even clinical breast exams," Shockney said. "This is a highly unusual situation."
Shockney was not the only one to express reservations about how the situation should be broached to the public. While the Auslam family has been very open about Hannah's fight, the media coverage of her experience has sparked debate among breast cancer experts as to whether or not such a rare case of cancer should be given widespread coverage.
The risk of calling attention to such a story, said Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, could give parents and their daughters the impression that this form of cancer is far more common in young girls than it actually is -- a misconception that she said could lead to unnecessary fear and unneeded medical procedures.
"Breast cancer in this population is exceedingly rare, less than one in a million," Visco said. "We don't want these girls doing self exams and getting mammograms. We don't want to spread that message; it will only result in harm and no benefit. It's important to understand: this could be harmful to these young women."
Cancer in Young Girls 'Not a Public Health Issue'
Dr. Daniel Hayes, clinical director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, agreed that there was no need for young girls to begin unnecessary cancer screening.
"This is not a major public health issue, and there is no 'take home' message," he said. "What we don't want is a bunch of young girls having unnecessary biopsies or, worse, mammograms."
On the other side of the debate is Dr. Marisa Weiss, the president and founder of Breastcancer.org and author of the book "Taking Care of Your 'Girls': A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens, and In-Betweens."
Weiss heads up the Prevention Initiative for girls, a national outreach program designed to educate girls ages 8 to 18 on breast health and breast cancer prevention. She firmly supports the idea of educating girls about breast cancer and how to prevent it, even at a young age range. At the same time, she noted, "the fact is that breast cancer in girls is extraordinarily rare, though it does happen."
So why tell these girls about breast cancer at all? Weiss said that educating girls when they are young lays the foundation for a lifetime of breast health.
"What we do is explain to them what to expect in terms of breast development -- what are healthy changes, and what are unhealthy changes."
Weiss added that establishing positive breast health habits when girls are young -- habits such as healthy eating, exercise and smoking avoidance -- has the potential to lower future breast cancer rates.
"There is an opportunity, while they are that age, to build the healthiest foundation possible… this is just about the time when they begin to take up those unhealthy behaviors."
Parents Must Communicate Concerns to Doctors
Regardless of how rare Hannah's cancer is, some doctors said the case illustrates the need for parents to communicate their concerns to doctors -- and for doctors to take into account any potential health threats, however unusual.
"What bears emphasizing is that: a) this is incredibly rare, and teenagers need not worry about this happening to them; and b) physicians need to be aware that, while rare, this can happen, so that new lumps should be taken seriously," said Dr. George Sledge, professor of Medicine and Pathology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and editor-in-chief of the journal Clinical Breast Cancer.
Lichtenfeld agreed. "Hannah's case, which thankfully appears to be having an excellent outcome, is extremely unusual and should not be cause for undue alarm," he said. "As with any health issue, parents who are concerned about any seemingly unusual physical change should talk to their family's health care professional."
Likewise, Hannah told KCAL that she hopes her experience will help other children like her keep open lines of communication with their parents when it comes to health issues.
"I want to set an example for all the kids in the world, that if there's something wrong with your body, you tell your parents," she said.
Michelle Schlief and the ABC News Medical Unit contributed to this report.
Source: http://a.abcnews.com/Health/OnCallPlusBreastCancerNews/story?id=7619276&page=1
Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon
The Breast cancer pink ribbon aimed to create a global community to support breast cancer patients, survivors and their families all over the world. Ribbons have been used to express solidarity on the part of the wearer with the identified cause since the early to late 20th Century.The Susan G. Komen Foundation handed out pink ribbons to participants in its New York City race for breast cancer survivors, in the fall of 1991. The first breast cancer awareness stamp in the U.S., featuring a pink ribbon, was issued 1996. Breast Cancer Awareness Month each October, hundreds, if not thousands, of products are emblazoned with pink ribbons, colored pink, or otherwise sold with a promise of a small portion of the total cost being donated to support breast cancer awareness or research.
Nevertheless, promotion of the pink ribbon as a symbol for breast cancer has not been credited with saving any lives. Wearing or displaying a pink ribbon has been denounced as a kind of slacktivism, because it has no practical positive effect. Particularly sales promotions for products that increase pollution, have been condemned as pink washing (a portmanteau of pink ribbon and whitewash).
