Breast Cancer

With more than 200,000 women diagnosed annually, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in the United States. The term breast cancer encompasses several forms of cancer that are defined based on their place of development in the breast tissue. Thanks to increased public awareness and education, as well as advanced screening techniques, survival rates have steadily risen. With that in mind, here is a brief overview of the symptoms, tests, and treatments related to breast cancer.
 
Symptoms 
While the severity and occurrence of breast cancer symptoms vary from person to person, some include:

• Abreast lump that feels different from the surrounding tissue
• Bloody discharge from the nipple
• Change in the size or shape of a breast
• Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
• Inverted nipple
• Peeling, scaling or flaking of the nipple or breast skin
• Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange

It is important to remember that the presence of these symptoms does not automatically indicate that cancer is present. If you experience any of these aforementioned symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor for further evaluation and possible testing, even if your most recent mammogram was normal.
 
Testing
If your doctor believes that there is enough evidence that indicates the presence of breast cancer, he or she will run various tests to accurately determine whether or not any cancer exists in the tissue. Depending on your individual case, the following tests or procedures may be used in diagnosis:

• Breast Exam: The most common and routine test for diagnosing breast cancer is a breast exam. Your doctor will check both your breasts in varying positions for any lumps or abnormalities.
• Mammogram: A mammogram is simply an X-ray of the breast that allows your doctor to find any abnormalities not detectable through the breast exam.
• Breast Ultrasound: Normally administered after an abnormality has been discovered, a breast ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of structures deep within the breast. These images allow your doctor to determine if the lump is more likely to be a solid or fluid filled cyst, which may or may not be cancerous.
• Biopsy: In a biopsy, a small tissue sample is removed from the breast and analyzed. This analysis allows for your doctor to determine whether or not the abnormality is cancerous or benign. If the tissue is found to be cancerous, the biopsy is also useful for discovering the type of cancer cells present.
• MRI: Usually ordered after cancer is discovered, an MRI takes several images of the inside of the breast and allows for your doctor to see the precise location of the cancer.

Treatments
After determining that cancer is present, your doctor will plan a specific course of treatment depending on the stage and other factors.

• Surgery: If the cancer has not spread to other areas of the body, surgery often is a good treatment option as it completely removes the cancer. There are various surgeries your physician may recommend, depending on what is best for your particular case. Two of the most common are a lumpectomy, which removes only the cancerous lump, and a mastectomy, in which the entire breast is removed.
• Radiation Therapy: This form of treatment kills cancer cells using beams of energy, such as x-rays. External beam radiation is the most common form of radiation treatment and is typically used after a lumpectomy for cases with early stage cancer. 
• Chemotherapy: Drugs are used to destroy cancer cells in the body.
• Hormone Therapy: Hormone blocking medicines are typically used in cancers that express receptors for the female hormones estrogen and/or progesterone.
• Clinical Trials: Clinical trials have helped establish the most effective treatments for cancer. Clinical trials may evaluate new chemotherapy drugs or combinations; new techniques of radiation therapy or surgery; or ways to help manage treatment side effects. Ask your doctor if clinical trials are available for your specific condition.

The thought of being diagnosed with breast cancer is a scary proposition for anyone to face. At The Longstreet Clinic, we understand this and work hard to put fears to rest quickly if no cancer is present and create the best treatment plan available.
 
Thanks to early detection and increasingly effective treatments, breast cancer is often very treatable if discovered in time. If you have any of the symptoms mentioned here or are looking for treatments for existing care, we invite you to make an appointment with one of our specialists. From our nurses to our oncologists, we at Longstreet Cancer Center are here for you.