All you need to know about breast cancer

Causes and factors:

As we have said, the normal cell in the breast turns into an abnormal malignant cell when its genetic material is impaired by exposure to genetic or environmental carcinogens. Today, environmental factors play an important role in breast cancer and most cancers (90% , And at the top of the list of these environmental reasons: smoking, unhealthy food and lifestyle, and prolonged exposure to estrogen such as early start of the menstrual cycle or delayed menopause or delayed women's age at the first pregnancy, and genetic causes of cancer does not exceed 10%. In the last 20 years, more than 30 genes responsible for genetic cancers have been identified, some of which are oncogenes, some of which are tumor suppressor genes. Most genetic cancers arise due to the absence or malfunction of the tumor suppressor genes, Carcinogenic genes. In breast cancer, the most common carcinogenic genes are BRCA1, BRCA2, and the most common carcinogenic genes: P53.

Among the criteria that indicate hereditary cancer:

• Repeat the same situation in relatives: breast cancer in mother and daughter and sisters.
• The appearance of the tumor at an earlier age than normal: breast cancer under the age of thirty.
Cancer occurs on both sides: breast cancer in both breasts.
• Cancer in the least affected sex: breast cancer in males.
• Cancer appears in multiple organs: breast, bone, and brain cancers in the case of gene defects (p53).
Predisposing factors or risk factors are anything that increases the likelihood of cancer; the possibility of a lung cancer is much higher than that of a non-smoker,
Cancer risk factors, and the most important risk factors for breast cancer:
• Being a woman: Women are 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer than men.
• Aging: Most breast cancer cases are diagnosed over 55 years of age.
• Certain inherited genes: 10% of breast cancer occurs due to carcinogenic genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2).
• Family history: Having a first-degree relative with breast cancer increases the risk of infection three times.
• White women have a slightly higher risk of African breast cancer.
• Hormone therapy after menopause: Hormone therapy has been used for many years in postmenopausal women to relieve symptoms that may occur at this age; however, the studies later proved to be an important risk factor for breast cancer.
Radiation exposure: Exposure to breast or chest radiation is an important risk factor for breast cancer.
• Menstruation begins before age 12, or menopause is delayed beyond 55 years of age.
• Infertility or delayed pregnancy (first child) after the age of 30.
• Lifestyle: It includes smoking, alcohol, unhealthy food, obesity, and daily physical activit

Early detection of breast cancer:

Given the risk of breast cancer and the difficulty of treating it, especially if it is at an advanced stage, early detection plays an important role in improving disease warning and giving patients greater hope of recovery. Therefore, cancer societies and organizations issue periodic recommendations on early detection methods.

American Cancer Society recommendations on screening and early detection of breast cancer ACS Guidelines for Early Detection of Cancer Breast Cancer:

• All adult women should have sufficient awareness and knowledge about breast cancer and its causes, about the shape, appearance and texture of the natural breast, about mammogram imaging, and how to do breast self-examination, and to check with your doctor if any changes or signs are suspicious.
• Women aged 40-44 prefer to have a mammogram annually.
• Women between the ages of 45-54 must make a mammogram annually.
• Women over 55 must have a mammogram every two years.
• Mammogram images continue as long as women are healthy and have a life expectancy of more than 10 years.
• Women who have a family history of breast cancer or genetic factors are eligible, MRI should be involved with mammogram images, and in special cases additional surveys may be conducted according to the doctor's opinion.

Symptoms and diagnosis:

One of the most important signs and symptoms that may indicate breast cancer is the presence of a new hard lump in the breast that even some medical references say: Each lump in the breast is a cancer until proven otherwise!
However, the most important signs to be noticed are directed towards breast cancer:

• Any swelling, lump or lump in part or in all breasts.
• Pain in the breast or nipple.
• Shrinkage or tightening of the nipple inward.
• Nipple or serous discharge from the nipple.
• Skin changes such as breast flushing, flaking or cracking.

Sometimes breast cancer has moved to the axillary lymph nodes, or neighboring organs like the lungs before any of the previous symptoms appear.

Even with the periodic and routine use of the mammography, clinical examination by the physician, self-examination and any symptoms by the patient remain crucial in detecting breast cancer as early as possible.
The doctor begins a series of procedures, starting with a detailed clinical story and a rigorous clinical examination, and then moves on to radiological surveys that may include breast echocardiography, (MRI) of the breast and chest, and may eventually resort to biopsy, which may be either by a very small needle (FNA) or a surgical biopsy performed by the surgeon and removes the suspicious mass, leaving an appropriate margin of safety. Tissue tissue is studied under a microscope by a pathologist to give a definitive final answer, whether this block is cancer or not.

Breast Cancer Treatment:

After the diagnosis is confirmed, an integrated medical team develops the treatment plan. This treatment differs radically from one patient to another according to the type of cancer and its spread, according to the general health condition of the patient. If the tumor is discovered at the beginning before it grows larger and spread, complete surgical removal is sufficient alone. The majority of cases. If the tumor is spread and transmitted to other organs, the surgical treatment will be blended with the involvement of other types of different treatments.

Although Radiation Therapy is the oldest type of breast cancer treatment, it is still the primary and most important treatment. Other treatments, such as Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, and Targeted Therapy, Its role is still helpful and supportive, but not essential, and we leave the detail in these different types and their respective references to the specialists.

is there a hope?

In recent years, there has been a significant development in understanding the causes of breast cancer, its mechanism of detection, early detection methods, diagnosis and treatment methods. There has also been a significant development in women's general awareness of this disease, For nearly 90%! Unfortunately, this development remains small and limited in the Arab region.

This series of short information, articles and illustrations presented by the I believe the science project this month is an attempt to spread more awareness and knowledge about the most common cancers in women.

The References

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics.html

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics.html

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer/

http://www.who.int/cancer/detection/breastcancer/en/