Aspirin and Breast Cancer
New research today suggest an inexpensive way for woman who survived from breast cancer to reduce their odd of getting it again. It probably in your cabinet now. The answer is Aspirin. Studies have shown that it can prevent heart disease and cancer and now there is evidence that aspirin may also prevent cancer from spreading.
3 Day Breast Cancer Walk 2010 Schedule
The Susan G. Komen 3 day breast cancer walk are held in cities throughtout the USA. Walkers walk approximately 20 miles a day, and camping out each night. The 3 day breast cancer walk benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation are challenging and energizing events held in multiple US cities every year. Walkers are challenged to walk approximately 20 miles a day for 3 days. They camp out each night in a tent city. All meals, snacks, and trail support are provided. Each walker must raise a minimum of $2300 in donations to participate.
The 2010 schedule are as followed:
Boston: 23-25 July
Cleveland: 30 July - 1 August
Chicago: 6-8 August
Michigan: 13-15 August
Twin Cities: 20-22 August
Denver: 27-29 August
Seattle: 24-26 September
San Francisco Bay Area: 1-3 October
Washington, DC: 8-10 October
Philadelphia: 15-17 October
Atlanta: 22-24 October
Tampa Bay: 29-31 October
Dallas/Fort Worth: 5-7 November
Arizona: 12-14 November
San Diego: 19-21 November
Registration can be done online or by mail with a fee of $90. Once registered participant will receive the training packet and be assigned to a coach. Orientation sessions are held in the walk cities itself, and walk training groups are held in various locations. These event is open to both men and women with age 16 and above. Minors must participate with their parent or legal guardian.
The 2010 schedule are as followed:
Boston: 23-25 July
Cleveland: 30 July - 1 August
Chicago: 6-8 August
Michigan: 13-15 August
Twin Cities: 20-22 August
Denver: 27-29 August
Seattle: 24-26 September
San Francisco Bay Area: 1-3 October
Washington, DC: 8-10 October
Philadelphia: 15-17 October
Atlanta: 22-24 October
Tampa Bay: 29-31 October
Dallas/Fort Worth: 5-7 November
Arizona: 12-14 November
San Diego: 19-21 November
Registration can be done online or by mail with a fee of $90. Once registered participant will receive the training packet and be assigned to a coach. Orientation sessions are held in the walk cities itself, and walk training groups are held in various locations. These event is open to both men and women with age 16 and above. Minors must participate with their parent or legal guardian.
Breast Cancer Statistics
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today (after lung cancer) and is the most common cancer among women, aside from non-melanoma cancers. Its is also the most common cancer among Canadian women.
Breast cancer incidence in women in the United States is 1 in 8 (about 13%). Approximately 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually worldwide and about 465,000 will die from the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer rates have risen about 30% in the past 25 years in western countries. This is due to increased in screening which detects the cancer in earlier stages.
In 2009, an estimation of 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,280 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases is expected to occur in men.
* An estimated 22,700 women diagnosed with breast cancer, 5,400 will die.
* An estimated 180 men diagnosed with breast cancer, 50 will die of it.
* On average, 437 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week.
* On average, 104 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.
Estimated Probability: One in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime and one in 28 will die of it. The lifetime probability of developing breast cancer in developed countries is about 4.8%, according to the American Cancer Society (the probability is about 13% for any type of cancer). In developing countries, the lifetime probability of developing breast cancer is about 1.8%.
Breast cancer survivors rate is about 2.5 million women in the U.S. in year 2008.
Breast cancer incidence in women in the United States is 1 in 8 (about 13%). Approximately 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually worldwide and about 465,000 will die from the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer rates have risen about 30% in the past 25 years in western countries. This is due to increased in screening which detects the cancer in earlier stages.
In 2009, an estimation of 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,280 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases is expected to occur in men.
* An estimated 22,700 women diagnosed with breast cancer, 5,400 will die.
* An estimated 180 men diagnosed with breast cancer, 50 will die of it.
* On average, 437 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week.
* On average, 104 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.
