Breast Cancer

Topics: Cancer, Oncology, Breast cancer Pages: 3 (909 words) Published: January 27, 2001
Breast cancer is a frightening disease. It can be fatal, and while two thirds of the cases occur among mature women, it also strikes younger females and about nine thousand males each year. The fear generated by breast cancer is intensified by the somewhat shocking reality that breast cancer has actually increased over the last fifty years. In 1940, a woman had a one-in-twenty chance of developing the disease, while today one out of every eight women will get breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, every three minutes somewhere a woman is diagnosed with it. Yet despite all of the media attention about breast cancer, most people don't know very much about the illness.

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by cells that change and divide abnormally. If rapid cell division occurs when the body doesn't need new cells, an abundance of tissue is produced. This mass of tissue, known as a tumor, may be either benign or malignant.

Benign tumors are not cancerous and may even be completely harmless. Most of the time these can be surgically removed and do not grow back. The cells of benign tumors don't spread to other parts of the body and do not threaten your life.

Malignant tumors, on the other hand, are cancerous. These tumors can enter and damage surrounding tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also break away from malignant tumors and get in either the blood stream or lymphatic system. When breast cancer spreads outside the breast it usually gets into the lymph nodes under the arms. At this point it probably has already spread to other organs in the body like the liver or lungs, where it will form secondary tumors.

Two forms of cancer affect the breast they are ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma. Ductal carcinoma the commonest form of breast cancer, begins in the lining of the breast's ducts. The thin tubes connecting various parts of the breast and which lead to the nipple. Lobular carcinoma is found in the...

Bibliography: 1. Microsoft Encarta, 1996 "Cancer"
2. Landau, Elaine, "Breast Cancer", New York, 1995.
3. Anagnostakos, Tortora, "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology", New York, 1984.
Continue Reading

Please join StudyMode to read the full document

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • breast cancer Essay

    ...Abstract Introduction Breast cancer remains a significant scientific, clinical and societal challenge. This gap analysis has reviewed and critically assessed enduring issues and new challenges emerging from recent research, and proposes strategies for translating solutions into practice. Methods More than 100 internationally recognised specialist breast cancer scientists, clinicians and healthcare professionals collaborated to address nine thematic areas: genetics, epigenetics and epidemiology; molecular pathology and cell biology; hormonal influences and endocrine therapy; imaging, detection and screening; current/novel therapies and biomarkers; drug resistance; metastasis, angiogenesis, circulating tumour cells, cancer ‘stem’ cells; risk and prevention; living with and managing breast cancer and its treatment. The groups developed summary papers through an iterative process which, following further appraisal from experts and patients, were melded into this summary account. Results The 10 major gaps identified were: (1) understanding the functions and contextual interactions of genetic and epigenetic changes in normal breast development and during malignant transformation; (2) how to implement sustainable lifestyle changes (diet, exercise and weight) and chemopreventive strategies; (3) the need for tailored screening approaches including clinically...

    Read More
    1561 Words 6 Pages
  • A Critique of a health promotion tool (Breast awareness) and disscussion of health promotion models Essay

    ...The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse a health education resource, to show knowledge and understanding of the use of health behaviour models and to understand the concept of health promotion. The health education resource chosen by the author is presented in the form of a leaflet promoting breast awareness. Health promotion is "any planned combination of educational, political, environmental, regulatory, or organisational mechanisms that support actions and conditions of living conductive to the health of individuals, groups and communities". (Joint Committee, 2001, p.101). The purpose of health promotion is to encourage the adoption of "healthy" behaviours. Health promotion is made up of 3 main concepts, which are Health education, Health protection and Prevention of disease, these also referred to as the health triad. There are many factors which may affect the implementation of health promotion, these are: educational background, sociocultural contexts, demographic position, attitudes, behaviour, socioeconomic groups and beliefs. Health promotion is also cost beneficial, although it appears to cost money, society saves money in the long run because treatment costs more than disease prevention, health protection and health education. Even though health promotion was being practiced in the 18th century, the most relevant changes have occurred in the past 20 years, this is primarily due to a change in the emphasis of health care. Health become...

    Read More
    1697 Words 5 Pages
  • Essay about Cancers Affecting Mankind

    ...Cancers affecting mankind To date, none of the approximately 60 anticancer drugs used in conventional chemotherapy exhibits a selective uptake in tumor tissue and generally only a very small fraction of the administered dose reaches the tumor site. If surgery or radiotherapy is not effective, cure rates are in the range of 10% and, as a consequence, 90 % of chemotherapeutic agents are administered in the palliative setting to stabilize the disease or to improve the quality of life. With such a low rate of drug accumulation in the tumor it is in fact surprising that tumor remissions can be attained; admittedly, these are achieved in the fast-growing tumors where cytostatic agents alone or in combination therapy are most effective in killing the rapidly dividing tumor cells by inhibiting different specific targets of the tumor cell that are responsible for tumor proliferation. Generally, however, tumor doubling times are slow, the tumor cells are in different stages of their cell cycles, and vascularization in the tumors is heterogeneous with necrotic and hypo hypoxic areas being present that respond poorly to anticancer agents. Last, but not least, late-stage tumors have mostly formed micro- and macrometastases that are characterized by the multidrug resistance phenotype that includes changes in the cellular target of the respective drug, alterations in enzymatic activation and detoxification mechanisms, defective apoptotic pathways, membrane changes as...

