Breast Cancer: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Breast Cancer
Breast tumor has many forms; They can be large and fixed or small and mobile. It may also come in a round size and shape if it is a malignant tumor. It may also be soft and smooth, and the size of the cancerous mass can develop on any part of the breast. For many years, a breast tumor was considered one of the things that was difficult to detect except at a certain time. It was too late to have a complete mastectomy.
However, after the great scientific development in the field of medicine, the treatment of breast tumors has become one of the types of tumors that can only be treated and removed. This reduces the number of breast tumors that sometimes develop rapidly and spread to other parts of the body and then lead to death.
Breast cancer symptoms
Awareness is considered one of the first steps in treating breast tumors, meaning that a woman’s regular follow-up and breast examination leads to early detection of the tumor and then moving faster to treat the tumor, which means avoiding the woman being subjected to mastectomy, and one of the most important symptoms through which attention can be paid to the presence of a tumor In the breast are:
- Secretion of a clear substance from the nipple or the presence of a substance similar to blood. This sometimes occurs in conjunction with a lump in the breast.
- If the nipple retracts inward or becomes indented.
- A change in breast size, especially if it is in only one breast, and often happens after the menstrual cycle when one breast is larger than the other.
- The presence of flattening or indentation in the skin covering the breast skin.
- When redness or what looks like a wrinkle in the skin appears on the surface of the breast, its shape becomes like an orange peel.
Where is a breast lump located?
A breast mass or tumor may appear in a place close to it, such as the collarbone area or one of the armpits. Most often, it forms on one side of the breast and not on both sides.
Every woman needs to be aware of the nature of her breasts so that she can notice any changes that occur in them. Therefore, every woman must periodically perform a self-examination of her breasts every month, especially immediately after the end of her menstrual cycle, to check on herself and ensure her safety.
The most important causes of breast cancer
Many reasons may lead to a woman developing breast cancer at any stage of her life, but the infection often occurs after the age of forty, and we review the most important reasons that lead to the appearance of breast cancer :
1. Genetic factor
Only about 5% - 10% of breast cancer cases are due to genetic causes. Some families have a specific defect in one or two genes, such as a defect in the BRCA gene or even in the BRCA gene. 2".
This is often a reason for the possibility that her sons and daughters will later develop breast cancer or even ovarian cancer, and in this case, the infection rate is very high compared to people who have no family history of the disease.
2. Defects in other genes
There is a defect in some other genes in the body, such as:
- Telangiectasia mutation gene.
- There is a defect in the “P53” gene, which is the gene responsible for tumor size.
This defect increases the risk of developing breast lump disease, and if there is a possibility that one of these genetic defects is present in your family history, this means that there is a 50% chance that the defect is present in you as well.
3. The presence of benign lumps in the breast
The presence of benign breast masses can hide behind malignant masses, so the breast must be examined regularly. So that the tumor is detected early and does not develop.
Breast cancer screenings
Breast examination is generally done in more than one way, and among these methods we mention the following:
Breast self-examination
Breast self-examination is done by performing a self-examination of the woman’s breasts after the end of the menstrual cycle and ensuring that there are no lumps or tumors, or that there is no difference in the size of the breasts.
If the family history includes cases of any type of cancer, especially breast cancer, the woman must be careful to undergo a periodic examination every month to ensure that there are no tumors. There are videos on YouTube that you can review to learn how to conduct the examination.
Clinical examination
If the presence of breast cancer is suspected during a home examination, you must immediately consult a specialist doctor and confirm the presence of the mass, its type, and whether it is malignant or benign through the examinations, x-rays, and analysis requested by the doctor.
Radiological imaging
Breast X-rays are performed to confirm definitively the presence of a breast tumor and its size and type, whether benign or malignant.
Based on these X-rays, the type of surgical operation to be performed is decided, whether it is a complete mastectomy, a partial mastectomy, or a tumor removal only.
Breast Cancer Treatment
There is one way in which breast cancer can be treated, which is to perform surgery immediately as soon as the tumor is discovered and its type is identified, to avoid its spread to other places in the body.
Through the performed x-rays, the doctor determines the type of surgical operation and whether the breast is completely or partially removed, or if the tumor is benign, it can only be removed, with periodic follow-up after the operation to ensure that it does not spread again.
At the end of this article through the Spirit Pharmacy blog, the best online pharmacy in Kuwait, we will have learned about the causes of breast cancer, how to diagnose it, and appropriate treatment methods. You can follow our blog to learn a lot of other medical information.