Estimated Probability: One in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime and one in 28 will die of it. The lifetime probability of developing breast cancer in developed countries is about 4.8%, according to the American Cancer Society (the probability is about 13% for any type of cancer). In developing countries, the lifetime probability of developing breast cancer is about 1.8%.
Breast cancer survivors rate is about 2.5 million women in the U.S. in year 2008.
Alternative Breast Cancer Treatment | Aspirin May Improve Chances of Surviving
Women suffering from breast cancer who take aspirin regularly appear to improve their chances of surviving the disease and preventing it from recurring, research suggests.
Patients taking the anti-inflammatory drug, usually for heart disease, had a 50 per cent lower chance of dying from breast cancer and a 50 per cent lower risk that the cancer would spread, according to a study of more than 4,000 women. Michelle Holmes of Harvard Medical School, who led the study published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said that the finding would need to be confirmed in other clinical trials, but suggested that aspirin might be a low-cost intervention to help improve survival rates. The risk was found to be lowest in women taking an aspirin between two and five times a week.
Continue Aspirin may improve chances of surviving breast cancer
Patients taking the anti-inflammatory drug, usually for heart disease, had a 50 per cent lower chance of dying from breast cancer and a 50 per cent lower risk that the cancer would spread, according to a study of more than 4,000 women. Michelle Holmes of Harvard Medical School, who led the study published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said that the finding would need to be confirmed in other clinical trials, but suggested that aspirin might be a low-cost intervention to help improve survival rates. The risk was found to be lowest in women taking an aspirin between two and five times a week.
Continue Aspirin may improve chances of surviving breast cancer
What is inflamatory breast cancer (IBC)?
Inflamatory breast cancer is a rare, less common but very aggressive type of breast cancer. It tends to be diagnosed in younger women compared to non-IBC breast cancer, in which the cancer cells block and hinder the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. This type of breast cancer is called “inflammatory” because the breast often looks swollen and red, or “inflamed.” IBC accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States. It occurs more frequently and at a younger age in African Americans than in Whites. Like other types of breast cancer, IBC can also occur in men, but usually at an older age than in women. Some studies have shown an connection between family chronicle of breast cancer and IBC, but further studies are needed to draw firm conclusions.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms
Inflammatory breast cancer is a less common but aggressive form of breast cancer, and many women overlook the warning signs. Dr. Beth Overmoyer of Dana-Farber discusses the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer and what you should do if you discover them.
Read more on Signs Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Read more on Signs Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer Stages
Breast cancer stages are divided into four number of stages classified by stages of breast cancer development. The stages allows a better understanding of prognosis. The breast cancer staging are based on the size of the tumor, is the cancer is invasive or non-invasive, are there any lymph nodes are involved, and whether the cancer has spread beyond the breast or another part of the body.
The purpose for the staging system is to help organize the different factors and some of the personality features of the cancer into categories, in order to select the treatment (because treatment depends on the stage of disease) and in addition, the classification makes it possible to describe the breast cancer staging, so that was understandable to all doctors all over the world. The results of treatment based on this stages can be compare.
Stage 0 (early stage)
Stage 0 is considered as a state used to describe non-invasive breast cancers. In stage 0, malignancy is localized in the breast tissue and there is no evidence of cancer cells or non-cancerous abnormal cells breaking out of the part of the breast, or of getting through to or invading neighboring normal tissue, and there are no signs of circulation to the lymph nodes.
Stage 1 describes invasive breast cancer, cancer cells are breaking through to or invading neighboring normal tissue) of breast cancer: Tumor size measures less than two centimeters, metastases to other organs and tissues are not available, no lymph nodes are involved.
Stage 2A - Tumor is less than 2 cm in cross section with the involvement of the lymph node, or tumor from 2 to 5 cm without involvement of axillary lymph nodes. There are also cases no tumor can be found in the breast, but cancer cells are found in the axillary lymph nodes (the lymph nodes under the arm),
Stage 2B - Tumor is larger than 5 cm in cross section when the result of axillary lymph nodes research is negative for cancer cells or tumor from 2 to 5 cm in diameter with the involvement of axillary lymph nodes.
Described the invasive late (metastatic) stages of breast cancer when cancer cells spread to the lymph nodes and other tissues and is divided into subcategories known as 3A, 3B, and 3C.
