nipple discharge or tenderness, or inverted nippleWhen cancer arises in breast tissue and spreads outside the breast, it
often affects the lymph nodes under the arms.If it does, the spread may come to other areas of the body.The exact CAUSE is not known but risk increases with ag.It also occurs more among white than Asian or African American.It can be associated with a mutated gene BRCA 1 or 2 but other risk factors are family history, exposure to estrogen, radiation, obesity, alcohol intake.Early breast cancer usualy is not painful.Some cases are asymptomatic,As it grows, lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm can be felt.Can be noted are change in size or shape of breast, nipple discharge, ridgs or pitting of the breast.
DETECTION:clinical breast examination by a surgeon, and mammograms.A mammogram is an xray that detects breast changes in women who have no signs of cancer.It is recommended for those above age forty annually.For lumps or any change, the surgeon may do:
Fine needle aspiration biopsy-to aspirate cells for microscopy
Core biopsy-a large needle is use to remove small tissue
Surgical Biopsies- an incisional biopsy removes small lump portion but excisional biopsy removes the entire mass
TREATMENT -depend on age, menopausal status,hormone receptor status and cancer stage
1.SURGERY-the most common
A. Breast-sparing surgery or breast -conserving surgery-remove the mass but not the entire breast.Includes lumpectomy(-removes the tumor with margin of normal
tissues) andsegmental
mastectomy (removes the tumor, greater amount of normal breast tissue, lining of chest muscle and axillary lymp nodes
B.Mastectomy-removes as much breast as possible
TOTAL MASTECTOMY-all breast tissues are removed including skin, no lymph nodes were taken
MODIFIED RADICAL MASTECTOMY-removes as much breast tissues as possible, the nipple, some overlying skin, axillary lymph nodes
2. RADIOTHERAPY-to remove rmaining cancer cells postoperatively
3.CHEMOTHERAPY-medications are use to kill cancer cells
4.HORMONAL THERAPY-keeps cancer cell from being stimulated by hormones