Breast Cancer Treatment in India

ABOUT BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer is a type of cancer originating from the breast tissues. Both men andwomen can be afflicted by it though it’s rarer in men. Along with cervical cancer it’s oneof the most common types of cancer that afflicts women. One of the major issues withbreast cancer is that it is often not detected soon enough. This is due to low awarenessabout the disease. Detecting it early can significantly reduce the death risk.

BREAST CANCER CONTENT

• Causes

• Symptoms

• Diagnosis

• Treatment

• Prevention

CAUSES

Inactive lifestyle, stress, unhealthy food, irregular sleeping hours, etc. are some of thethings that can lead to breast cancer. While being a woman itself puts you at a greaterrisk for breast cancer, here are some factors that further increase the risk.

• Age

• Family history

• Early menstruation

• Late menopause

• Breast tissue composition

• Delayed pregnancy or no pregnancy

• Breastfeeding

• Exposure to radiation

• Obesity

• Smoking

• Using birth control pills

• Hormone replacement therapy

SYMPTOMS

Some common symptoms of breast cancer are:

1. A hard ‘lump’ or a ‘knot’ in the breast. Usually, these lumps are painless.

2. Occasionally, a clear cut lump cannot be felt, but a ‘lumpish’ feel is there. And thisfeel is different as compared to the same area of the opposite breast.

3. Bloody or a blood stained nipple discharge

4. A recent ‘in drawing’ or ‘inward pull’ on the nipple or even a change in direction.

5. Changes in the skin over the breast, which feels thick, hard and like an ‘orange’ peel

6. Occasionally, small ‘knots’ or nodes may be felt in the armpit.

DIAGNOSIS

A mammogram is used to detect breast cancer. Early detection of the disease is themost effective way to treat the ailment but that doesn’t happen due to lack ofawareness. Sadly, patients with advanced breast cancer end up being either exposed toaggressive treatment options like chemotherapy or surgery or have to be given palliativecare to ease their suffering. If breast cancer is diagnosed and treated early the chancesof cure and survival rates improve significantly, making it even more important to detectits presence. Here are 10 tips to detect breast cancer early.

According to the American Cancer Society’s guidelines for early detection of breastcancer:

1. A woman should undergo yearly mammograms starting at the age of 40. Thispractice should be continued for as long as the woman is healthy. They should get aclinical breast examination (CBE), approximately every 3 years for women in their 20sand 30s and every year for women in their 40s and over.

2. Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and should report anybreast changes promptly to their health care provider. Alternatively they could perform abreast self-exam (BSE) starting in their 20s.

TREATMENT

The standard treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.These methods have undergone vigorous trials over several decades and are the bestforms of treatment. The proof of the same is the fantastic increase in survival in almostall cancers in the western nations.

Chemotherapy is the injection of drugs in saline, into the body. These drugs areprogrammed to kill rapidly multiplying cells. Radiation Therapy is subjecting a particulararea (of cancer) in the body, with ‘ionizing rays’. These types of rays kill the dividingcells.

Radiation Therapy is subjecting a particular area (of cancer) in the body, with ‘ionizingrays’. These types of rays kill the dividing cells.

The main reason for side effects, especially in chemotherapy, is due to the fact that wecannot target only cancer cells, because they are like normal cells and there is no wayof differentiating them. So while killing cancer cells, some normal cells also get affectedand hence the severe side effects.

Do the breasts need to be removed to cure breast cancer?

Even though, some people believe that the only treatment for breast cancer is removalof breasts but that is not true. ‘In more than 70 percent women, we can very well do abreast conserving surgery (BCS)! Even if a tumor is large, we can give chemotherapyfirst, which will reduce the size of the tumor, and then a Breast Conservation Surgerycan be done! The only important requisite of BCS is that, after surgery, radiation therapyis compulsory.’ said Dr. a renowned oncologist.

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