Stage 3A (local spread of breast cancer) - tumor more than 5 cm with spread to axillary lymph nodes, or tumor of any size with metastases in axillary lymph nodes, which are knitted to each other or with the surrounding tissues, OR tumor is larger than 5 centimeters and has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures, OR no tumor is found in the breast. Cancer is found in axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
Stage 3B - Tumor of any size has spread or metastases into the skin, chest wall or internal lymph nodes of mammary gland (located below the breast inside of chest). May have spread to axillary lymph nodes that are clustered together or adhering to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone. Inflammatory breast cancer is considered at this stage.
Stage 3C - Tumor of any size with a more widespread metastases and involvement of more lymph nodes. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes above or below the collarbone, and may have spread to axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone. There may be no sign of cancer in the breast.
An invasive breast cancer defined as the presence of tumors (regardless of the sizes), spread to parts of the body that are located far from the chest which can involve the bones, lungs, liver, brain or distant lymph nodes.
Metastatic cancer is considered as stage 4. "Metastatic at presentation" - the breast cancer has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes, even though this is the first diagnosis of breast cancer. The reason for this is that the primary breast cancer was not found when it was only inside the breast.
The purpose for the staging system is to help organize the different factors and some of the personality features of the cancer into categories, in order to select the treatment (because treatment depends on the stage of disease) and in addition, the classification makes it possible to describe the breast cancer staging, so that was understandable to all doctors all over the world. The results of treatment based on this stages can be compare.
Stage 0 (early stage)
Stage 0 is considered as a state used to describe non-invasive breast cancers. In stage 0, malignancy is localized in the breast tissue and there is no evidence of cancer cells or non-cancerous abnormal cells breaking out of the part of the breast, or of getting through to or invading neighboring normal tissue, and there are no signs of circulation to the lymph nodes.
Stage 1 describes invasive breast cancer, cancer cells are breaking through to or invading neighboring normal tissue) of breast cancer: Tumor size measures less than two centimeters, metastases to other organs and tissues are not available, no lymph nodes are involved.
Stage 2 breast cancer
described invasive breast cancer which is divided into subcategories known as 2A and 2B.Stage 2A - Tumor is less than 2 cm in cross section with the involvement of the lymph node, or tumor from 2 to 5 cm without involvement of axillary lymph nodes. There are also cases no tumor can be found in the breast, but cancer cells are found in the axillary lymph nodes (the lymph nodes under the arm),
Stage 2B - Tumor is larger than 5 cm in cross section when the result of axillary lymph nodes research is negative for cancer cells or tumor from 2 to 5 cm in diameter with the involvement of axillary lymph nodes.
Stage 3 Breast Cancer
Described the invasive late (metastatic) stages of breast cancer when cancer cells spread to the lymph nodes and other tissues and is divided into subcategories known as 3A, 3B, and 3C.
Stage 3A (local spread of breast cancer) - tumor more than 5 cm with spread to axillary lymph nodes, or tumor of any size with metastases in axillary lymph nodes, which are knitted to each other or with the surrounding tissues, OR tumor is larger than 5 centimeters and has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures, OR no tumor is found in the breast. Cancer is found in axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
Stage 3B - Tumor of any size has spread or metastases into the skin, chest wall or internal lymph nodes of mammary gland (located below the breast inside of chest). May have spread to axillary lymph nodes that are clustered together or adhering to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone. Inflammatory breast cancer is considered at this stage.
Stage 3C - Tumor of any size with a more widespread metastases and involvement of more lymph nodes. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes above or below the collarbone, and may have spread to axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone. There may be no sign of cancer in the breast.
Stage Four Breast Cancer
An invasive breast cancer defined as the presence of tumors (regardless of the sizes), spread to parts of the body that are located far from the chest which can involve the bones, lungs, liver, brain or distant lymph nodes.
Metastatic cancer is considered as stage 4. "Metastatic at presentation" - the breast cancer has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes, even though this is the first diagnosis of breast cancer. The reason for this is that the primary breast cancer was not found when it was only inside the breast.
Breast Cancer Awareness - The Pink Glove Dance
Hospital employees put together this video to generate breast cancer awareness throughout their hospital system. They had a ton of fun putting this together and hope it inspires others to join in the cause.
