Masmectomy: Breast Cancer In Women
Breast Cancer in Women
In this essay I will be discussing breast cancer, a very serious issue that affects thousands of women each year. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and is the second leading cause of death in women ages 35 to 54. The majority of breast cancer cases are sporadic, meaning there is no family history of the disease. Only 5% to 10% of women with breast cancer have a family history. Although there is no known cure for breast cancer, by educating yourself about this disease it can help you in early detection.
The first step in early detection is self breast exams. These exams should begin when a woman is 18 years old in order to learn what is normal and what is not in the breast. Other important steps in early …show more content…
Treatment can be local or systemic. Local treatments such as surgery and radiation are used to remove, destroy or control the cancer cells in a specific area in the breast. Systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy are used to destroy or control cancer cells all over the body. Depending upon what the doctor finds, you may have to have one form of treatment or a combination of both. Another option is a mastectomy; where one or both breasts are removed. A mastectomy may be necessary if there is more than one lump in the breast, if the cancer is directly underneath the nipple, if the patient had a previous lumpectomy and the tissue around the cancer is abnormal or if the cancer is too large to remove from the breast to still look normal. Also, some patients that have a larger but operable breast cancer can use medicine. There’s a treatment call adjuvant that uses medicine to attack cancer cells including the ones that have spread. Using this treatment can kill these cells or prevent them from growing for many months and/or years with or without
In this essay I will be discussing breast cancer, a very serious issue that affects thousands of women each year. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and is the second leading cause of death in women ages 35 to 54. The majority of breast cancer cases are sporadic, meaning there is no family history of the disease. Only 5% to 10% of women with breast cancer have a family history. Although there is no known cure for breast cancer, by educating yourself about this disease it can help you in early detection.
The first step in early detection is self breast exams. These exams should begin when a woman is 18 years old in order to learn what is normal and what is not in the breast. Other important steps in early …show more content…
Treatment can be local or systemic. Local treatments such as surgery and radiation are used to remove, destroy or control the cancer cells in a specific area in the breast. Systemic treatments such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy are used to destroy or control cancer cells all over the body. Depending upon what the doctor finds, you may have to have one form of treatment or a combination of both. Another option is a mastectomy; where one or both breasts are removed. A mastectomy may be necessary if there is more than one lump in the breast, if the cancer is directly underneath the nipple, if the patient had a previous lumpectomy and the tissue around the cancer is abnormal or if the cancer is too large to remove from the breast to still look normal. Also, some patients that have a larger but operable breast cancer can use medicine. There’s a treatment call adjuvant that uses medicine to attack cancer cells including the ones that have spread. Using this treatment can kill these cells or prevent them from growing for many months and/or years with or without