Breast Cancer
Tough Times don't last but Tough People do
Breast cancer is the growth of cancer cells in the tissues of the breast.
Each breast consists of 15 to 20 lobes and have smaller sections called lobules which produce milk in the breast. The lobes and lobules are linked by thin tubes called ducts.
Ductal Carcinoma is found in women with breast cancer and is located in ducts. This type of cancer can develop in both breasts . It is formed in a tumor which is a mass of abnormal growth tissue caused by cancer.
Death can be an outcome if not treated on time.[Citation 5]
Breast Cancer Basic
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Women at the age of forty are required for yearly mammograms because it is the most common age for women to develop breast cancer… About 1 out of 8 (12.4%) women will experience breast cancer throughout some point throughout their life.
National Cancer Instistute Data:
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Age 30 . . . . . . 0.44 percent (1 in 227)
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Age 40 . . . . . . 1.47 percent (1 in 68)
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Age 50 . . . . . . 2.38 percent (1 in 42)
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Age 60 . . . . . . 3.56 percent (1 in 28)
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Age 70 . . . . . . 3.82 percent 1 in 26)
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Frequency
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Possible Breast Cancer Symptoms :
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Lumps- Abnormal lumps that appear on the breast may possible be breast cancer but not in all circumstances, they also are painless but not in all cases.
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Abnormal swelling in breasts, collarbone or around the armpits- This is most likely caused by Inflammatory Cancer, this is more of an aggressive type of breast cancer and is recommendable to see the doctor as soon as possible.
How to find out if you are diagnosed with Breast Cancer?
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Redness or skin thickening- The abnormal color red on the breast and or the feeling of thick skin.
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Abnormal Breast Temperature and itching- A result of inflammatory breast cancer, the breast may feel itchy and also produce heat. Antibiotics usually prescribed
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Nipple Changes- Abnormal changes in the physical appearance in the nipple such as the thickening of the nipple may be possible symptoms of breast cancer.
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Nipple Discharge- Liquids other than milk the exit the nipple may be a symptom of breast cancer especially if its blood, a medical checkup is immediately required.
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Pain- Unusual feeling in the breast like pain may be a great possibility of breast cancer symptoms. [Citation 13]
Causes of Breast Cancer
There are multiple causes for cancer. Most frequently is due to genetic or familial disposition. This is the abnormality of the gene BRCA 1& 2, which are primary genes that cause cancer and the lineage of women who have breast cancer due the genes they carry. Another primary factor of causing cancer is the daily use of carcinogens (substances that potentially cause cancer) such as Tobacco or more known as "cigarettes". Body weight and physical fitness can be two major risk factors into provoking cancer. Women with postmenopausal symptoms and are overweight tend to have more risks into having cancer. The least common, but still showing alerting risks is having radiation treatment at a young age (20's or below), show that later on the women either show breast, ovarian or other cancer symptoms throughout their lifetime.
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Before many technologies were discovered, people diagnosed with cancer went through no treatment. In fact, many times patients were isolated because it was thought that cancer might be contagious. When isolated, they had no medicine/drugs or any type of treatment and eventually use to die due to cancer. But as the time passes by, new technologies for cancer are being developed as it is becoming a major disease that is affecting a large number of people--50% of men and approximately 33% of women. One of the most recent treatments discovered to treat cancer is called Immunotherapy.
Before & Now
Breast Cancer Basics
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The Cell Cycle- from a Healthy Cell to a Cancer Cell
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The cell cycle is events taking place in a cell resulting in division and duplication of the cell to produces two daughter cells. The stages of the cell cycle is G1-S-G2-M. The G1 stands for GAP1 which is when growth occurs.The S stands for Synthesis which is when then the DNA replicates. The G2 stage stands for GAP2 which is when the cell prepares for division. And the M stands for Mitosis which is when chromosomes separate and cytokinesis division occurs.
A healthy cell turns into a cancer cell when DNA in a chromosome which takes place in the nucleus of the cell undergo a change. Then the cell divides uncontrollably which is called a tumor and each of those new cells produced include the same defect. A tumor however only becomes dangerous when the cancerous cells begin to invade the surrounding organs, multiply and produce new tumors which can lead to the spread of cancer. Many factors such as hereditary reasons, some viruses such as HIV, exposure to toxin, consumption of alcohol and tobacco and diet too rich in fat and low in fruits and vegetables can transform a healthy cell into a cancerous cells.
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