Basic Info on Breast Cancer

Assalamualaikum and Hi all readers, 

How's you Monday yesterday? Mine was fine and Alhamdulillah, I managed to finish up my short proposal. currently waiting with full of debaran on the responses from the potential supervisors.

So, today is a reading day about breast cancer. In spite of lots of workload this atfernoon, I managed to  let myself read this basic info on breast cancer. Tiba-tiba dapat kesedaran untuk buat sedikit bacaan bagi mengetahui pasal breast cancer. Nauzubillah, minta dijauhkan dari segala penyakit, tp untuk mengetahui simptom2, kesan, cara treatment sesuatu penyakit tu satu kemestian. Selain dpt tambah pengetahuan, kita juga dapat tingkatkan kesedaran.Hehe, cheewwah, bercakap macam org kerja kt kementerian kesihatan pulak:P

Ok, ni sedikit sebanyak basic info yg digather from the internet. marilah kita sama-sama membaca dan memiliki pengetahuan ini, especially kaum wanita....

What is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancer) tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. It is found mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer, too.

The Normal Woman Breast

 The Normal Breast

To understand breast cancer, it helps to know something about the normal parts of the breasts, as shown in the picture below.

A woman's breast is made up of glands (called lobules) that make breast milk, ducts (small tubes that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple), fatty and connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymph (pronounced limf) vessels. Most breast cancers begin in the cells that line the ducts (ductal cancer), some begin in the lobules (lobular cancer), and a small number start in other tissues.

The lymph system of the breast

The lymph system is one of the main ways in which breast cancers can spread. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped groups of immune system cells (cells that fight infections) that are connected by lymphatic vessels. Lymphatic vessels are like small veins, except that they carry a clear fluid called lymph (instead of blood) away from the breast. Breast cancer cells can enter lymphatic vessels and begin to grow in lymph nodes.
Most lymph vessels of the breast lead to lymph nodes under the arm. These are called axillary nodes. If breast cancer cells reach the underarm lymph nodes and keep on growing, they cause the nodes to swell. The doctor needs to know whether cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes because if they have, there is a higher chance that the cells have also gotten into the bloodstream and spread to other places in the body. The more lymph nodes that have cancer in them, the more likely it is that the cancer will be found in other organs, too. This could affect the treatment plan.

Breast lumps that are not cancer (benign breast lumps)

Most breast lumps are benign. This means they are not cancer. Benign breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not spread outside of the breast and they are not life threatening. But some benign breast lumps can increase a woman's risk of getting breast cancer.
Most lumps are caused by fibrocystic changes. Cysts are fluid-filled sacs. Fibrosis is the formation of scar-like tissue. These changes can cause breast swelling and pain. They often happen just before a woman's period is about to start. The breasts may feel lumpy, and sometimes there is a clear or slightly cloudy nipple discharge. For more on fibrocystic changes and other benign breast changes.

Types of breast cancers

There are many types of breast cancer, but some of them are very rare. Sometimes a breast tumor can be a mix of these types or a mixture of invasive and in situ cancer.

1. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): This is the most common type of non-invasive breast cancer. DCIS means that the cancer is only in the ducts. It has not spread through the walls of the ducts into the tissue of the breast and so cannot spread to lymph nodes or other organs. Nearly all women with cancer at this stage can be cured. Often one of the best ways to find DCIS early is with a mammogram.
2. Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS): This is not a true cancer, and is discussed in the section “What causes breast cancer?”
3. Invasive (or infiltrating) ductal carcinoma (IDC): This is the most common breast cancer. It starts in a milk passage (a duct), breaks through the wall of the duct, and invades the tissue of the breast. From there it may be able to spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. It accounts for about 8 out of 10 invasive breast cancers.
4. Invasive (infiltrating) lobular carcinoma (ILC): This cancer starts in the milk glands (the lobules) and then spreads through the wall of the lobules. It can then spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. About 1 in 10 invasive breast cancers are of this type.
5. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC): This uncommon type of invasive breast cancer accounts for about 1% to 3% of all breast cancers. Usually there is no single lump or tumor. Instead, IBC makes the skin of the breast look red and feel warm. It also may make the skin look thick and pitted, something like an orange peel. The breast may get bigger, hard, tender, or itchy.In its early stages, inflammatory breast cancer is often mistaken for infection. Because there is no defined lump, it may not show up on a mammogram, which may make it even harder to catch it early. It has a higher chance of spreading and a worse outlook than invasive ductal or lobular cancer.

 Source of this article is from American Cancer Society