Signs of Breast Cancer
Oftentimes there are no significant signs of breast cancer that you can see or feel. If there are any significant signs, the more common ones are lump, which is an area of thickening, or a dimple in the breast. Less common signs include breast swelling up and inflammation or an fleshed out underarm lymph node.
However. it doesn't mean that you have breast cancer even if you have one or more of these signs. Most breast lumps turn out to be benign (not cancerous).
It is still very important that you consult your doctor immediately if you're worried that you might have breast cancer. Having your doctor's diagnosis will ease your worry, and if anything is found, you'll be able to take care of it promptly.
Physical examination of the breast is one way to uncovering breast cancer. Specific symptoms associated with breast cancer are
* lumps, redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
* nipple changes, nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
* cysts, nipple discharge other than breast milk
* breast pain, swelling of all or part of the breast and skin irritation or dimpling
These changes can be signs of less serious conditions that are not cancerous, such as an infection or a cyst. Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain.
A lump may be too small for you to feel or to cause any unusual changes initially. Normally, an unusual area turns up on a screening mammogram (x-ray of the breast), which results to further examination.
Commonly, the first sign of breast cancer is a new lump or aggregate in the breast that one can feel. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more plausible to be cancer. But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to have anything abnormal ascertained by your doctor. Statistics show that 9 out of 10 breast lumps (90%) are benign.
Inflammatory breast cancer can look red and inflamed which could also cause soreness. Another rare type of breast cancer surfaces as rashes on and around the nipple. It is known as Paget's disease which appears a bit like eczema and is occasionally misidentified as that at first.
And you can read more about the breast cancer causes.
However. it doesn't mean that you have breast cancer even if you have one or more of these signs. Most breast lumps turn out to be benign (not cancerous).
It is still very important that you consult your doctor immediately if you're worried that you might have breast cancer. Having your doctor's diagnosis will ease your worry, and if anything is found, you'll be able to take care of it promptly.
Physical examination of the breast is one way to uncovering breast cancer. Specific symptoms associated with breast cancer are
* lumps, redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
* nipple changes, nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
* cysts, nipple discharge other than breast milk
* breast pain, swelling of all or part of the breast and skin irritation or dimpling
These changes can be signs of less serious conditions that are not cancerous, such as an infection or a cyst. Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain.
A lump may be too small for you to feel or to cause any unusual changes initially. Normally, an unusual area turns up on a screening mammogram (x-ray of the breast), which results to further examination.
Commonly, the first sign of breast cancer is a new lump or aggregate in the breast that one can feel. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more plausible to be cancer. But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to have anything abnormal ascertained by your doctor. Statistics show that 9 out of 10 breast lumps (90%) are benign.
Inflammatory breast cancer can look red and inflamed which could also cause soreness. Another rare type of breast cancer surfaces as rashes on and around the nipple. It is known as Paget's disease which appears a bit like eczema and is occasionally misidentified as that at first.
And you can read more about the breast cancer causes.
Breast Cancer Causes
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| Breast Cancer Causes |
Breast Cancer Causes
Gender
Gender is one of the biggest risk causes because breast cancer mostly occurs in women. While men also get the disease, it is about 100 times more common in women than in men.
Age
Age is another critical factor that causes breast cancer, even though breast cancer may occur at any age but the risk increases with age. Generally, women over 50 are more likely to get breast cancer than younger women. Most breast cancers (about 80%) develop in women over the age of 50. The average woman at age 30 years has one chance in 280 of developing breast cancer in the next 10 years. This chance increases to one in 70 for a woman aged 40 years, and to one in 40 at age 50 years. A 60-year-old woman has a one in 30 chance of developing breast cancer in the next 10 years.
Race
African-American women are more likely than Caucasian to get breast cancer before menopause but white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than African American women in the U.S. and also African American women are more likely to die of breast cancer due to faster growing tumors in their race. Statistics show that Asian, Hispanic, and Native-American women have a lower risk of getting and dying from breast cancer. Why this is the case and cause, is unknown.
Benign Breast Disease
Certain benign (not cancer) breast problems can cause increased risk of breast cancer. Fibrocystic breast changes are very common. Fibrocystic disease temporary changes in the breasts that coincide with the menstrual cycle especially right before the menstrual period. Fibrocystic breasts are lumpy with some thickened tissue and are frequently associated with breast discomfort. This condition does not lead to breast cancer.
