1. Breast self examination - women should do self breast examination regularly.you shoul start do breast examination at age of 20 years old.but you need to learn from your nurse or doctor the right way of doing breast self examination.if you noted any lump at your breast please consult your doctor.
2. Mammogram - A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. This test is used to look for breast disease in women who appear to have no breast problems. It can also be used when women have symptoms. During a mammogram, the breast is pressed between 2 plates to flatten and spread the tissue. The pressure lasts only for a few seconds. Although this may cause some discomfort for a moment, it is needed to get a good picture. Very low levels of radiation are used. While many people are worried about exposure to x-rays, the low level of radiation used for mammograms does not significantly increase the risk of breast cancer.
3. Biopsy - A biopsy is done when other tests show that you might have breast cancer. The only way to know for sure is for you to have a biopsy. During this test, cells from the area of concern are removed so they can be studied in the lab.
Staging
Staging is important to determine if the patient is potentially in a curable early stage or otherwise:
1. Stage 0 - Cancer in Situ
2. Stage I - Cancer is less than 2 cm.
3. Stage II - Cancer is between 2 to 5 cm with or without involvement of the glands in the armpit
4. Stage III - Cancer is larger than 5 cm or there is extensive involvement of the glands in the armpit
5. Stage IV - Cancer has spread outside the breast and involves other organs in the body
6. Stage I & II are considered early and curable.
7. Stage IV disease is not curable.
Treatment
Women who was diagnose to have Breast Cancer will be given treatment.Method of treatment depend on evaluation by medical professional incharge.Some patient was operated first than was gien chemotherapy.This is called adjuvant chemotherapy.If the surgeon think they need to shrink the size of the cancer before surgery,chemotherapy/radiotherapy will be given.
1. Type of surgery - The purpose of surgery is to remove as much breast cancer tissue as much as possible
* Lumpectomy Also called breast conservation therapy, lumpectomy involves removing only the breast lump and some normal tissue around it.
* Partial (segmental) mastectomy (mas-tek-tuh-me): This surgery involves removing more of the breast tissue than in a lumpectomy. It is usually followed by radiation therapy.
* Simple or total mastectomy: In this surgery the entire breast is removed but not the lymph nodes under the arm or muscle tissue from beneath the breast.
* Modified radical mastectomy: This operation involves removing the entire breast and some of the lymph nodes under the arm
* Radical mastectomy: This is extensive removal of entire breast, lymph nodes, and the chest wall muscles under the breast
* Axillary dissection: This operation is done to find out if the breast cancer has spread to lymph nodes under the arm. Some nodes are removed and looked at under a microscope.
2. Chemotherapy
* Chemotherapy (commonly called just "chemo") is the use of cancer-killing drugs injected into a vein or taken as a pill. These drugs enter the bloodstream and reach throughout the body. If chemo is given after surgery it can reduce the chance of breast cancer coming back. Chemo can also be used as the main treatment for a woman whose cancer has already spread outside the breast and underarm area or that spreads widely after the first treatment.
* Chemo may be given before surgery, often to shrink the tumor in order to make it easier to remove.
* Chemo is given in cycles, with each period of treatment followed by a break. The total course of treatment usually lasts for 3 to 6 months. Often several drugs are used together rather than a single drug alone.
* The side effects of chemo depend on the type of drugs used, the amount given, and the length of treatment.
3. Radiation Therapy
* Radiation therapy is treatment with high-energy rays (such as x-rays) to kill or shrink cancer cells. The radiation may come from outside the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed directly in the tumor (brachytherapy).
* Radiation therapy may be used to destroy cancer cells remaining in the breast, chest wall, or underarm area after surgery or, less often, to reduce the size of a tumor before surgery
* Treatment is usually given 5 days a week in an outpatient center over a period of about 6 or 7 weeks, beginning about a month after surgery. Each treatment lasts a few minutes.
* The main side effects of radiation therapy are swelling and heaviness in the breast, sunburn-like changes in the treated area, and fatigue.
4. Hormone Therapy
* The female hormone estrogen promotes the growth of breast cancer cells in some women. For these women, several methods to block the effect of estrogen or to lower its levels are used to treat breast cancer.
* A drug such as tamoxifen, which blocks the effects of estrogen. Tamoxifen is taken in pill form, usually daily for 5 years after surgery, to reduce the risk the cancer will come back.
* Aromatase inhibitors are a type of drug that stops the body from making estrogen. They only work for women who are past menopause and whose cancers are hormone positive.
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