Cancer Facts and Figures – Cancer Statistics 2010

There are a few different types of lumps that can form on the breasts. But, only one of these types can be caused because of breast cancer. It is called the malignant lump. It is made up of abnormal breast tissue cells, which grow un-controllably. It has an irregular shape and a pebbly surface which is comparable to the surface of a golf ball. It is very hard, like a raw carrot slice. A Breast self exam may not be capable in finding out if the lump is moving as the healthy tissue around the lump also moves. A mammogram is best advised in order to get a proper diagnosis. A biopsy will provide even more information on the lump.

Since it’s inception in October 1995, the Breast Cancer resource Center (BCRC) staff and volunteers have responded to over 20,000 phone calls and visits to their offices from patients in need of assistance. Most of these patients come from Austin and the surrounding counties, but there have been callers from outside the area and outside the state too who have called up in need of information and resources. In addition to helping all the callers and visitors they also match clients who could benefit from talking to support groups or with breast cancer survivors who have had similar experiences in dealing with breast cancer. Most of the time, the people at BCRC ensure that they make follow-up calls to each and every client within 24 hours of being contacted.

There are many ways in which genetic testing for breast cancer can be done. The BRCA gene test is one of them.

It is a blood test that uses DNA analysis to discover any mutations in either one or both genes that are susceptible to breast cancer. These genes are known as BRCA1 and BRCA2. This process also involves genetic counseling. The result of this test is that you learn whether you have any inherited BRCA gene mutation and your risk of getting breast or ovarian cancer from it. It is a type of genetic test that is only possible for some of the diseases that run in families and is restricted to only those women who have a very high risk of breast or ovarian cancer based on family history. Having this particular gene mutation is very rare and occurs in only about one in every thousand people. This inherited gene mutation is responsible for less than 5 to 10% of breast cancer occurrences. A majority of these cancers are sporadic and aren’t inherited.

Breast cancer will change your life forever. There are many complex medical, emotional, psychological, legal and financial challenges that you have to face. Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is a support organization for the newly diagnosed, those undergoing treatment, those completed treatment and those that are living with advanced stages of cancer. They also help family members, friends, caregivers and healthcare providers with information on breast cancer and support. Their goal is improving quality of life and making patients have an active role in their recovery or management of the disease regardless of background, status or means. They also have a website contains loads of information and support to bring comfort, have your questions answered and make the correct choices when it come to healthcare in order to manage breast cancer through the treatment and beyond.

DCIS breast cancer (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ) is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer that is found in women. In Situ means in place and describes a type of cancer that has not moved out from the area of the body where it had originally developed. In DCIS, the cancer cells are confined to milk ducts and haven’t spread into any fatty breast tissue or other body part like the lymph nodes. This type of breast cancer is usually detected during a mammogram and appears like tiny specks of calcium. These specks are too small to be noticed during the physical examination.

Inflammatory breast cancer survival rates aren’t very good. This is because it is such an advanced state of cancer and has a poor prognosis. Statistics in the past have shown that the average survival rate of this particular type of cancer is approximately 18 months. But, recent studies have shown that the new treatments being used are increasing the life expectancy in women with inflammatory breast cancer. Chemotherapy, surgery(mastectomy) and radiation have helped push the 5 year survival rate up to 40%. Doctors believe that researching new treatments will continue to improve the life expectancy for women suffering from this disease.

Inflammatory breast cancer prognosis is not a very happy picture.

It is caused by cancer cells that have gotten into lymph vessels in the skin and block fluid drainage thus causing redness and possible swelling. This cancer is in the lymph system and thus mastectomy isn’t the best form of treatment. Chemotherapy is used instead to ty and kill the cancer cells. After this a mastectomy and some more chemotherapy followed by radiation to the chest is suggested. A long-term drug therapy is most likely to follow.

It more often occurs in younger women and is tougher to deal with than other cancers. The survival rate is less than half of most breast cancers, but the survival rate is increasing faster than any other type of cancers.

Some common stage III breast cancer treatments are:

1. Chemotherapy is quite common to destroy cancer cells that remain after surgery. It can also be used before surgery to reduce the tumor size. Where surgery is not an option, chemotherapy is the main treatment.
2. Surgery is also a very open option. Lumpectomy or mastectomy are the most common ones. For big tumors, chemotherapy may be required before surgery.
3. Hormone therapy medication can help to prevent the tumor from growing.
   These drugs include tamoxifen, femara, etc.
4. Biological therapy is a relatively new approach where a drug herceptin is used to treat women with breast cancer that is HER2-positive. It stops the protein from helping the cancer grow and increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy. 

Radiation therapy is a standard treatment for anyone who gets surgery. It destroys all the cancer cells that were missed, if any.

Listed below are some steps that can be taken for Stage IV breast cancer treatment:

1. Chemotherapy is a good option as it slows down the cancer’s growth ability. It may also be used in conjunction with other treatments.
2. Hormone therapy may be used to slow down the cancer. This cut down the estrogen production of the body and thus slows down the cancer growth.
3. Consult a doctor to know the chances of you being HER2 positive. In this case medication like Herceptin is taken to stop the overproduction of this protein and hence slow down cancer growth.
4. A clinical trial is a good option too. Access to innovative treatments that general patients do not have increases the chances of survival.
5. Medication to help reduce side effects may also be taken.

When the treatment for breast cancer is completed, the patient must ensure that she goes for all scheduled follow-ups. At these visits, she will be questioned about symptoms and may be subjected to physical exams or lab/imaging tests to look for any form of recurrences or side effects.

Most cancer treatments do have side effects and while some may only last a few weeks or months there are others that can be permanent. If there are any symptom or side effects that concern you, ensure that your doctor or other members of your cancer care team know about it so that they can help you in the best possible way.