Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a disease in which abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumours. If left unchecked, the tumours can spread throughout the body and become fatal.
Breast cancer cells begin inside the milk ducts and/or the milk-producing lobules of the breast. The earliest form (in situ) is not life-threatening and can be detected in early stages. Cancer cells can spread into nearby breast tissue (invasion). This creates tumours that cause lumps or thickening.
Invasive cancers can spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs (metastasize). Metastasis can be life-threatening and fatal.
Treatment is based on the person, the type of cancer and its spread. Treatment combines surgery, radiation therapy and medications. (courtesy - WHO)
1,62,468 women were newly diagnosed with breast cancer in India, of which, 87,090 women died of the disease.
There were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 670 000 deaths globally.
Breast cancer risk factors
- Being female
- Increasing age
- Obesity
- Harmful use of alcohol
- Family history of breast cancer
- History of radiation exposure
- Reproductive history
- Tobacco use
- Postmenopausal hormone therapy
Other symptoms may include
- A lump or thickening in the breast, chest, or armpit
- Changes in the size, shape, or appearance of the breast
- Dimpling, redness, pitting, or other changes in the skin
- Pain in the breast or armpit that doesn't go away
Service Benefits
Complete diagnosis of breast cancer or lump with patient centered approach and guideline-based management. The management principles followed can be reciprocated anywhere else as well as they are scientific and protocol driven with proper counselling and precision molecular analysis. Our approach is more precision oncology based as one shoe doesn’t fit all and every tumor is different and so is every individual.
Causes of breast cancer
The exact cause of most breast cancers isn't known. Researchers have found things that increase the risk of breast cancer. These include hormones, lifestyle choices and things in the environment. But it's not clear why some people who don't have any factors get cancer, yet others with risk factors never do. It's likely that breast cancer happens through a complex interaction of your genetic makeup and the world around you. We, as professionals, for sure know that breast cancer starts when something changes the DNA inside cells in the breast tissue. A cell's DNA holds the instructions that tell a cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA gives instructions to grow and multiply at a set rate. The instructions tell the cells to die at a set time. In cancer cells, the DNA changes give different instructions. The changes tell the cancer cells to make many more cells quickly. Cancer cells can keep living when healthy cells would die. This causes too many cells. This clustering leads to what we call as a tumor and hence malignant growth ensues and leads to a full blown cancer
Genetic factors
Inherited mutations: Mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, CDH1, PTEN, and STK11 genes are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Family history: Having a family history of breast cancer increases the risk.
Environmental factors
Radiation: Exposure to ionizing radiation may cause breast cancer. Chemicals: Exposure to chemicals that can cause cancer may increase the risk. Hormones: Exposure to female hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, may increase the risk.
Lifestyle factors
Age: The risk of breast cancer increases with age. Obesity: Being obese increases the risk. Alcohol: Harmful use of alcohol increases the risk. Smoking: Tobacco use increases the risk. Reproductive history: Age at menarche, age at first pregnancy, and number of pregnancies may affect risk. Menopause: Age at menopause may affect risk. Breastfeeding: Short or no periods of breastfeeding may affect risk.