Breast cancer

1. What is breast cancer?
2. Prognosis of the disease
3. Breast cancer symptoms
4. Medical tests for breast cancer
5. What causes breast cancer?
6. Can it be prevented?
7. Treatments for breast cancer
8. What specialist treats it?

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is the type of cancer that begins in the breast tissues. It occurs when cancer cells develop in the tissues of the breast and the cells change their size without any control. It is when this occurs that a tumor can develop. This type of cancer can affect both women and men, although it tends to be more common in women.

The International Day for the fight against breast cancer is celebrated on October 19.
against breast cancer

Depending on which breast cells are affected, there are different types of cancer:

• Ductal carcinoma: this is the most common cancer and is the one that initially occurs in the cells of the ducts.
• Lobular carcinoma: is cancer that begins in the lobules or ducts, that is, in the glands that produce milk in the breast or in the tubes that carry it to the nipple, in the case of the female gender.
• Inflammatory breast cancer: is the cancer that blocks the lymphatic vessels in the skin of the breast, causing inflammation, swelling and redness of the breast. Its incidence is low, about 1% to 5% of breast cancers, but it is the most aggressive type, as it is the one that can spread the fastest.
• Paget’s disease of the breast: this is the cancer that affects the skin of the nipple and the darker skin around it, the areola. It is usually accompanied by other cancers in situ in the breast.

Prognosis of the disease

There are different situations regarding this disease. The first is that the cancer stops, which would be called “in situ”. Then it can happen that the cancer develops outside the breast, that is to say that it is “invasive”, and that it occurs only in the nearby tissues and lymph nodes. And the last situation that can occur is that the cancer can metastasize and spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or blood.

Symptoms of breast cancer

Breast cancer, at its onset, does not cause any symptoms. That is why it is important to have regular breast exams to detect cancers that have no symptoms early.

As the cancer grows, the symptoms are:

• Breast lump or lump in the armpit. It is usually painless.
• Change in the size, shape and texture of the breasts or nipples.
• Fluid in the nipple.
• Possible appearance of orange peel skin around the breast.
• Sudden discharge from the nipple.
• Scaly skin.
• Swelling, inflammation or redness of the nipple or breast area.
• Pain in the breast.

In the case of men, the symptoms are breast lumpiness, pain and breast tenderness.

When the breast cancer is already advanced, the symptoms are:

• Bone pain
• Breast pain or discomfort
• Skin ulcers
• Swelling of lymph nodes in the armpit
• Weight loss

In its early stages, breast cancer shows no symptoms, which is why prevention and regular check-ups are so important.
prevention and regular checkups are so important.

Medical tests for breast cancer

Breast cancer can be diagnosed by the following processes:

• An examination or physical examination of the breast area, to check for lumps or any other uncontrolled problems in the breasts or armpits.
• Imaging and diagnostic tests such as mammography, ultrasound or MRI.
• Breast biopsy.
• Blood chemistry tests, where different substances are measured in the blood, usually including a basic metabolic panel, a complete metabolic panel and an electrolyte analysis.

Once, there is a positive diagnosis of the existence of breast cancer, further tests will be done in order to determine and apply the best treatment for the patient. This type of tests can be:

• Genetic testing.
• HER2 test: this test is done to identify if HER2, a protein involved in cell growth and found in all breast cells, is more present than normal. If this is the case, they can grow faster and spread to other parts of the body.
• Estrogen and progesterone receptor testing, which measures the amount of these hormones in the cancer tissue. As in the previous case, if there is more than the normal amount, it means that the cancer is estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positive. This type can also grow faster.

In order to be able to apply one treatment or another, it is also important to detect the stage of the cancer. This will depend on whether the tumor is only in the breast or has spread to other parts of the body. Normally, the first thing to do is also to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. If so, it may have spread to other parts of the body as well. That is why the first tests to be performed to determine staging are an imaging and a biopsy of the lymph node.

What are the causes of breast cancer?

Breast cancer occurs when there is a change in the genetic material, although the cause of this type of change is unknown. There are times when genetic changes may be inherited. There are also certain factors that may play a role in the development of this disease. The most important are family history (genetics), age, unhealthy lifestyle and environment. All of these can affect the risk of developing breast cancer. On the other hand, there are women with cancer who have no known risk factors.

Among these factors that increase the risk of having it, there are some that we can highlight:

• Advanced age.
• History of breast cancer or benign breast disease.
• Genetic inheritance, changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
• Dense breast tissue.
• Menstruation at an early age.
• Beginning menopause at an early age.
• People who are receiving hormonal therapies.
• Obesity.
• Tobacco or alcohol use.

Can it be prevented?

Cases of breast cancer detected early have a good chance of being cured. The most effective prevention is early detection, which is why doctors recommend women to perform breast self-examination on a regular basis. It is also important to have regular mammograms after the age of 50 to detect possible tumors.

A healthy lifestyle is also key to help prevent the appearance of this type of tumor, although there are times when its causes are unpredictable.

Lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight, limiting the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and having an exercise routine.

There are women at high risk of suffering breast cancer who, as a preventive measure, prefer to have a mastectomy to avoid the development of breast cancer in the future.

Treatments for breast cancer

The treatment of breast cancer will depend on the stage of extension, as well as the patient’s health. The most commonly used treatments are:

• Hormone therapy to prevent the cancer cells from being able to get the hormones they need to keep growing.
• Chemotherapy, a treatment to destroy the cancer cells with drugs or slow down their growth rate.
• Radiation therapy, which uses high doses of radiation to “kill” the cancer cells and stop them from spreading.
• Surgery to remove the tumor. A lumpectomy, where the breast lump is removed, or a mastectomy, to remove all or part of the breast and nearby structures.
• Targeted therapy that uses drugs or other substances that attack the cancer cells and do less damage to healthy cells.
• Immunotherapy, treatment which helps the immune system fight cancer using substances extracted from living organisms or versions of them produced in a laboratory.

What specialist treats it?

To treat a case of breast cancer, it is advisable to see a doctor who specializes in oncology or a breast unit.