Many women face such a terrible problem as breast cancer. Symptoms of the disease can be very different, starting with the appearance of small, barely noticeable formations in the glandular tissue and ending with pain, swelling and inflammation.
The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the less likely it is to develop complications. That is why every woman should know what breast cancer is. Symptoms, treatment, causes of the disease, its diagnosis and prevention - these are the points that need to be carefully studied.
General information
Many women wonder what breast cancer is. Symptoms and signs of pathology, methods of diagnosis and treatment are, of course, valuable information, but first you should familiarize yourself with the general data.
Today, breast cancer is considered the most common cancer in women. At a certain point, glandular cells mutate, turning into malignant (datamechanisms, unfortunately, are not yet fully understood). They grow rapidly, their number increases, which leads to the formation of a tumor. In some cases, malignant structures with blood and lymph flow enter other organs, forming metastases.
It is believed that breast cancer (symptoms, photos, causes will be given in the article) is associated with hormonal activity. The fact is that the glandular cells of women are very sensitive to estrogen. That is why men suffer from such a disease 100 times less often, despite the fact that the histological structure of these cells is identical in both sexes.
Influence of internal factors on the development of cancer
What is breast cancer? We will consider the symptoms of this disease later, but now it is worth talking about the factors that can provoke malignant degeneration of cells.
Unfortunately, the exact mechanisms of the development of pathology have not yet been fully studied. However, information about some of the causes of its occurrence is still available. The risk group includes women from 30 to 70 years old if their history contains certain information about:
- genetic predisposition (there were cases of cancer in relatives);
- chronic gynecological diseases;
- early puberty;
- late menopause (due to hormonal changes);
- numerous abortions, miscarriages;
- late motherhood, no pregnancy;
- hormonaldisorders and diseases of the endocrine system (risk factors include hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus);
- irregular sex life;
- long-term hormone therapy, uncontrolled use of hormonal contraceptives.
Of course, the presence of the above problems or factors in your life does not mean that you will definitely develop cancer. However, you should be more responsible for your he alth and well-being, as the chances of developing a malignant tumor are higher.
Exogenous causes
Today, research is still underway on what exactly is the cause of such an oncological pathology. Researchers identify several risk factors:
- Blows, bruises, injuries in the chest area can lead to mechanical damage to the glandular tissue, which in some conditions triggers the processes of malignant degeneration.
- The importance of ionizing radiation in the development of cancer has been proven.
- Alcohol abuse, smoking and other bad habits are also risk factors, although their direct effect has not been proven.
- Some drugs and chemicals, when ingested, affect the level of estrogen, which in turn affects the condition of the breast.
Naturally, these factors cannot independently provoke the development of breast cancer, the symptoms of which we will consider in our article, but exogenous influences can trigger the process of malignant transformationfabrics. Although this will only happen if there is an endogenous predisposition.
Breast cancer: symptoms and signs, photo and description
What should I pay attention to? When should you worry? What do early stage breast cancer symptoms look like? In what cases should you contact a specialist? Features of the clinical picture largely depend on the type and stage of development of the disease. The following violations are considered the most common:
- The appearance of seals in the mammary gland (these can be both diffuse and focal formations).
- Deformation of the mammary glands, the appearance of their asymmetry.
- Skin may retract, wrinkle.
- The list of characteristic symptoms includes swelling of the breast, which in structure resembles cellulite (the so-called orange peel is formed).
- In the areola and nipple areas, peeling, crusts, and areas of skin erosion often appear.
- Perhaps reddening of the skin of the mammary glands.
- Sometimes there is discharge from the nipples, including bloody.
- Sometimes patients report soreness in the armpits.
- Possibly swollen lymph nodes in the chest and armpit area.
Hormone dependent cancer
Unfortunately, many women experience breast cancer. Its symptoms directly depend on the form of cancer.
As already mentioned, the appearance of a tumor is often associated with serious hormonal imbalances. To this cancause both endocrine diseases and hormonal medications. The amount and ratio of sex hormones changes due to puberty, pregnancy, menopause.
With hormone-dependent breast cancer (we have provided symptoms in women and a photo for your attention in the article), as a rule, there is an increase in the level of prolactin and estrogen against the background of a decrease in the amount of synthesized progesterone. And it is worth noting that these forms of cancer respond well to hormone therapy. In 75% of cases, it is possible to achieve a stable remission thanks to the right drugs. If hormonal disorders are associated with serious violations of the synthetic activity of the ovaries, they may need to be removed.
Negative breast cancer and its characteristics
Almost every third patient with a similar diagnosis has negative breast cancer (symptoms and photos of the tumor process can be found in our article).
This disease has unique characteristics. The fact is that most often the cells of neoplasms are sensitive to a specific tumor protein, progesterone or estrogen. And by determining what exactly affects the growth and development of the tumor, you can choose the appropriate treatment. If we are talking about a negative form of breast cancer, then its cells do not have receptors for all three of the above proteins. That is why it is very difficult to choose drugs for therapy.
