There are many types of breast cancer, but two are more common in most women. They generally are named after the parts in the breast in which they start occurring. The first is ductal carcinoma and the second is lobular carcinoma. Those two are the most common types, and they appear in the breast’s milk ducts or the milk-producing glands.
In situ breast cancer or a noninvasive breast cancer is a type which the cells have remained within the place of the origin and have no spread around the breast tissue. Ductal carcinoma is a common type of noninvasive breast cancer as it keeps confined within the lining of the milk ducts.
Invasive breast cancers are ones which spread outside the membranes which line the lobule, or the ducts, and start to invade the surrounding areas. They travel to other parts in the body which are more commonly known as lymph nodes. Invasive ductal carcinoma consists of nearly 70% of breast cancers. The lining of the milk ducts eventually get thin and break; the cancer spreads through the wall and starts to apply itself to the breast tissue.
The cells may keep near the site of origin, but they still spread through out the body by using a woman’s blood stream. Invasive lobular carcinoma is less common but it invades in a similar way as it starts in the milk producing lobules then starts to break into the surrounding tissue, but they can also have the same type of spreading on different parts of a woman’s body. This type of cancer does not necessarily provide lumps, but thickens an area in general. The most aggressive types of breast cancer is inflammatory as it starts form sheets and nests instead of lumps underneath the soft tissues of the breast. It can easily be treated with chemotherapy and with some surgery later on. If caught early it is manageable and the survival rates are increasing.
The least common type of cancer is the cancer of the nipple, which is called Paget’s disease. It starts to look like a skin rash or rough skin around the nipple, which some people may consider as eczema, but those are just the minor signs of cancer being under the surface of the skin. The best way to treat this type of cancer is mastectomy, since it is around the nipple and milk ducts.
Prevention is better than cure, it holds true for breast cancer. However there are methods to cure breast cancer, though great deal of time and money is involved in these treatments. There are four basic types of treatments that are used to cure breast treatments.
Surgery
Most of the cancer patients go through the surgery to remove the cancer cells. Cancer is developed in the lymph nodes, to verify the presence of cancer these cells are taken out and viewed under microscope. Breast conserving surgery is done to remove only the tissues that contain the cancer. There are two basic types of breast conserving surgeries. Lumpectomy, involves removing tumor and small tissues attached with it , therefore conserving the rest of the breast. Partial mastectomy involves removing the part of the breast having the tumor. This depends on the growth of the tumor and it location in the breasts.
However there are surgeries where whole breast is removed to prevent its growth to the rest part of the body. This surgery is termed as whole mastectomy. Even after the surgery patients are often given radiation therapy, hormone therapy or chemotherapy to kill the remaining cancer cells.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy makes use of strong x-rays or other radiations to kill the cancer cells. Type of radiation therapy is selected depending on the type and stage of the breast cancer. Normally two kinds of therapies are used, internal therapy and external therapy. In internal therapy, a radioactive substance is brought near the cancer, with the help of wire, catchers and seeds. However in case of external therapy, a machine placed outside the body of the patient is used to direct the radiation towards her breasts.
Chemotherapy
Drugs are used in chemotherapy to stop the growth of the cancer and to kill the cancer cells. This drug is either taken in form of medicine or injected into the blood directly or the muscle. The drugs move in the bloodstream to reach the cancer cells. Types of chemotherapy depend on the stage and type of the cancer. Chemotherapy can be placed in the part of the body directly where the cancer is present.
Hormone therapy
Hormones are produced by glands; some of them may enhance the growth of the cancer cells in the breasts. However by controlling the productivity of these hormones, cancer cells can be stopped from growing further. Estrogen is the kind of hormone which is produced bay ovaries and supports the growth of the cancer. Hormone therapy is used to reduce the production of estrogen.
Colon Cancer is among the most common cancers affecting humans. Although adequate checks and regular visits to the doctor have reduced the risk of Colon cancer, it is still highly common and poses a risk for both men and women.
There are 5 stages of Colon cancer and therefore the treatment for Colon cancer varies for each stage. These stages progress from Stage 0, which is the very initial stage. Stages 1, 2 and 3 describe increased deterioration and stage 4 describes the final stage of Colon cancer, where it has spread into multiple areas.
The general treatments for colon cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Stage 0 Colon cancer can be removed by simple colonoscopy which does not involve any serious risk to the patient’s health. Stages 1, 2 and 3 however, require more invasive surgery. For stages 2 and above, chemotherapy is required as a subsidiary to surgery. Chemotherapy can be conducted with either just one drug or a combination of drugs. Stage 4, which is the last stage for the cancer, can also be treated although the chances of success are significantly lower. The most common ways of treating this stage are:
- Burning the Colon Cancer,
- Cutting out the Cancer, although this may not prove too easy since at stage 4, the cancer spreads to other organs as well.
- Delivering radiation and chemotherapy directly into the organ
- Freezing the cancer (cryotherapy).
It is important to keep in mind that both chemotherapy and radiation treatment involve a significant risk of side effects. Chemotherapy affects all parts of the body and since it serves the purpose of inhibiting the division of cells, it scars all fast growing cells of the body including hair, taste buds and bone marrow. Thus, treatment for Colon Cancer can leave a person bald, without the ability to taste and increasingly susceptible to diseases due to an ineffective immune system. Radiation treatment also has significant side effects which range from nausea to loss of control over the faculties of the body.
