Breast Cancer | Medical health care information

Treatment for Breast Cancer

A bilateral mastectomy for breast cancer, I experienced a big sense of loss after diagnosis-loss of innocence and loss of breasts. There was temporary grief and sadness and fright. During my response to the feeling whole I realized that there is variety in responses to breast cancer diagnosis: shock, denial, panic, loss, anger, outrage, disappointment and depression. can not be acceptance, joy\laughter\ faith and peace.

There is no one "right" way to respond. Actually, many people experience a combination of all emotions and often they come and go during treatment. Acknowledging what I had lost was surely a big part of my post treat meant adjustment and, even better, after that acknowledgment, realizing that I can be Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: breast cancer, Cancer, treatment

March 10th, 2009 | Posted in Cancer | No Comments

causes for Breast Cancer and the treatment

The primary tumor begins in the breast itself but once it becomes invasive, it may progress beyond the breast to the regional lymph nodes or travel (metastasize) to other organ systems in the body and become systemic in nature. Lymph is the clear, protein-rich fluid that bathes the cells throughout the body. Lymph will work its way back to the bloodstream via small channels known as lymphatics. Along the way, the lymph is filtered through cellular stations known as nodes, thus they are Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: breast cancer, Diabetes, Women health

August 30th, 2008 | Posted in Diabetes, Women health | No Comments

breast cancer, what is it and how to avoid it?

1. what is breast cancer? Definition of breast cancer

Breast cancer is a type of disease that grow in the tissues of the breast. Collections of cells that are developing unusually or out of control are called tumors. Tumors that do not have the ability to grow into other tissues can be referred to as “benign” and are not regarded as cancerous. Theoretically, any of the types of tissue in the breast can form a cancer, cancer cells are most likely to develop from either the ducts or the glands. These tumors may be referred to as “invasive ductal carcinoma” (cancer cells developing from ducts), or “invasive lobular carcinoma” (cancer cells developing from lobes).

All round the world, breast cancer is a very common cancer, only secondery to lung cancer of all types of cancer (10.4% of all cancer incidence, both sexes counted) and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. However breast cancer mortality worldwide is just 25% greater than that of lung cancer in women. In 2005, breast cancer caused 502,000 deaths worldwide (7% of cancer deaths; almost 1% of all deaths). The number of cases worldwide has significantly increased since the 1970s, a phenomenon partly blamed on modern lifestyles in the Western world.
2. Breast Cancer Symptoms

Painful or sore breast

Breast that is itchy

Nipple discharge

Orange peel like appearance on or around the breast; dimpling

Inverted nipple

Breast that is warm to be touched

Change in color of breast; darker, red in appearance, or bruised

Sudden increase in breast size

It is not easy to discover the breast cancer in the body for it causes no pain at the beginning period. In fact, you can’t even see any sign of the disease at all when it first develops. However, as the disease develops, it generates changes that women should pay attention to:

A tumour or thickening in or around the breast area or the underarm area.
The shape or size of the breast turns out to be unusual.
A discharge from the nipple.
Abnormal feel or outlook on the breast skin, e.g. scaly, puckered, or dimpled.
A woman should consult her doctor when any of the above signs is found. Usually they are not breast cancer, until a doctor really tells you the truth.

Usually, it is the very signs of breast cancer that urge a woman to consult her doctor. However, IBC may imitate the sign or symptoms of mastitis, a breast infection, so they may postpone the diagnosis of the cancer.

The general rule is that if you are being treated for mastitis and are not responding to antibiotics after a week, consult your doctor for possible IBC screening.

How to deal with the Inflammatory Breast Cancer when you find its symptoms. Never hesitate to seek helps from your doctor.

3. who is more at the risk

Generally, almost all breast cancer happen to women, while about 1% of cases occur in men (approximately 300 are found in the UK every year). Women are easier to get breast cancer as age grows. Over 80% of the cases happen to women older than 50. Both taking hormone replacement therapy and taking the contraceptive pill can increase the risk of gaining breast cancer. Obesity and heavy drinking also significantly increase the risk.

Compared to others with no cases in the family, women with close relative (mother or sisters) double the risk of developing into a breast cancer. Having more close relatives affected with breast cancer would even increase the risk to a certain degree.

4. How to avoid breast cancer

There is no drug better than measures that are taken in advance to prevent it from happening. We suggest 10 ways to change your life.

Doing moderate exercise regularly benefits much. Many researches have indicated that regular exercise prevent almost all disease in advance. Advice: Spend 30 mins or so doing aerobic exercise (brisk walking) in one day for six days every week. Keep persistent on doing that, and avoid intensity.
Eat proper amount of fruits and vegetables. Consume seven or more servings per day. The anti-cancer vegetables include dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collards,) ; all cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli) ; tomatoes and carrots. The protective fruits include cherries, berries and citrus. Be warned that it works best when you eat raw or lightly-cooked cruciferous vegetables, since the phytochemicals, the useful element against breast cancer, would be destroyed during the cooking.
Less or no alcohol. Frequent alcohol drinking will gradually cause to gain breast cancer. With many treatment cases, an experienced doctor said one who takes more than one alcoholic beverage would increase breast cancer risk by as much as 20-25%.
Pay attention to keep your proper weight in daily life (BMI no more than 25). Weight gained in midlife is one of the main factors to increase the risk of breast cancer. Moreover, statistics show, an elevated BMI will increase the chance to get post-menopausal breast cancer.
Pick the right fats for your body! The risk of breast cancer can also be influenced by the kind of fat you take in. Take omega-6 fats (sunflower, safflower, corn and cottonseed oils), trans fats and saturated fats as less as possible; omega-3 fats are benefitial for preventing breast cancer, especially oily fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna, salmon, herring and lake trout). Canola oil is a good source for omega-3 fats that contain potential anti-cancer element; the cancer protective mineral, selenium, can be found in both seeds and nuts.
Minimize exposure to pharmacologic estrogens and xeno-estrogens. Do not take prescription estrogens unless medically indicated. Lifetime exposure to estrogen plays a fundamental role in the development of breast cancer. Also avoid estrogen-like compounds found in environmental pollutants, such as pesticides and industrial chemicals. Buy organic produce if you can afford it; otherwise, thoroughly wash all non-organic produce. Minimize exposure to residual hormones found in non-organic dairy products, meat and poultry.
Eat whole food soy products regularly, like roasted soy nuts, soy milk, edamame, tempeh, miso and tofu. Many studies show that the risk of breast cancer have much to do with the consumption of soy.
Do your carbs fight! Decrease the intake of foods with high glycemic index, as these foods cause hormonal changes that help cellular grouth in breast area. Wipe out these unexpected carbs by eating whole grains and beans due to their high fiber and special lignan content.
Supplement Yourself every day. A multivitamin, 500-1,000 mg of vitamin C in divided doses, 200-400 IUs of vitamin E as mixed tocopherols, and pharmaceutical grade fish oil. And eat one to two Brazil nuts or take 200 mcg of the mineral selenium as an alternative. Consult your doctor should you have chronic medical history or take drugs by doctor’s advice.
Keep as optimistic attitude and have a good mental outlook. Seek for everything that can rejoice yourself. Keep in touch with your family and friends and enjoy a harmonious and helpful relationships with them. Have enough sleep (7-8 hours every night). The mental health has great effects on breast cancer.