    Read More
    898 Words 3 Pages
  • Mri of Breast Cancer Essay

    ...MRI of Breast Cancer Abstract: Currently there are about 120 million women worldwide each year diagnosed with breast cancer, and there are 50 million women die of breast cancer. Therefore early diagnosis of breast cancer is very important. Then, how the breast MRI is the imaging. And what is the application of MRI in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Further more, I will talk about what are the advantages of MRI breast imaging compared with conventional imaging methods? Also , the limitations of breast MRI examin ation are important to be concerned about. Last, I will talk about what remains to be done in the MRI diagnosis of breast cancer. Key words: MRI, breast cancer, early diagnosis, advantage, limitation Breast cancer is one of the most common malignanc y of women, which usually occurs in breast epithelial tissue, and it is one of the most common malignant tumor that seriously affects women's physical and mental health and even it is life -threatening. According to statistics, the incidence rate is 7 to 10 percent of various malignant tumors of whole body. It's often associated with genetic disease. And the women who are 40 to 60 years old, and are post-menopausal have a...

    Read More
    1649 Words 6 Pages
  • Breast Cancer on the Cellular Level Essay

    ...Breast Cancer at the Cellular Level There are many different diseases that terrorize the human race every day. Of all of these sicknesses, one of the most devastating is breast cancer. Breast cancer touches all types of people all over the world each day. It is actually the second most common cancer amongst women in the United States. One in every eight women in the United States has some form of breast cancer and currently, the death rates are higher than any other cancer with the exception of lung cancer. Cancer is defined by the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary as “a malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis.” Therefore, breast cancer is a disease of life-threatening tumors that continue to grow and invade the body, destroying all in its path. Although this is an accurate explanation of what breast cancer actually is, there really is so much more to it. Understanding Breast cancer at the cellular level gives us greater opportunities for treatment development as well as a better insight to what is actually happening in the body when afflicted with breast cancer. It all starts with an alteration to the genetic code of...

    Read More
    2044 Words 6 Pages
  • Breast Cancer Treatment Research Paper

    ...Breast Cancer Treatment Breast cancer is turning to be one of the top killer women in the world. This kind of cancerous tumor is attacking breast tissue of woman. A disease in which abnormal cells in the breast divide and multiply in an uncontrolled fashion. The cells can invade nearby tissue and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to others part of the body and start to kill the organ one by one. By giving a breast cancer treatment will decrease the number of population who has this illness. Because so many different women have contracted breast cancer, many forms of treatment have been developed to attend to their specific needs. New research and development in the area of breast cancer allow Americans several treatment options instead of the outdated surgery method. Breast cancer treatment gives some options to choose: “Treatment options for recurrent breast cancer: 1. Surgery (radical or modified radical mastectomy, radiation therapy, or both. 2. Systematic chemotherapy or hormone therapy. 3. A clinical trial of trastuzumab (Herceptin) combined with systemic chemotherapy”(Natl. Cancer Institute). The type of breast cancer decides which treatment can be healing the disease....

    Read More
    1612 Words 4 Pages
  • Hereditary Breast Cancer: The Implications of Genetic Mutations Essay

    ...Hereditary Breast Cancer: The Implications of Genetic Mutations Nicole Kownacki Felician College Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the role genetics play related to hereditary breast cancer and the options available for risk reduction and prevention. Four published articles, two medical databases and a genetic focused website were examined during the process of this research. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death amongst women and heredity is second only to age amongst risk factors. This paper will show how genetic mutations are linked to hereditary breast cancer and the degree of risk they pose on carriers of these mutations. This paper will also examine the process by which affected individuals should be tested for the mutations, who should be tested and options available for cancer prevention and early detection are available. General statistics regarding the mutations, various preventative actions and screening methods will also be disclosed throughout the course of the paper. Hereditary Breast Cancer: The Implications of Genetic Mutations Documented awareness of breast cancer dates back as far as 1600 BC in Egyptian writings. The idea that breast cancer is linked to heredity was first looked at in the late 1800’s....

    Read More
    2612 Words 7 Pages
  • Mammography: X-ray and Breast Tissue Essay

    ...Mammography Breast cancer is a common malignancy diagnosed in women. In the United States one in eight women who live to the age of 95 will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Even with the high rate of diagnosis, it remains the most treatable due to early screening and improved detection methods. Mammography is the precedent for screening and diagnostic procedures in the breast cancer field. Its enhancements through the years, together with higher resolution, faster, lower-dose screen-film combinations, have contributed to earlier cancer detection in women. Dr. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered x-rays while working with a Crookes tube in his laboratory on November 8, 1895. Eighteen years later mammography got its rudimentary beginnings due to these ionizing x-rays. In 1913, Berlin Albert Soloman, a German surgeon, was among the first to discover that breast cancer could be radiographed. In a 1927 medical textbook the first instance of a radiograph of a living person’s breast taken by Otto Kleinschmidt was published. Although these recordings of mammography appeared in early years, it wasn’t until the late 50’s that it was popularized by Robert Egan, from the United States and Professor Charles M. Gros, from Germany. These men started using mammography for the diagnosis and evaluation of breast...

    Read More
    1667 Words 5 Pages

Popular Essays

Become a StudyMode Member

Sign Up - It's Free