Breast growth during pregnancy raises risk of cancer among older mothers, scientists believe

Australia
By William

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. There are more than 55,000 new cases each year in Britain, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it affects 266,000 people each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

It comes from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a duct or lobe in one of the breasts.

When the breast cancer has spread to surrounding tissue, it is called “invasive.” Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” where no cancer cells have grown outside the duct or lobule.

Most cases develop in people over the age of 50, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.

Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancer cells are classified from low, which means slow growth, to high, which means fast growth. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they are first treated.

What Causes Breast Cancer?

A cancerous tumor starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or changes certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to become abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.

While breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.

What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.

The first place breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit.

When this happens, a swelling or lump forms in the armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

  • Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
  • Biopsy: In a biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed from an area of ​​the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess whether the cancer has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver or an X-ray of the chest.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used.

  • Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast, depending on the size of the tumor.
  • Radiotherapy: A treatment that uses high-energy beams of radiation to target cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or prevents them from multiplying. It is mainly used as an adjunct to surgery.
  • Chemotherapy: A cancer treatment that uses anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells or prevent them from multiplying.

  • Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower the level of these hormones or prevent them from working are often used in people with breast cancer.

How successful is the treatment?

The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage can then give a good chance of a cure.

Thanks to the routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 70, more cases of breast cancer are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call the toll-free helpline on 0808 800 6000

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