October – a breast cancer awareness month

No one is safe from getting a cancer. Even the worldwide celebrities get diagnosed with breast cancer. Among the most widely known is Kylie Minogue, Christina Applegate, Angelina Jolie, Sheryl Crow and others.

Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 at the age of 36. She was initially given the all-clear, she later said, only to find a lump shortly thereafter. Kylie had a lumpectomy to remove the small tumor, followed by chemotherapy.

Christina Applegate survived breast cancer in 2008 at the age of 36. Her mother, Nancy Priddy, was also diagnosed with breast cancer while in her thirties, and then again in her fifties. Because of that family history, Christina made a choice to follow an early detection plan that included more frequent screenings starting at age 30. The cancer was therefore detected in an early stage.

Angelina Jolie just like Christina Applegate knew she had a significant family history of breast cancer and chose to undergo genetic testing. She tested positive for a BRCA1 mutation, and had a double mastectomy while in her thirties. It reduced her risk of developing breast cancer from an estimated 87% down to approximately 5%.

Sheryl Crow was diagnosed at the age of 44 with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive form of breast cancer. It was discovered at an early stage through an annual mammogram, and after a lumpectomy and seven weeks of radiation therapy, she was declared cancer-free.

Breast cancer overview

Breast cancer is a disease in which abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumors. Breast cancer cells begin inside the milk ducts and/or the milk-producing lobules of the breast. The earliest form is not life-threatening and can be detected in early stages. Invasive cancers can spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs (metastasize). Metastasis can be life-threatening and fatal.

In 2022, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 670 000 deaths globally. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in women after the skin cancer. However, the number of people dying of breast cancer is steadily going down and survival rates have been increasing.

About 80% of breast cancer cases are invasive, meaning a tumor may spread from your breast to other areas of your body. Breast cancer typically affects women aged 50 and older, but it can also affect younger women. Men may also develop breast cancer.

Signs and symptoms of the breast cancer

Most people will not experience any symptoms when the cancer is still early, therefore, it is important to detect it as soon as possible.

Symptoms of breast cancer may include:

· A breast lump or thickened area of skin that feels different from the surrounding tissue

· A nipple that looks flattened or turns inward

· Change in size, shape or appearance of the breast

· Dimpling, redness, pitting or other changes to the skin

· Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the skin on the breast

· Abnormal or bloody fluid from the nipple

People with an abnormal breast lump should seek medical care, even if the lump does not hurt.

Most breast lumps are not cancerous. Breast lumps that are cancerous are more likely to be successfully treated when they are small and have not spread to nearby lymph nodes.

Breast cancer types

Common types of breast cancer include:

· Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC): this cancer starts in your milk ducts and spreads to nearby breast tissue.

· Lobular breast cancer: this cancer starts in the milk-producing glands (lobules) in your breast and often spreads to nearby breast tissue.

· Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): like IDC, this cancer starts in your milk ducts. The difference is that DCIS doesn’t spread beyond your milk ducts.

Less common breast cancer types include:

· Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC): this invasive cancer is aggressive and spreads more quickly than other breast cancers.

· Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC): this rare, fast-growing cancer looks like a rash on your breast.

· Paget’s disease of the breast: this cancer affects the skin of your nipple and may look like a rash. Less than 4% of all breast cancers are Paget’s disease of the breast.

Breast cancer causes

The exact cause of most breast cancers is unknown. Breast cancer happens through a complex interaction of genetic makeup and the environment. However, certain factors increase the risk of breast cancer including age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family’s history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history, tobacco use, and postmenopausal hormone therapy. Certain inherited high penetrance gene mutations greatly increase breast cancer risk – the most dominant being mutations in the genes BRCA1, BRCA2 and PALB-2.

Things you can do to lower your risk of breast cancer

· Get to and stay at a healthy weight: ask a healthcare provider for information on setting up healthy weight management.

· Eat a healthy diet: some studies show a diet that includes vegetables, fruit, calcium-rich dairy foods and lean protein may reduce your risk of breast cancer. Avoiding red meat and processed meat may also reduce your risk.

· Exercise: regular physical activity lowers breast cancer risk.

· Avoid beverages containing alcohol: research shows a link between breast cancer and alcohol.

· Get screened: mammograms often detect tumors when they’re too small to be felt.

· Do regular self-exams: examining your breasts regularly helps to maintain breast health and may allow you to find breast cancer tumors.

Breast cancer treatment

Doctors combine treatments to minimize the chances of the cancer coming back (recurrence).

Breast cancer surgeries include:

· Mastectomy (removing the breast)

· Lumpectomy (removing a lump from the breast)

· Breast reconstruction

Surgery may be combined with one or more of the following treatments:

· Chemotherapy

· Radiation therapy, including intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT)

· Immunotherapy

· Hormone therapy, including selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) therapy

· Targeted therapy

Surgery may remove just the cancerous tissue or the whole breast. Surgery may also remove lymph nodes to assess the cancer’s ability to spread.

Radiation therapy treats residual cancerous cells left behind in the breast tissue and/or lymph nodes and minimizes the chances of cancer recurring.

Medicines to treat breast cancers are selected based on the biological properties of the cancer as determined by special tests.

Sources:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/breast-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20352470

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/3986-breast-cancer

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer

https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/celebrities/

More on breast cancer history:

https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/blog/women-who-changed-the-face-of-breast-cancer/