BREAST CANCER:- A DISCOURSE ON ONE OF THE MOST DEADLIEST DISEASE KNOWN TO MAN.
Today, I won't be writing on physics just like I normally do, I really feel like writing on a matter that is more pressing than physics. Yesterday was a sad day for everyone in my fellowship. We lost a sister to breast cancer. Her death made it the third person am familiar with that have died of breast cancer just this year. The toll on the number of people that die due to breast cancer is increase yearly, something have to be done about it.
Do you know that one in every woman in USA is likely to have cancer. In the whole world it's the same. A current statistics shows that more women die of breast cancer than every other sickness. Right now, Its seems like breast cancer is the bringer of death and I feel that everyone should be educated on breast cancer, it will surely help to reduce this mortality rate. I know most guys will be thinking that it doesn't concern them, mind you, men do suffer from breast cancer too.
Most people that die from breast cancer did not even know when it started, it is only when it becomes too late and the cancer have done so much harm that they started doing something about it. If you really love yourself, then you should take your time and go through this "Discourse". You will learn something that will keep you far away from cancer and also keep you healthier for a long time.
BREAST CANCER
Let me start by explaining what cancer is before I go over to breast cancer, since breast cancer is just a type of cancer.
Cancer is a disease in which the cells of the body grows so abnormally and excessively. This abnormal growth is known as tumor.
Breast cancer is a tumor that is found to arise in the cells of the breast, i.e the cells of the breast begins to grow excessively. Breast cancer is not "women disease" like most men think, few rare cases have shown that men do suffer breast cancer too.
CAUSES OF BREAST CANCER
This is where the major problem is, not even one concrete reason have been found as the cause for the growth of cancer and due to the fact that it have really been a very hard job to provide a solution to a sickness no one knows the cause. Some medical experts feel that there is higher chances of finding a cure for AIDS than finding a total solution for cancer.
Despite the too many unknowns, there are yet some factors that are believed to increase the risk of breast cancer. I will be listing them out in this article, so that you will be careful and keep yourself far away from them if it's possible.
Normally, mutation in a woman's breast is the reason why the cells of the breast becomes cancerous. Breast cancer is hereditary, but that doesn't mean that everyone that has cancer do as a result of inheriting it from the mother, some of these changes in DNA happens during one's life time.When cells replicate without control it leads to cancer.
There are other factors that increases the chances of breast cancer, they include:-
A. Taking of Alcohol.
B. Exposure to radiation:- People that pass through scanners or any form of radiation, or are exposed to radiation even in their work place are prone to suffer cancer.
C. Age (chances increases as ones age increase).
D. Family history (inherediting a mutated gene from one's parents ).
E. Age of mensuration ( women that started mensurating before the age of 12 or ended menopause at 50 have chances of suffering breast cancer).
F. Deodorant:- Currently experiments are been conducted so as to ascertain which constituent of deodorant that causes cancer, but none have been discovered yet. But there is indication that it might be one of the causes of cancer.
G. Having no child by the age of 30 increases the chances of having breast cancer.
H. Personal history (e.g ladies that have been diagnosed with mild breast conditions like hyperplasia have high chances of having breast cancer),
I. Race:- The white women have high chances of suffering breast cancer than black women.
J. Obesity.
SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER
Like I said earlier, most people that are seriously in pains because of cancer did not even know when it started, and when they knew what was going on, so much damages have already been done.
When you start noticing any of these signs I will be listing below, I will like you to go and see your doctor.
The signs associated with breast cancer includes,
You may feel a lump that feels different from the tissues surrounding the breast when you touch it.
You will also notice that the size and shape of the affected breast begins to change.
You may also observe that the nipple of the breast becomes inverted.
Wikicommon: Symptoms of breast cancer
The skin over the breast starts changing and becomes indented/depressed.
The area of the skin that surrounds the nipple begins to form scales, crust or peel.
The area of the affected breast changes color and reddens, might even change to orange color.
HOW BREAST CANCER SPREADS.
If cancer cells enters into the blood or lymph system, it is been carried to all parts of the body, in that way breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body.
To better understand this, you need to know that the lymph system is a collection of immune system cells called the lymph nodes. If the breast cancer enters the lymph vessels and starts growing in the lymph nodes, it automatically travels with it and in the process it spreads to all parts of the body.
TYPES OF BREAST CANCER
Breast cancer can be classified into invasive and non invasive based on how they spread on the breast tissues. Under invasive we have the IDC and the ILC while under the noninvasive we have the DCIS. Let me explain them.
Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDL):-This is the most noticed type of cancer. The invasive ductal carcinoma develops from a duct of the breast till it grows over the tissue. It is seen mostly
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC):- This type of invasive breast cancer develops first in the glands of the breast where the baby's milk is produced. This kind of cancer is less common than invasive ductal carcinoma.
Wikicommon: The spread of Lobular Caricoma
Ductal carcinoma in situ (IDIS):- Among the noninvasive types of breast cancer this is the most occurring. It doesn't spread that fast thus it's growth can be halted.
