All you need to know about breast cancer symptoms and early detection methods
What is the difference between cancer and tumor and what is breast cancer?
Early detection methods for breast cancer and home tests for breast cancer, symptoms of breast cancer and treatment modalities, and important information about breast cancer
During October every year, the world turns pink to raise awareness of the dangers of breast cancer and to launch international medical campaigns to raise awareness of the need to examine women and early detection of any infection.
The prevalence of breast cancer is rather high among women, as nearly 13,000 women under the age of forty have been diagnosed with breast cancer, which constitutes about 7% of breast cancer cases in women
and 40% of all types of cancers that affect women in This age group, and more than 2 million cases of breast cancer have been diagnosed.
Throughout a woman's life, one in 8 women suffers from the risk of developing this type, and early diagnosis is the key to treatment, according to the World Health Organization.
What is breast cancer?
Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the breast tissue, and the numbers of these cells multiply until they become a mass or tumor in the body.
To know what breast cancer is, you must know the anatomy of the breast, where most of the breast consists of fatty tissue, including connective tissue ligaments, lymphatic vessels, nodes, and blood vessels
and the breast has from 12 to 20 parts called lobes, and each lobe consists of small lobes that produce milk and is connected to the ducts that carry milk to the nipple.
The most common type of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma, and it is called ductal carcinoma, and it represents more than 80% of all types of breast cancer
and it is the most prevalent among women under 40 years of age. Or channels, or both, and may be anonymous.
The difference between a tumor and cancer
Many people confuse a tumor with cancer, although of course there is a big difference between the presence of a benign tumor, which is an abnormal growth of cells that stops at some point, does not spread in the body, and does not cause any problems in the breast, and often only needs periodic follow-up once every 6 months.
Malignancy poses a threat to a woman's life, and it can spread to other vital organs such as the liver or kidneys.
In all cases, when breast cancer is diagnosed, a sample of the tumor is taken for analysis in the laboratory and to confirm its type, and accordingly, the treatment is determined.
Cancer in women under the age of 40
Contrary to what was prevalent, breast cancer is no longer confined to women after forty, but rather affects girls in the age group between 25 to 35 years as well, and here it is related to several factors that must be noted, such as:
The presence of some inherited genetic mutations for breast cancer (BRC A1 or BRCA2) and there are tests at tumor centers that can confirm the absence of these mutations.
The girl has a family history of breast cancer for first-degree relatives such as her mother, sister, aunt, and uncle, with breast cancer and was diagnosed at an early age.
Early maturation means the beginning of the menstrual cycle for a girl under 12 years old.
Being your first full-term pregnancy after thirty.
Use of some oral contraceptives.
Breast cancer symptoms
The first treatment for breast cancer and the most important thing is its early detection. The more time passes, the more difficult the treatment. Therefore, a woman should note the changes that occur in the breast, especially if she finds any of the following:
A lump in or near the breast, or under the arms.
Changes in the size or shape of the breast, such as swelling or wrinkling of the skin.
A change in the shape of the nipple, such that it is inverted, appears to be pushed inward rather than the normal shape.
Strange nipple discharge, often a yellowish, watery fluid or blood.
However, these changes do not necessarily mean that you have breast cancer, but they are worrying signs that you should consult a doctor so that their causes are known and the correct treatment can be started.
Periodic home examination for early detection
There is no specific cause of breast cancer, so there is no specific way to prevent infection, but early detection is the most important way to treat this type of cancer, according to scientific studies
whenever breast cancer is detected in the early stages, the cure rate rises to 95%, so it must be examined at home monthly, especially after the end of the menstrual cycle, by standing in front of the mirror while looking at the breast to notice the presence of any apparent changes on the breast
as well as searching through your fingers for the presence of lumps or tumors in the breast or under the armpits, and if you have exceeded Forty, you can undergo a mammogram, and if you are under the age of forty
you can undergo an ultrasound examination once a year, and it will help in the early detection of breast cancer.
The breast is examined by standing in front of the mirror, looking from the right, left, and front, noting the presence of any changes in the shape of the breast.
The second step is placing the right hand on the left breast, with circular movements to detect the presence of any lumps or pain in the breast.
The monthly examination helps the women to easily detect any changes affecting the breast, and after that, a specialist doctor can resort to the examination.
breast cancer treatment
Breast cancer treatment varies by case
Contrary to what some believe, breast cancer is a group of diseases, some of them may be benign without any effect on the patient, and some other types may be very dangerous, you need periodic follow-up and different treatments, so we can say that the treatment of breast cancer varies from one woman to another.
Depending on the condition and its severity, the patient’s age and stage of the disease, and so on, the patient must be aware of her treatment options that suit her condition, and it is okay to take more than one medical opinion to be sure.
Drug treatment and follow-up: This comes when diagnosing specific types of breast cancer that do not represent a threat to women's health Therefore, some follow-up and hormone-fixing medications are sufficient.
Surgical treatment: In this case, the surgeon removes the tumor only, and in some cases, the doctor has to remove the breast, and the woman can restore her appearance through plastic surgery.
Radiation therapy: This method is used when the doctor has to leave part of the tumor due to fear for the woman's life, and through it, the cancerous cells are eliminated, and this method may be used to reduce the size of the tumor before surgery.
Chemotherapy and hormonal: Doctors may resort to this type of treatment to reduce the size of cancer, and to make sure that the body is completely rid of the disease
and the treatment is given intravenously and the goal is to kill cancer cells, and it may lead to some side effects, including hair loss from all over the body.
Hormonal therapy, it is given to reduce the secretion of estrogen, which helps the growth of female cancers, and this treatment causes symptoms similar to menopause, including hot flashes, depression, and others.