However, certain other types of benign breast changes, such as those diagnosed on biopsy as proliferative or hyperplastic, do predispose women to the later development of breast cancer. Moderate or severe hyperplasia alone may increase breast cancer risk by 1.5- to 4-fold; however, when associated with atypia, the risk may causes to be increased as much as 5-fold. If a woman also has a family history of breast cancer in first-degree relatives, her risk may be increased 11-fold.
Family History Of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease. The relatives can be from either the mother's or father's side of the family. However, approximately 85% of women with breast cancer do NOT report a history of breast cancer within their families. The remaining 15%, about one-third appear to have a genetic abnormality. Nevertheless, having a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer about doubles a woman's risk. The risk can increased 4- to 5 times if the relative's cancer was found before menopause.
Alcohol Use
Drinking alcohol regularly -- more than a couple of drinks a day -- may be the cause and promote the cancer. By contrast, breast cancer risk is nearly doubled in women who have more than three drinks daily. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1½ times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. The American Cancer Society suggests limiting the amount you drink to one drink a day. There is a recognized relationship between the consumption of more than two drinks a day and an increased level of estrogen in the blood that could be the breast cancer causes.
Being Overweight
Being overweight is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Women whose diets are high in fat are more likely to get the disease. The link between diet and breast cancer causes are debated as studies of fat in the diet as it relates to breast cancer risk have often given conflicting results. Researchers suspect that if a woman lowers her daily calories from fat -- to less than 20%-30% -- her diet may help protect her from developing breast cancer. Nonetheless, exercise appears to be beneficial, no matter what a woman's body size.
Who Discovered Breast Cancer?
Based on historical records in the Edwin Smith papyrus, a copy of a trauma surgery textbook from Ancient. It details a variety of cases of breast cancer between the years 3000 and 2500 B.C. There was no definite cure for such disease during that time, tumors of the breast were removed from women in Egypt through cauterization.
Breast cancer was clinically recognized and described by the era of Hippocrates in the 4 th century B.C. It would be hundreds of years before the medical community developed the knowledge and the technology to learn more about how breast cancer works. In the 1600s and 1700s work was done by a variety of doctors who learned that cancer of the breast was linked with the lymph nodes in the armpit.
In the late 1800s the technique of a mastectomy (the removal of the infected breast and underlying tissue) became a treatment for breast cancer. Radical mastectomies (the removal of both breasts and underlying tissue) were a common procedure until the 1970s, when understanding of cancer moved forward again. In the nineteenth century the medical community and the scientists began to study cancer systematically and intensively.
Basic procedures needed to help identify breast cancer, include clinical breast exam, x-ray mammography and genetic testing. If these are not enough, other tests may be performed such as magnetic resonance imaging. Even at home, it is possible to perform self-examination breast cancer awareness to help determine the different symptoms of this serious health problem.
Additional Facts
Breast cancer was clinically recognized and described by the era of Hippocrates in the 4 th century B.C. It would be hundreds of years before the medical community developed the knowledge and the technology to learn more about how breast cancer works. In the 1600s and 1700s work was done by a variety of doctors who learned that cancer of the breast was linked with the lymph nodes in the armpit.
In the late 1800s the technique of a mastectomy (the removal of the infected breast and underlying tissue) became a treatment for breast cancer. Radical mastectomies (the removal of both breasts and underlying tissue) were a common procedure until the 1970s, when understanding of cancer moved forward again. In the nineteenth century the medical community and the scientists began to study cancer systematically and intensively.
Basic procedures needed to help identify breast cancer, include clinical breast exam, x-ray mammography and genetic testing. If these are not enough, other tests may be performed such as magnetic resonance imaging. Even at home, it is possible to perform self-examination breast cancer awareness to help determine the different symptoms of this serious health problem.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor, usually a carcinoma, that starts in the cells of the breast in both women and men. A malignant tumor is a kind of cancer cells that develops in breast cells, characterized by the growth of malignant cells in the mammary glands which may invade surrounding tissues.