Although there have been significant advances in the treatment for Colon Cancer, it still poses serious risk. The best method of prevention is to have regular check ups so that any incidence can be caught in time without causing serious damage.
here are many different symptoms which may occur in a woman when she is affected with breast cancer. Some major symptoms to look out for will be discussed. Overall it is usually the change or an affect on the breasts directly.
Lumps or thickening may occur within the breast or near the lymph nodes in the armpit. Although some of these lumps and thickening may be a resultant of hormonal changes, but if they persist in either region, then it may be something of a concern. Lymph nodes usually increase or swell when a body is fighting an invasion, whereas a lump in the breast tissue may be a resultant of problems in the ducts or the lobes of the breast.
A significant change in the size of the shape of a matured breast is usually one very common sign. Especially if only one breast is changing. A change in the size or shape in a breast usually indicates that the milk ducts or lobes within the breasts are swelling. This could be due to regular hormonal cycles, but if the changes are not in sync with regular periodical changes, then it is a major symptom of breast cancer.
Another major symptom is when fluid is leaking from the nipple. Fluid which is not milk nor bloody from both breasts, is what women have more to be on the lookout for. Although some may occur due to hormonal changes, and again is not a major concern, but if leakage if occurring from specifically from one nipple, there are several tests which have to be taken place in order to discover the cause.
Natural changes in a woman may come from aging, which may affect the shape and size of the nipples. However, if a nipple pulls in and does not easily return back to its original shape is a major symptom of breast cancer. Along with the change in the size of the nipple, there may also be some alteration in the color or texture of the nipple. If there are some dimples, puckers, or even rashes developing under the skin of the nipple, it is usually another sign of break cancer. If any of these symptoms are caught at an early age, it may lead to a curable state of breast cancer.
Brest cancer is the most common disease in women; however the risk of breast cancer can be reduced. Diet plays an important role to minimize the risk of breast cancer. A balanced diet helps the body to work properly, eliminating risk of many diseases including breasts cancer. However consuming fats can cause serious health problems like high blood pressure, heart diseases and breast cancer as well.
Alcohol
It is proved with the help of research and studies that consuming alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. In case of women consuming alcohol regularly has as much two times the possibility of developing breast cancer than women who do not consume alcohol. Avoiding alcohol can provide great help to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Smoking
Smoking causes many diseases related to heart and lungs. However women smoking at an early age are more susceptible to the risk of breast cancer. As the smoke of the cigarette stay in the chest area for a longer time which causes the women different lungs and breasts diseases, however rate of breast cancer among smokers is higher. By quitting smoking, women can save their breast from developing cancer.
Physical exercise
Physical exercises tend to eliminate the risk of breast cancer. Exercise does not mean joining a gym, however studies have proved that women who walk briskly for 2.5 to 3 hours every week, reduce their chances to have breast cancer.
Breastfeeding
Breast milk is natural food for infants, however if they are not properly fed by their mothers. Chances are there that their mother will have breast cancer at an older age. It happens as the milk stays in the breast for a longer period of time, which helps it to react and create disease within the breasts. Therefore providing the required environment for the cancer to develop and grow in the breasts. Therefore it is recommended for women to breastfeed their babies instead of formula milk.
Hormonal treatment
Hormonal treatment for birth control increases the risk of breast cancer. Using the Combination of estrogen and progesterone raises the risk of breast cancer. It is also observed that personal history of women can also cause breast cancer to them, since it can also be inherited to them. In order to reduce that factor they should check their family history for breast cancer, so that it can be stopped before it gets too late.
All these methods can only prevent the breast cancer; they are not the cure for it. However it is better to prevent breast cancer instead of having painful and expensive surgeries afterwards.
risk factor refers to anything which increases a person’s chance of acquiring a certain ailment. Cancers have their specific risk factors as well and just as increased sunlight may be a risk factor for skin cancer, colon cancer has its own specific risk factors. However risk factors do not necessarily indicate certainty. In many instances, colon cancers may develop without any of the known risk factors.
However, medical research has allowed researchers to highlight a number of risk factors for Colon Cancer. These are:
- Age : More than 90% of people diagnosed with Colon cancer are above the age of 50. Therefore age is one of the important indicators in determining the presence of Colon Cancer.
- Personal history : Any past incidences of Polyp formation are serious risk factors.
- Inflammatory Bowel disease: Any personal history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is also pertinent since the prolonged periods in which the Colon is inflamed may lead to higher probability of Colon Cancer.
- Family history : Colon Cancer, like other forms of Cancer, has a higher incidence in people with family history. The risk is significantly higher when a direct family member (parent or sibling) is affected and more than doubles if more than one family member is affected.
- Inherited syndromes : Around 5 % of Colon Cancer patients have inherited genes which make them susceptible to the disease. The two most common inherited syndromes are familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HPCC).
- Racial and ethnic background : Specific races have higher rates of Colon cancer than others. African Americans have the highest rates of Colon cancer in the US while the Ashkenazi Jews have the one of the highest rates in the world.
- Diet : Diet also plays an important role in determining the risk factor for Colon Cancer. A diet rich in red meats and processed meats has been shown to increase the risk factor while diet consisting of fruits and vegetables has proven to decrease the risk of Colon Cancer.
- Alcohol Use : Heavy use of alcohol is also an increased risk factor. It is recommended that men not have more than 2 drinks a day and women, not more than 1.
Although there are several other risk factors as well, it is important to note that Colon cancer can develop without any of these present so vigilance is the best precaution.