Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, being responsible for almost 20 percent of all cancer deaths in women. It ranks second after lung cancer. Roughly 180,000 women are diagnosed with this disease each year, of which 44,000 will die. With increased awareness and increased use of routine mammograms,more women are diagnosed in the earlier stages of this disease, at which time a cure may be possible. For every 100 women, one man is diagnosed with this disease. The disease is more common in women after age 40. It is also more frequent in women of a higher social-economic class.
Causes and risk factors:
Many factors are known to increase the risk of development of breast cancer:
* Genetic predisposition. A few genetic markers have been linked to development
of breast cancer.
* History of breast cancer in a first-degree relative
* History of breast cancer in the same patient, in the opposite breast
* Onset of menstruation in early ages
* Late onset of menopause
* Radiation exposure
* Heavy alcohol consumption
* High fat diet
* Obesity
* First pregnancy after age of 30
* Very tall women
Signs and Symptoms:
More women are now being diagnosed by means of a routine mammogram. Others may feel a lump in the breast or notice abnormal discharge from the nipple, or feel thickness or swelling of the skin or nipple. It is frequently diagnosed by a physician during a routine breast examination.
Any lump in the breast and any mammogram abnormality must be studied very carefully. If any degree of suspicion exists as to the nature of the lump, it should be
biopsied. This may be accomplished by Fine Needle Aspiration, a Core Biopsy or Surgical Biopsy.
Staging:
What is the extent of cancer? How advanced is the cancer? What areas of the body are involved? Has the cancer spread to lymph glands, bones, liver, etc.? Resolving these questions is referred to as staging. These are the most important questions to be answered prior to an effective treatment plan being implemented. The answers to these questions should be obtained by a minimal amount of tests and by least invasive methods. Sentinel Node biopsy is a newer method of evaluating lymph node involvement.
Once the diagnosis is established, the next step is determination of the extent of the disease and appropriate treatment planning. A cancer specialist should be engaged to plan for proper testing and studies. A chest x-ray is always a routine part of workup. Further tests will depend on the findings by the physician and his intuition. Other x-rays, CT scans, Bone scan, MRI study, etc. are performed to determine the extent of the cancer.
-References From Wikipedia-