Coping With Breast Cancer
V Care Foundation is a voluntary support group dedicated providing free help, hope, awareness & education to cancer patients & their families through outreach programs & services that improve the quality of their lives.
V-Care has prepared this
Coping With Breast Cancer
V Care Foundation is a voluntary support group dedicated providing free help, hope, awareness & education to cancer patients & their families through outreach programs & services that improve the quality of their lives.
V-Care has prepared this booklet to help patients & their families understand & deal with cancer &its related conditions. We believe this will help the patient & the family faces the disease together to get in touch with us for any help.
What is cancer?
Normal healthy cells, which are responsible for the growth of tissue in the body, divide and replace themselves constantly. Sometimes they lose their ability to regulate and limit their growth. They divide too fast, resulting in too much tissue being produced, thereby forming a tumour. A tumour can be benign (harmless) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body and are seldom dangerous to life. They can be removed surgically and do not usually occur. Malignant tumours can attack and destroy neighboring tissues and organs.
Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body and form secondary tumours (metastasis). Very illness should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible. This is particularly important in the case of cancer as it can be spread to other parts of the body. The sooner cancer is detected and treated, the better the chances of a complete recovery.
Cancers are classified according to the type of cell or organ in which they start. Carcinomas arise in the epithelium, the layer of cells lining the glands and organs. Sarcomas originate in the connective tissue, bone, muscle and blood vessels. Leukemia begins in blood forming tissue, i.e. bone marrow, lymph nodes and the spleen. Lymphomas, as the name implies, begin in the lymphatic system. Within this, cancers are also classified in terms of spread.
In situ: cancer spreads to surrounding tissue;
Metastasized: is when cancer has invaded different sites in the body.
All these aspects of classification are considered, in order to arrive at the correct diagnosis of the type of cancer, stage, treatment and prognosis.
The main function of a woman’s breasts is to provide nutrition to infants. They are made up mostly of fat tissue, connective tissue, glands and the lymphatics. The latter are a network of ducts, spreading from the lobes to the nipples.
The armpit also contains a network of lymph glands, which are a part of the lymphatic system. It is these lymph nodes which drain the breasts and play a major role in the spread of cancer, from the breast to other parts of the body.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
- Change in the size and shape of the breasts
- Dimpling or flaking of the skin
- Thickening or a lump in the breast
- Nipple becomes inverted or pulls to one side
- Lump or thickening of the nipple
- Swelling of the upper arm or in the armpit
- Rash on the nipple and / or the surrounding area
- Discharge from the nipple
The last two are rare, Lumps are the most common and in 90% of the sufferers, breast cancer is first noticed as a lump in the breast. However 90% of the lumps found are harmless and may be due to hormonal change, (many women find their breasts lumpy or tender before a period), age or benign cysts.
It is important that you periodically carry out a self-examination of the breasts, at the same time every month, especially after the age of thirty.
Breast self-examination (BSE)
- Stand in front of the mirror, arms by the side.
- Look at the breasts carefully for any swelling, eczema, puckering or change in the nipple.
- Lift the breast and look at the under surface.
- With hand on the hips, press firmly inwards so as to tense the chest muscles. Look for lumps again.
- Examine the armpits for any lumps.
- Lie flat on the bed and place a folded towel under the side to be examined. Examine the right breast with the left hand and vice versa, using the pads of the three middle fingers. The other hand is placed under the head.
- Examine gently, but firmly in rotatory movements, starting just below the collar bone to about an inch below the breast; and from the midline to the outside of the rib cage.
- Bring down the arm and examine the outer part of the breast and armpit again.
- Rotate the body away from the side to be examined, obliquelyand examine the outer part.
- Examine the other breast similarly.
What causes breast cancer?
Though the cause of breast cancer is not known, there arecertain women who seem to be at a slightly greater risk.
This group includes:
- Women with a family history of breast cancer, particularly in their mother or sister.
- Women who have either had no children or who have had them late in life.
- Women whose periods started early or whose menopause occurred late.
- Women who eat a high fat diet.
- Women who have taken the earlier type of oral contraceptives with more oestrogen.
Breast cancer can also occur in men, although rare
How is the diagnosis made?
This can be by one or mor