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The breast, also called a mammary gland, is made up of lobules, ducts, fatty tissue, blood vessels, and lymph vessels
* Fatty tissue surrounds the lobules and ducts
* Ducts are tubes that link the lobules to the nipple
* Lobules are glands in the breast that produce milk
* Blood vessels circulate blood throughout the body. Blood vessels include arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins
* Lymph vessels carry lymph to lymph nodes in the underarm, above the collarbone, and in the chest. Lymph is the clear fluid that carries infection-fighting cells through the body.
A breast self-exam is a way for you to examine your breasts for lumps or anything else that doesn't seem normal. It is recommended that a breast self-exam be performed monthly, and it is important that you tell your doctor about any unusual breast symptoms as soon as you notice them.
Before a mirror:
* Firmly press your hands down on your hips to tighten your chest muscles
* Look carefully for any changes in the size, shape, or contour of your breasts
* Check for anything unusual: discharge, puckering, dimpling, or changes in skin texture.
Lying down:
* Lie flat on your back, and place your left hand behind your head and a pillow under your left shoulder
* Use the finger pads of the 3 middle fingers on your right hand to make overlapping dime-sized circular motions to feel your left breast
* Apply 3 different levels of pressure, light, medium, and firm, with your finger pads to check the breast tissue
* Use each pressure level to feel for lumps before moving to the next spot
* Start by your armpit and move down to just below your breast
* Use the same circular motions and an up-and-down pattern to cover the entire breast area
* Repeat on your right breast using your left hand
Please note: This self-exam is not a substitute for periodic clinical breast examinations by a qualified physician or health care professional.
Not all tumors are cancerous. Tumors that are not cancerous are called benign tumors. Cells from benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.
The best way to know if the lump you feel in your breast aside from being checked by a doctor is to know that if the lump hurts and you can move it around when you press on it then it is most likely benign or a cyst.
Doctors use the term "stage" to refer to the extent of cancer within the body. Knowing the stage of your cancer can help you and your doctor determine your best treatment plan.
Stage I Treatment Options
This is a very early stage of the disease. The cancer hasn't spread beyond the breast at all. So you have a number of good treatments to choose from. The five-year survival rate for women with stage I breast cancer is about 98%. This doesn't mean that these women will only live five years. Doctors just measure success rates for cancer treatment by seeing how women are doing five years after treatment. Women usually do well with a combination of treatments. Here are your basic options:
Surgery is a standard. Since the tumor is still small, you may get a lumpectomy. In this procedure, just the tumor and some of the surrounding tissue are removed. Some women get a mastectomy, in which the whole breast is removed. In either case, the surgeon will likely take out one or more of the lymph nodes.
Radiation therapy is standard after a lumpectomy. It can kill off any cancer cells that were missed. Women with stage I cancer who get a mastectomy don't usually need radiation
Chemotherapy is treatment with drugs that attack cancer cells. It's often used after surgery to lower the risk of the cancer coming back. Women who had larger tumors are more likely to need it.
Hormone therapy is sometimes used after surgery in women who have hormone receptor-positive cancer (tumors whose growth seems dependant on estrogen). In these women, medications can prevent the tumor from getting the hormone it needs to grow. These drugs include tamoxifen and newer aromatase inhibitors like Arimidex. Women who haven't reached menopause may consider having their ovaries removed to stop them from making hormones that help cancer grow.
Stage II Breast Cancer is divided into subcategories known as IIA and IIB.
Stage IIA describes invasive breast cancer in which:
no tumor can be found in the breast, but cancer cells are found in the axillary lymph nodes (the lymph nodes under the arm), OR the tumor measures 2 centimeters or less and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes, OR
the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters but not larger than 5 centimeters and has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.
Stage IIB describes invasive breast cancer in which:
the tumor is larger than 2 but no larger than 5 centimeters and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes, OR the tumor is larger than 5 centimeters but has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes.
Stage II Treatment Options
With stage II breast cancer, the cancer is still contained within the breast and (in some cases) in nearby lymph nodes. Many treatments may help. The five-year survival rate for women with stage II cancer is estimated to be between 76% and 88%. It may be higher. This doesn't mean that these women will only live five years
Surgery for stage II breast cancer is also standard as it is in stage I the proceedure is the same as is the treatments such as Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy and Radiation Therapy.
Biological therapy is a new approach. In about 25% of women with breast cancer, an excess of a protein known as HER2 makes the cancer spread quickly. Herceptin is a new drug that's been approved to treat women with metastatic breast cancer that is HER2-positive. It stops this protein from making the cancer grow and makes chemotherapy more effective. It is most often used in combination with chemotherapy. Very recent studies have led to its use in early breast cancer.
Stage III breast cancer, or locally advanced cancer, means that the tumor in the breast is more than two inches in diameter across and the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes, or has spread to other lymph nodes or tissues near the breast. Stage III is divided into subcategories known as stage IIIA and stage IIIB
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with stage II or stage III breast cancer, you might be experiencing a wide range of emotions, including anxiety, helplessness, fear, sadness and anger this is all normal and you need to know your not alone.
Stage III Breast Cancer
Stage III is divided into subcategories known as IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC.
Stage IIIA describes invasive breast cancer in which either:
no tumor is found in the breast. Cancer is found in axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone, OR the tumor is 5 centimeters or smaller and has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures, OR the tumor is larger than 5 centimeters and has spread to axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures.
Stage IIIB describes invasive breast cancer in which:
the tumor may be any size and has spread to the chest wall and/or skin of the breast AND
may have spread to axillary lymph nodes that are clumped together or sticking to other structures, or cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone
Inflammatory breast cancer is considered at least stage IIIB.
Stage IIIC describes invasive breast cancer in which:
there may be no sign of cancer in the breast or, if there is a tumor, it may be any size and may have spread to the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast, and the cancer has spread to lymph nodes above or below the collarbone, and the cancer may have spread to axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes near the breastbone.
Stage IV Breast Cancer
Stage IV describes invasive breast cancer in which:
the cancer has spread to other organs of the body -- usually the lungs, liver, bone, or brain "Metastatic at presentation" means that the breast cancer has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes, even though this is the first diagnosis of breast cancer. The reason for this is that the primary breast cancer was not found when it was only inside the breast. Metastatic cancer is considered stage IV.
Always, always do a monthly breast exam -- hell -- do it once a week if cancer is strong in your family and if you do detect something go to your doctor immediately don’t let it go. Cancer progresses very fast don’t ignore anything you feel you can never be too careful. As well as checking your breasts monthly you can also check your neck to se if you feel any lumps or swollen lymphnodes if you feel anything that feels abnormal go to the doctor ASAP.
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Thanks for those great instructions on a self exam. Do you know at what age women should start doing self exams? is it before the age of 35?
Thanks!
April 28, 2009 - 6:55pmThis Comment