Overview
Breast cancer is
cancer that originates from the breast tissue. It can affect women of all
ages but most commonly affects those above 40. It is potentially fatal but
achieving a survival rate is also possible. There are 5 stages of
breast cancer (stage 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4). Treatment at stage 0 & 1 can
result in survival rates of above 90%.
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Symptoms
Symptoms and Signs of Breast Cancer
See your doctor if you notice any of these signs:
Breast Screening
Method
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Mammography
Mammograms (breast X-rays) are important tests in the diagnosis
of breast cancer. A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breast which can pick
up small changes that cannot be felt. Each breast is placed between two special
plates and pressure is applied to get the best possible picture. Some women
find mammography uncomfortable or even painful. However, it only lasts a few
minutes and is not harmful.
Ultrasound
This test is painless and takes just a few minutes. Ultrasound
uses sound waves to build up a picture of the inside of the body. It is
generally used for women under 35 whose breasts are too dense to give a clear
picture with mammography. It is also used to see if a lump is solid or contains
fluid (a cyst). Ultrasound is often used with mammography in specialist breast
clinics. A special gel is spread onto the breasts and a small device like a
microphone, which emits sound waves, is passed over the area. The echoes from
the soundwaves are converted into a picture by a computer.
Breast Cancer Statistic
According to the Cancer Incident in Peninsula Malaysia, 2003 –
2006, published in the Nasional Cancer Society (NRC), breast cancer is the top
cancer at 18% followed by bowel cancer 11.9% during this period.
乳腺癌是源于乳房组织的
癌症。它可影响所有年龄的妇女，但40岁以上的妇女最为常见。 它可致命的，但也有存活的可能
。乳腺癌可分为阶段0,1,2,3,4，共5个阶段。在阶段0和1接受治疗有90％的存活率。
症状
症状和乳腺癌的症状
看医生时，如果你发现任何这些迹象：
•在乳房或腋下，是否有痛的持久性肿块或增厚
•乳房的大小或形状的改变，如皮肤肿或增厚
•在乳房的皮肤的颜色或外观的改变，如红肿，凹陷或起皱
•乳头回缩
•皮疹或鳞在乳头周围
•出血或乳头任何异常变化
乳房检查方法
乳房X光摄影
乳房X光检查（乳房X射线）在乳腺癌的诊断扮演者重要的检验。乳房X光检查是一种低量X射线却能检验到微小变化的乳房。乳房会被两个特殊的板夹住并施加压力，以获得最佳可能的效果。有些妇女发现乳房X光检查会感觉到不舒服，甚至痛。但是，它只能持续几分钟，而不是有害的。
乳房超声波扫描
乳腺癌统计
根据在马来半岛的癌症病例，2003－2006年，发表于国际癌症协会，目前期间，乳腺癌占最多的 18％，其次是肠胃癌11.9％
Basic Treatment For Breast
Cancer
Basically the treatment of breast cancer are divided into 2
categories :-
Local therapy
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Systemic therapy
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which treat the cancer on site
without affecting the rest of the body
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refer to drug which can be
given by mouth or directly into bloodstream to reach cancer cell anywhere in
the body
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Surgery and
radiation
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Chemotherapy, hormone therapy
& targeted therapy
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Additional treatment is given to
patient who had no detectable cancer to prevent the cancer from coming back.
This is known as adjuvant therapy. The goal of adjuvant therapy is to kill the
hidden cancer after surgery as doctor believe that even in the early stage of
cancer, some cancer can spread to other part and not being detectable by normal
screening or mammogram and later part will form new cancer.
Some patients are given treatment
such as chemotherapy or hormone therapy before the surgery. The goal of this
treatment is to shrink the tumor in hope that less extension operation is done.
This is call neoadjuvant therapy.
Type of treatment :-
(1)
Surgery
There is 2 type of surgery :-
(a)
breast conserving surgery – it only removed part
of the affected breast. Radiotherapy is recommended after this surgery.
(b)
mastectomy – to remove the entire breast
(2)
Radiation
Radiation is a high energy ray that destroy cancer cell. It is
recommended :-
(a) to breast conserving surgery to lower the
chances of the cancer
coming back.
(b) patient
after mastectomy with tumor larger than 5 cm
(c) to
cancer that spread to other part of the body such as bone and etc.
Radiation can be given in 2 ways
:-
(a)
external -
radiation is focus from a machine outside the body on the
affected area. The procedure itself is
painless and each
treatment lasted a few
minutes only.
(b) internal - it is know as Brachytherapy. Radioactive
seed or pellet is
planted into the breast tissue next to the
cancer.
(3)
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a treatment with cancer killing drugs that is given
intravenously; injected into veins or by mouth. The drugs then reaches the
cancer via the bloodstream. It is usually a cycle treatment.
It can be given to patient before or after surgery.
The chemo drug program to kill cell that divide quickly which is the way
cancer grow. There are other cell of the body like the hair follicle, lining of
mouth, bone marrow and intestine also divide quickly. As such these cell will
be also affected by the chemo drug which lead to side effect.
Possible side effect are :-
(a)
hair loss
(b)
mouth sore
(c)
lost of appetite or increase of appetite
(d)
vomiting
(e)
lost of blood cell count.
The bone marrow is the blood
forming cell. Affecting the bone marrow
bring
about the possibilities of :-
(a)
fatigue – due to low red blood cell count
(b)
easy bruising – due to low pallet count
(c)
increase chance of infection – due to low white
blood count.
(4)
Hormone therapy
A woman ovaries is the main source of estrogen hormone. Estrogen promote
the growth of cancer s that are hormone receptor positive. As such it is given
to block estrogen. It is usually taken as a pill.
The
common side effect of these drug is fatigue, hot flashes, vaginal dryness or
discharge and mood swing.
(5)
Biological therapy
It works by using the body immune system to destroy cancer cell.
These drugs target breast cancer cell that have high level of HER2
protein.
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