This tumor cells in the breast divide and multiply in an uncontrolled fashion, which could spread or metastasize to other areas of the body through the bloodstream and lymphatic system (lymph nodes).
Incidence increases with age and risk factors include a family history of breast cancer, late menopause, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Initial symptoms may include a small painless lump, thick or dimpled skin, or nipple retraction.
It is one of the most common malignancies in women in the US. Breast cancer is also the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer statistically it is the fifth most common cause of cancer death.
There are several types of breast cancer, however, some of them are quite rare. In some cases a single breast tumor can have a combination of these types or have a mixture of invasive and in situ cancer.
Ductal carcinoma in situ also known as intraductal carcinoma. The most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. The cancer cells are contain inside the ducts and have not spread through the surrounding breast tissue.
Lobular carcinoma in situ also called lobular neoplasia. It is sometimes classified as a non-invasive breast cancer. It begins in the milk-producing glands but does not grow through the wall of the lobules.
Invasive (or infiltrating) ductal carcinoma
Starts within a milk passage (duct) of the breast, breaks through the duct, and grows into the fatty tissue of the breast. It may be even spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system and bloodstream. About 80% invasive breast cancers are infiltrating ductal carcinomas.
Invasive (or infiltrating) lobular carcinoma
Also starts in the milk-producing glands (lobules). It can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. About 1% invasive breast cancers is an Invasive (or infiltrating) lobular carcinoma. Invasive lobular carcinoma may be harder to detect by a mammogram than invasive ductal carcinoma.
Inflammatory breast cancer, an uncommon type of invasive breast cancer. About 1 to 3 out of 10 of all breast cancers. There is no single lump or tumor. Instead, it will makes the skin of the breast look red and feel warm. Which also gives the breast skin a thick, pitted appearance that looks similar like an orange peel.
Triple-negative breast cancer breast cancers (usually invasive ductal carcinomas) whose cells lack estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors, and do not have an excess of the HER2 protein on their surfaces. It grow and spread more quickly than most other types of breast cancer. Because the tumor cells lack these certain receptors.
Medullary carcinoma, a special type of infiltrating breast cancer. It has a rather well-defined boundary between tumor tissue and normal tissue. Its special features include the large size of the cancer cells and the presence of immune system cells at the edges of the tumor. Medullary carcinoma accounts for about 3% to 5% of breast cancers.
Mixed tumors contain a variety of cell types, such as invasive ductal cancer combined with invasive lobular breast cancer.
Metaplastic carcinoma also known as carcinoma with metaplasia. It is a very rare type of invasive ductal cancer. These tumors cells that are normally not found in the breast, such as cells that look like skin cells (squamous cells) or cells that make bone.
Paget disease of the nipple This type of breast cancer starts in the breast ducts and spreads to the skin of the nipple and then to the areola, the dark circle around the nipple. Accounting to only about 1% of all cases of breast cancer. The skin of the nipple and areola often appears crusted, scaly, and red, with areas of bleeding or oozing. The woman may notice burning or itching.
Mucinous carcinoma known as colloid carcinoma, a rare type of invasive breast cancer is formed by mucus-producing cancer cells.
Tubular carcinoma is another special type of invasive ductal breast carcinoma. They are called tubular because of the way the cells are arranged when seen under the microscope. Tubular carcinomas account for about 2% of all breast cancers.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (adenocystic carcinoma). These cancers have both glandular (adenoid) and cylinder-like (cystic) features when seen under the microscope. They make up less than 1% of breast cancers.
Papillary carcinoma these cancers tend to be arranged in small, finger-like projections when viewed under the microscope. These tumors can be separated into non-invasive and invasive types. Make up no more than 1% or 2% of all breast cancers.
Phyllodes tumor very rare breast tumor develops in the stroma (connective tissue) of the breast, in contrast to carcinomas, which develop in the ducts or lobules. Other names for these tumors include phylloides tumor and cystosarcoma phyllodes.
Angiosarcoma a form of cancer that starts from cells that line blood vessels or lymph vessels. It rarely occurs in the breasts. When it does, it usually develops as a complication of previous radiation treatments. This is an extremely rare complication of breast radiation therapy that can develop about 5 to 10 years after radiation.