Luminal cancer
This type of disease is estrogen-dependent - the tumor is sensitive toestrogen levels. There are two types of luminal cancer:
- Breast cancer type A is usually diagnosed in patients during menopause. It is worth noting that the cells of such a tumor are very sensitive to progesterone and estrogen. On the other hand, the degree of sensitivity to the cell growth marker is low. The neoplasm is not affected by a specific tumor protein. This form of cancer is well treated with tamoxifen (an estrogen antagonist). In addition, the course of therapy includes aromatase, an adrenal enzyme that ensures the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. The patient survival rate is quite high. Relapses after properly administered therapy are very rare.
- Luminal cancer type B is more dangerous. As a rule, young women of reproductive age suffer from this form of the disease. This type of cancer is difficult to treat with hormones. Chemotherapy also sometimes does not give the desired result. The current treatment is trastuzumab. This substance contains monoclonal antibodies that are active against a specific tumor protein.
It is worth noting that, unfortunately, this type of cancer is often accompanied by the appearance of metastases in the lymph nodes and more distant organs. In addition, there is a high risk of developing multiple relapses even after complex treatment.
Staging of breast cancer: symptoms and features
Modern doctors and researchers distinguish 4 stages of development of the described disease. Not only the size of the tumor is taken into account, but also the presence of metastases and lesions of regional lymph nodes:
- The first stage. The tumor in the glandular tissue is small - its diameter does not exceed two centimeters. Metastases are absent (both in nearby lymph nodes and in other organs). Early symptoms of breast cancer often appear at this stage, but often this stage occurs without any symptoms.
- Second stage. The size of the tumor ranges from 2 to 5 cm. During the diagnosis, it is possible to determine the presence of metastases in one or two lymph nodes. Single small tumors in other organs are also possible.
- Third stage. At this stage, the diameter of the malignant structure exceeds 5 cm. Metastases affect the lymph nodes of the armpit. Sometimes there is an increase in nodes directly near the gland itself (normally, they are not palpable). There are large tumors in other organs.
- The fourth stage. At this stage, the size of the tumor increases - it goes beyond the glandular tissues of the breast. In this case, the appearance of nodules, ulcerations is observed on the skin. Metastases affect the lymph nodes on both sides of the chest (including nodes of the third level). Structures in the armpit and supraclavicular space are also affected. There are multiple metastases in different organ systems.
Diagnostic measures
It is very important to diagnose breast cancer in time. The first signs and symptoms are a good reason tovisit a specialist's office and undergo a complete examination.
The most common diagnostic method today is mammography. The essence of the procedure is an x-ray scan of the mammary glands. This procedure helps to determine the presence of pathologies. In particular, the contours of the neoplasm can be seen in the picture. But, nevertheless, the named technique does not allow to detect tumors of small sizes, and is also not informative if a woman has breast implants. That is why mammography is used for primary diagnosis.
In the future, additional studies are carried out, in particular breast ultrasound, as well as MRI (by the way, if metastases are suspected, not only the chest area is scanned, but the whole body - this way you can find the exact number and location of other neoplasms). In addition, patients are prescribed an analysis of the level of gene expression - such a study helps to assess the likelihood of a relapse in the future.
Treatments
The treatment regimen depends on many factors - the type of tumor, its size, the degree of spread of metastases, the general condition of the patient:
- First of all, the probability of the operation is considered. The choice of technique depends on the size of the tumor and the presence of metastases in the lymph nodes. If the neoplasm is small, then the doctor can remove only it with a small amount of glandular tissue. In more complex cases, the mammary gland is removed completely along with the affected lymph nodes. Furtheradditional plastic surgery may be performed to restore the shape (and sometimes functioning) of the breast.
- Chemotherapy can be given before or after surgery. Such treatment, for example, can help shrink a tumor and make it operable. After removal of the neoplasm, another course may be needed in order to completely cleanse the body of malignant cells. It should be noted that such treatment is difficult to tolerate by the patient, as it is associated with a huge number of adverse reactions. However, it is often this type of therapy that produces the best results.
- After the operation, the doctor may decide to perform radiation therapy. This technique helps reduce the likelihood of relapses after reaching a state of remission, as well as reduce or even destroy small metastases located in other organs.
- If cancer cells have specific receptors that are sensitive to progesterone and estrogen, then hormone therapy can be prescribed to patients, which also gives good results.
Prognosis for female patients
You already know what the main symptoms of breast cancer look like in women and what treatments can be used. But what are the prognosis for female patients?
In fact, it all depends on the form and stage of cancer. If the oncological disease was diagnosed at the first or second stage, and the patient was provided with qualified assistance, then it is likely thatit will be possible to achieve stable remission (it is observed in 80-90% of cases). If there was a lesion of 1-2 lymph nodes, then the degree of recovery is 60%. Diseases are most difficult to treat in the later stages, when metastases are already present in other organs.
Prevention measures
You already know what breast cancer is, the symptoms and signs of this disease. Unfortunately, there are no specific methods for the prevention of the described pathology. Naturally, exposure to risk factors should be avoided. Women are advised to go for a mammogram once a year, especially when it comes to patients over 40 years old. In addition, every month you need to conduct an independent examination, carefully feeling the mammary gland and the armpit, checking it for seals. These procedures will help to detect the problem in time. When you notice the first symptoms of breast cancer, you need to start therapy.
