Definition:
Breast Cancer is a malignant tumor that originated from the cells of the breast and the disease, most women fear most.
Diagnosis:
Breast self-examination to detect early signs of breast cancer. This is done by feeling and touching certain areas of the breast to assess any change in form or presence of lump.
Diagnostic and screening mammograms to check changes and abnormalities in breast tissues.`
Treatment:
Lumpectomy is performed to remove only the lump and surrounding normal portions of normal tissue followed by radiation therapy to demolish remaining cancer cells.
Mastectomy in different forms has long been part of breast cancer treatment plan.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancerous and cancer cells.
Hormone therapy is utilized to treat women whose cancers are receptive to hormones to reduce the incidence of recurring breast cancer.
Symptoms and Signs:
An appearance of swelling or lump in the breast coupled with a discharge from the nipple that can either be clear or bloody. Nipple can either show signs of retraction or indentation. Obvious change in the size and shape of the breast which may include redness or pitting of the skin over the breast.
Causes:
It is clear that breast cancer is caused by malignancy of cells, but what caused healthy cells to be cancerous is not yet clearly defined. Some researches link it to exposure to radiation, genetic component and exposure to cancer-causing elements like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in tobacco and burnt red meats.
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