Understanding Breast Changes:
A Health Guide for All Women
by Dr. Ewa Przybylska
his information is design to help you with the concerns you may have
about getting breast cancer. Over her lifetime, a woman can encounter
a broad variety of breast conditions. Even though most are not cancer,
they are worrisome.
The article presents some facts about breast cancer, describes screening
for the early detection of breast cancer, explains the various types
of breast changes that woman experience, and outlines methods that doctors
use to distinguish between benign (noncancerous) changes and cancer.
It reviews factors that can increase a woman's cancer risk and reports
on current approaches to breast cancer prevention.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor composed of abnormal breast cells
dividing without control and order. They can invade and damage nearby
tissue, enter the blood stream or lymphatic system and spread to distant
organs to form new tumors - metastasis.
Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among women and is
second leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Breast cancer mortality
rates are decreasing and are attributable to early detection and available
treatment.
Breast cancer causes are unknown, so prevention is not currently an
option. However, there are some things a woman can do to help detect
breast cancer in its early stage, when it is more curable. These include:
-
breast self-examinations (BSE) from age 20
-
regular check-ups with a doctor
-
yearly mammograms for women over age 40.
Although
being diagnosed with a cancer is never easy, woman with a breast cancer
have more treatment chances and can expect to live longer with the disease
than ever before. Doctors are continually learning more about breast
cancer, its prevention, detection and treatment. They are finding ways
to improve breast cancer treatment options and to help women with breast
cancer have better life.
Status Report
Every year more women are getting breast cancer. Some of the increase
can be traced to better ways of recognizing cancer and detecting cancer
in an early stage. The increase may also be the result of changes in
the way we live - postponing childbirth, taking replacement hormones
and oral contraceptives, or eating high - fat foods.
Eighty percent of cases of breast cancer occur in women ages 50 or older,
but it affects younger women, too. One percent of cases of breast cancer
occur in men.
The encouraging news is that, more and more, beast cancer is being detected
early, while the tumor is limited to the breast and very small. Currently,
66 percent of newly diagnosed breast cancers show no signs that the
cancer has spread beyond the breast.
With prompt and appropriate treatment, the outlook for women with breast
cancer is good. Moreover, a majority of women diagnosed with early stage
breast cancer are candidates for treatment that saves the breast.
Detection
The key to finding breast cancer is early detection, and the
key to early detection is screening i.e. looking for a cancer in women
who have no symptoms of disease. The best available tool is a regular
screening mammogram (a special kind of x-ray). It can decrease
woman's chance from dying from breast cancer. For some woman, early
detection may prevent the need to remove the entire breast or receive
chemotherapy. Mammography is not foolproof. Changes can be difficult
to spot in the dense glandular breasts of young women. The effectiveness
of mammography seems to increase as a woman ages.
Risk Factors
Simply being a woman and getting older puts you at average risk for
developing breast cancer. The older you are, the greater your chance
of getting breast cancer. It is unusual for a woman younger than age
35 to get the disease. At age 55 the risk is 3 % and it increases to
12.5% for a lifetime.
No woman should consider herself too old to need regular screening mammograms.
The following conditions place a woman at higher than average
risk for breast cancer:
-
personal history of breast cancer
-
evidence of a specific genetic change that increases susceptibility to breast cancer
-
family history (first-degree relative)
-
a diagnosis of a breast condition that may predispose a woman to breast cancer i.e. atypical hyperplasia
-
long exposure to estrogen (incl. early menarche, late menopause, nulliparity, hormone replacement therapy)
-
late first term pregnancy
-
postmenopausal obesity
-
dense breast on mammogram
-
history of chest radiation therapy.
Screening mammograms: Not Just Once, But for a Lifetime
Annual screening mammography for women starting at age 40 is a standard recommendation nowadays. Taking into consideration your age and personal risk factors your doctor can help you decide when you should start having screening mammography and how often you should have it. The screening mammography is effective only when is performed in regular, not too long intervals. It allows detection breast cancer in its early stage and further successful treatment.
It is every woman's responsibility to follow the recommended screening program through her lifetime. Screening for breast cancer is a very important aspect of a wider general concept of taking care of your own health and life.
Muscat Private Hospital provides high quality mammography service including screening mammography for asymptomatic women. We accept direct access by women who refers herself for screening without physician referral in advance (i.e. self-referral screening mammography). We do provide further consultation by the surgeon who assumes clinical responsibility for such patients.
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