Apart from these commonly known cancers, there are other types of cancers that are not that common. They are Mucinous carcinoma, Medullary carcinoma, Inflammatory breast cancer, the triple negative cancer, E. t. c
Examination and Detection
Breast cancer can easily be detected by the use of screening mammography. The advantage of the screening mammograph is that cancers can be detected even before the signs starts appearing, though that doesn't mean it's unfailable, it is advisable that every woman over 40 should go for mammograph screening at least once a year for checkup.
STAGES OF BREAST CANCER
Cancer are classified into stages based on the size of the tumor, or based on if it has spread to other body parts.
Thus stages are stage 0-4
Stage 0 :- This stage, the cancerous cells are within a duct, at this point it has not spread to the surrounding tissues. This stage is known as ductal carcinoma in situ.
Stage 1:- At this stage, the tumor has grown up to 2cm across the duct to the surrounding tissues but yet none of the lymph nodes have been affected.
Stage 2:- When breast cancer gets to this stage the tumor is now spreading to those nodes surrounding it.
Stage 3:- At this point the tumor has grown more than 2cm, and might have grown about 5cm across the duct. At this stage more lymph nodes have been affected.
Stage 4:- At this stage the spread can't be controlled anymore. This is because it has spread to the bones, liver and other vital organs.
** DETERMINING THE STAGES OF CANCER.**
Determination of how broad the cancerous cells have spread itself in the body is known as staging. There are currently advanced method in checking how far the spread have covered, most of them are imaging technique. They are
Chest X-ray:- This imagining techniqueis used to check for the spread of the cancer to the lung.
Mammograms:- This is a more efficient technique, it reveals other abnormalities than normal technique.
Computerized Tomography Scan (CT scan):- This technique is used to check out any part of their body like the brain, lungs e. t. c so as to check if the breast cancer has really spread.
Bone Scan:- This scan checks if the cancer has spread to the bones. This process involved an injection of a material that is radioactive, allowing it to move about for few hours, later images of the bone are taken to check for spread.
Positron Emission Tomography:- This is simply known as PET scan, the process involves injecting a radioactive material in the body, these materials are absorbed mostly by the cancerous cells that are fast growing. Then using the pet scanner, those areas of the body with cancerous growth should be indicated.
TREATMENT FOR CANCER.
After discovery of cancerous cells in the breast, an immediate treatment is required. The choice of the type of treatment to be considered should be decided based on:
- The type of breast cancer.
- The age of the patient.
- The stage of the cancer.
- How sensitive the body is to the hormones.
- The individuals preference.
Medical Treatments for cancer.
Depending on the stage of the cancer, they are:-
SURGERY
Like I said earlier, depending on the stage of the breast cancer, it requires a surgery. The surgery can be done in two ways, only a part of the breast may be cut off completely (partial mastectomy) OR the whole part of the breast is been cut off (full mastectomy).
Partial Mastectomy:- This is also referred to as breast conserving surgery. This type of surgery is chosen based on the place the tumor is located and it's size. E.g the breast lump are the only thing removed in lumpectomy, then the tissue surrounding the point was before will be check to know if they are cancerous.
Simple mastectomy:- Here, all the tissues of the breast are removed.
Radical mastectomy :- In this type, not just the breast is removed, the axillary lymph nodes and the chest wall muscle is also removed.
Modified radical mastectomy :- In this type of sugery the breast tissues and the axillary lymph nodes are removed.
Other therapies includes
Radiation therapy:- The basic idea of radiation therapy is the use of high energy rays to kill cancerous cells. This can be done in two ways.
a. External beam radiation :- An external machine emits the radiation on an affected area. The affected area is marked so as to know the particular point the radiation should be projected. For this therapy to be effective, the treatment should last for 6 weeks and should be done 5 days in each week.
b. Brachytherapy :- In this type the radiation is delivered as pellets. Unlike what happens in external beam radiation, thepellets are implanted inside the body. The are implanted close to the cancer.
Chemotherapy :- This kind of treatment is administered either as an injection or by mouth. Here the medication passes through the bloodstreams of the body to where the cancer cells are. Chemotherapy can be done for many reasons
a. Adjunct chemotherapy:- When a chemotherapy is administered after a surgery aimed at removing all the visible cancer so as to be sure than none of the cancer cells are remaining it is called adjunct chemotherapy.
b. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy:- Sometimes chemotherapy is given before a surgery. That type of chemotherapy is referred to as neoadjuvant chemotherapy,
PREVENTIVE SURGERY
Double mastectomy :- Here the two breast is cut of completely. This is a radical process which may involve cutting off the other unaffected breast since there is a likelihood that it might be develop cancer tomorrow.
Hormone therapy:- The aim of this therapy is to help prevent cancerous cells from growing back after a surgery. Some hormones like estrogen promote the growth of breast cancer, hormone therapy is aimed at inhibiting the function of these hormones.
Hormone therapy involve using the drugs like Tamoxifen, fulvestrant, and Toremifene.
PREVENTION
Adhering to this few rules will help prevent you from having cancer.
Don't use tobacco.
Stop taking so much alcohol.
Get enough exercise.
Avoid exposing yourself to radiation.
Eat healthy, stop taking too much junk. food, eat more of fruit and vegetables.
Don't let your self become obese.
Limit the rate of eating processed meat.
For your car DIY related problems, check out this post: How To Reset The Change Oil Light On A Chevy (Everything to Know)
REFERENCES