This tumor cells in the breast divide and multiply in an uncontrolled fashion, which could spread or metastasize to other areas of the body through the bloodstream and lymphatic system (lymph nodes).
Incidence increases with age and risk factors include a family history of breast cancer, late menopause, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Initial symptoms may include a small painless lump, thick or dimpled skin, or nipple retraction.
It is one of the most common malignancies in women in the US. Breast cancer is also the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer statistically it is the fifth most common cause of cancer death.
Types of Breast Cancers
There are several types of breast cancer, however, some of them are quite rare. In some cases a single breast tumor can have a combination of these types or have a mixture of invasive and in situ cancer.
Ductal carcinoma in situ also known as intraductal carcinoma. The most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. The cancer cells are contain inside the ducts and have not spread through the surrounding breast tissue.
Lobular carcinoma in situ also called lobular neoplasia. It is sometimes classified as a non-invasive breast cancer. It begins in the milk-producing glands but does not grow through the wall of the lobules.
Invasive (or infiltrating) ductal carcinoma
Starts within a milk passage (duct) of the breast, breaks through the duct, and grows into the fatty tissue of the breast. It may be even spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system and bloodstream. About 80% invasive breast cancers are infiltrating ductal carcinomas.
Invasive (or infiltrating) lobular carcinoma
Also starts in the milk-producing glands (lobules). It can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. About 1% invasive breast cancers is an Invasive (or infiltrating) lobular carcinoma. Invasive lobular carcinoma may be harder to detect by a mammogram than invasive ductal carcinoma.
Less common types of breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer, an uncommon type of invasive breast cancer. About 1 to 3 out of 10 of all breast cancers. There is no single lump or tumor. Instead, it will makes the skin of the breast look red and feel warm. Which also gives the breast skin a thick, pitted appearance that looks similar like an orange peel.
Triple-negative breast cancer breast cancers (usually invasive ductal carcinomas) whose cells lack estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors, and do not have an excess of the HER2 protein on their surfaces. It grow and spread more quickly than most other types of breast cancer. Because the tumor cells lack these certain receptors.
Medullary carcinoma, a special type of infiltrating breast cancer. It has a rather well-defined boundary between tumor tissue and normal tissue. Its special features include the large size of the cancer cells and the presence of immune system cells at the edges of the tumor. Medullary carcinoma accounts for about 3% to 5% of breast cancers.
Mixed tumors contain a variety of cell types, such as invasive ductal cancer combined with invasive lobular breast cancer.
Metaplastic carcinoma also known as carcinoma with metaplasia. It is a very rare type of invasive ductal cancer. These tumors cells that are normally not found in the breast, such as cells that look like skin cells (squamous cells) or cells that make bone.
Paget disease of the nipple This type of breast cancer starts in the breast ducts and spreads to the skin of the nipple and then to the areola, the dark circle around the nipple. Accounting to only about 1% of all cases of breast cancer. The skin of the nipple and areola often appears crusted, scaly, and red, with areas of bleeding or oozing. The woman may notice burning or itching.
Mucinous carcinoma known as colloid carcinoma, a rare type of invasive breast cancer is formed by mucus-producing cancer cells.
Tubular carcinoma is another special type of invasive ductal breast carcinoma. They are called tubular because of the way the cells are arranged when seen under the microscope. Tubular carcinomas account for about 2% of all breast cancers.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (adenocystic carcinoma). These cancers have both glandular (adenoid) and cylinder-like (cystic) features when seen under the microscope. They make up less than 1% of breast cancers.
Papillary carcinoma these cancers tend to be arranged in small, finger-like projections when viewed under the microscope. These tumors can be separated into non-invasive and invasive types. Make up no more than 1% or 2% of all breast cancers.
Phyllodes tumor very rare breast tumor develops in the stroma (connective tissue) of the breast, in contrast to carcinomas, which develop in the ducts or lobules. Other names for these tumors include phylloides tumor and cystosarcoma phyllodes.
Angiosarcoma a form of cancer that starts from cells that line blood vessels or lymph vessels. It rarely occurs in the breasts. When it does, it usually develops as a complication of previous radiation treatments. This is an extremely rare complication of breast radiation therapy that can develop about 5 to 10 years after radiation.
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Learn What Breast Cancer is and How to Deal with It.