Breast Cancer - Causes & Treatment Options

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that starts from cellsof the breast. Breast cancer is diagnosed by the examination of surgically removed breast tissue. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American women. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55 years of age and is the second overall cause of death among women (exceeded only by lung cancer).

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women with the exception of nonmelanoma skin cancers. Inflammatory breast cancer is often mistaken for infection(mastitis) in its early stages. The most distinguishing feature of inflammatory breast cancer is redness involving part of or the whole breast. Knowing the stage of your breast cancer is critical to deciding on a course of treatment.

In inflammatory breast cancer, the breast cancer is blocking lymphatic vessels and this can cause pain, swelling, warmth, and redness throughout the breast, as well as an orange peel texture to the skin referred to as peau d'orange. When breast cancer is found in bones, it has usually spread to more than one site.

Symptoms

Symptoms of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in size or shape of the breast or discharge from a nipple. Symptoms that do not go away in spite of antibiotic treatment should be discussed with a doctor. Most breast symptoms do not turn out to represent underlying breast cancer. Other symptoms include rapid increase in breast size, redness, persistent itching, skin hot to the touch.

Treatment

Treatment for breast cancer usually depends on the type of cancer and whether the cancer has spread outside of the breast to the rest of the body. Treatment usually includes a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and hormonal therapy. Treatment is based on many factors, including type and stage of the cancer, whether the cancer is sensitive to certain hormones, and whether or not the cancer overproduces (overexpresses) a gene called HER2/neu.

Treatment usually given over three to five weeks. Treatment for breast cancer includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and endocrine/anti-hormone therapy.