What is breast cancer?

Definition

What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that forms in breast tissue. Malignant tumors are a collection of cancer cells that develop rapidly into the surrounding tissue or spread to further parts of the body. This disease occurs almost always in women but can also occur in men.

Cancer cells can form in fat tissue in the breast, mammary glands (lobules), or in the milk duct (duct)

How often does this disease occur?
This type of cancer most often occurs in women. This cancer occurs in 1 in 8 women in the world. This can be overcome by reducing your risk factors. Consult your doctor for more information.

Characteristics & symptoms
What are the characteristics of breast cancer?
The most characteristic features of breast cancer are the appearance of a lump in the breast. Lumps of breast cancer characteristics have a hard texture with unclear boundaries and uneven surfaces.

Lumps also continue to stay 8 to 10 days after menstruation. If a lump of breast cancer features close to the nipple, it will be seen that the nipples are attracted in and are rather sticky.

In addition to the appearance of breast cancer, signs and characteristics that you can identify with others are:

– Changes in the size, shape, or appearance of the breast.
– Changes in the shape of the nipple.
– Pain in the breast that does not go away, even when you have entered the menstrual period the following month. Even so, some women also experience no pain or pain in their breasts.
– The nipples emit clear, brown or yellow liquid.
– The nipples suddenly turn red and swollen without knowing the cause.
– Swelling around the armpit caused by enlarged lymph nodes in the area.
– Venous veins are seen in the breast, as a result the veins in the breast are clearly visible.
– At an advanced stage begins to appear abnormalities in the skin of the breast (such as orange peel or reddish skin), sometimes the skin also becomes stifled like a dimple because it is attracted by a lump.

If you experience or suspect one of the symptoms and characteristics of breast cancer as mentioned above, you should immediately consult a doctor. This is done so that you get the right treatment according to your condition. By being responsive to the characteristics of breast cancer, your chances of getting better from this disease are getting bigger.

There may be some signs or symptoms of breast cancer that have not been mentioned. If you want to know more about the characteristics of breast cancer, consult your doctor.

When should I see a doctor?
You should immediately see a doctor if you suspect that you have one of the signs or characteristics of breast cancer as mentioned above. Independent and regular breast examination is important to do.

Generally, the symptoms of early-stage breast cancer do not cause pain. If you feel symptoms of other breast cancer, immediately go to the doctor without waiting for pain to appear. Early detection increases the chances of life for breast cancer patients.

Cause

What causes breast cancer?

The cause of breast cancer is unknown. Even so, experts believe if the cause of breast cancer is because breast cells develop abnormally and form a lump in the breast. This lump can spread to the surrounding tissue and to other parts of the body.

There are several conditions that can be factors that cause breast cancer. Doctors estimate that around 5–10 percent of the causes of breast cancer are related to gene mutations 1 (BRCA1) and gene 2 (BRCA2) that are inherited in the family. So if you have a history of cancer in the breast in the family, you should check your blood to detect the gene.

In addition to gene mutations, experts also agree that a medical history and lifestyle of a person can be a factor causing breast cancer.

Risk factors
Who is at risk for this disease?
Here are some risk factors that can cause breast cancer:

– Gender. Women are 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with breasts than men. Having large breasts, experiencing early menstruation, and advanced menopause can also be other risk factors for breast cancer.
– Age. Old age is the main risk factor that causes breast cancer and various other chronic diseases. With increasing age, your risk is higher.
– Family history. This means that if there is a blood member of your family (mother, child, or sibling) who has cancer in the breast, you also have a high potential of experiencing the same thing.

In addition to the things mentioned above, according to the American Cancer Society, lifestyle can also be a factor in breast cancer such as obesity, alcoholics, taking birth control pills, having the first child in old age, not having children, using hormone replacement therapy.

Consult your doctor to find out more information regarding other factors that cause this condition.

Medicine & Medicine
The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

What are the commonly used breast cancer drugs?
Your doctor determines therapy as a breast cancer drug based on the following factors:

-Types of cancer in the breast
– Stage of cancer in the breast
– Size of cancer in the breast
– Sensitivity of cancer cells to hormones
– Your overall health condition

There are 5 types of standard therapies that doctors can treat as breast cancer drugs, including:

1. Surgery

Conservative surgery, which is to remove cancer cells and the lymph nodes involved.
Total mastectomy, which is to remove all breast affected by cancer.
Modified radical mastectomy (modified radical mastectomy), which removes all cancerous breasts, lymph nodes under the armpit, along the muscles in the chest, and sometimes part of the chest wall muscles.

2. Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is cancer therapy using high-powered X-rays targeted to kill cancer cells or inhibit cancer cell growth. This therapy is generally carried out regularly for women at high risk after undergoing a mastectomy procedure.

3. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, namely cancer therapy uses drugs to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. This therapy can be done before surgery to shrink the tumor before it is removed. In addition, this therapy can also be done after surgery to prevent tumor growth again.

4. Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy is a cancer therapy by inhibiting the work of hormones and preventing the development of cancer cells. This therapy is effective only in cancers that are sensitive to hormones. Your doctor will do an examination to determine the type of cancer in your breast.

5. Target therapy

Target therapy is therapy that uses drugs or other chemicals to specifically identify and attack cancer cells without killing normal cells. This therapy includes:

Monoclonal antibodies
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors
Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors)
Therapy used can be a combination of several therapies. Consult your doctor for the right treatment options for you.

Various choices of breast cancer drugs used in chemotherapy
If you have symptoms of breast cancer in the early stages, there are several types of chemotherapy drugs that you can consume. Early stage breast cancer drugs commonly used in chemotherapy include anthracyclines (such as doxorubicin / Adriamycin® and epirubicin / Ellence®) and taxanes (such as paclitaxel / Taxol® and docetaxel / Taxotere®). This drug can also be used in combination with certain other drugs, such as fluorouracil (5-FU), cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®), and carboplatin.

While advanced breast cancer drugs often used in chemotherapy include:

Docetaxel
Paclitaxel
Platinum agent (cisplatin, carboplatin)
Vinorelbine (Navelbine®)
Capecitabine (Xeloda®)
Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®)
Gemcitabine (Gemzar®)
Mitoxantrone
Ixabepilone (Ixempra®)
Albumin-bound paclitaxel (catch-paclitaxel or Abraxane®)
Eribulin (Halaven®)

There may be several other breast cancer drugs not mentioned above. Always consult your doctor about the breast cancer medication you are taking. Basically breast cancer drugs will depend on the age, condition, and development of cancer cells. That is why, always consult a doctor regarding breast cancer medication that suits your needs.

Treatment at home

What lifestyle changes can be made to overcome this disease?

The following lifestyle and home remedies can help you deal with breast cancer:

– Healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet and regular exercise are important. You can start by reducing alcohol consumption and quitting smoking.
– Healthy diet. Consumption of good nutrition is very important. You will find it hard to hold food in your stomach because the therapy you receive can cause nausea or change your sensation. This can help you eat smaller, more frequent meals a day.
– Regular exercise. Cancer can cause prolonged weakness and will not improve by resting. Regular exercise can help you get rid of weakness. You can start by walking and choosing a sport that is comfortable for you.

Prevention

How to prevent breast cancer?
A powerful way to prevent this disease is to avoid all risk factors for the cause. In addition, be aware of the symptoms of breast cancer with early detection is also an important step to prevent this disease.

Here are some early detection methods to be aware of the symptoms of breast cancer that you can do.

1. Check your breasts yourself

The easiest step to find out the symptoms of breast cancer is by breast self-examination or BSE. The goal is to check for lumps in the breast. You can do this check at home regularly. Routine checks will help you to recognize the texture of normal breast tissue.

Therefore, if one day you feel something unusual in the breast, you can immediately see a doctor. In this way, you will be able to easily detect symptoms of breast cancer.

The best time to check your breasts is a few days after the menstrual cycle is complete. Because hormonal changes can affect your shape and feelings for the breast, the best examination is when your breasts are in a normal state.

2. Mammography

In addition to doing BSE, you can do a routine mammography examination to detect the presence or absence of cancer cells in the breast. This examination is important to know the symptoms of early breast cancer. Mammography itself is an image scanning technique using low-dose x-ray to detect and diagnose cancer in the breast.

This procedure is generally required for women over the age of 40 years. However, if you or your family has a history of cancer in the breast, your doctor may recommend this examination earlier and more often.

When doing memography, your breasts will be affixed to the X-ray scanner screen. Then, a compressor will press your breasts down to flatten the tissue to show a clearer picture of your breasts.

For those of you who are the first time doing this procedure, you may feel a little pain or discomfort. But don’t worry, this pain and discomfort won’t last long.

During the procedure, the doctor will check the results of the images displayed on the scanner screen and ask the radiological technician to take several additional images if the results that already appear are less clear or need further examination. Don’t panic, this is common practice.

3. Changes in lifestyle

Some lifestyle changes that can help prevent cancer in the breast, namely:

Limit alcohol consumption. Consume no more than one glass of alcohol per heart. Better yet, stop consuming alcohol totally.

Regular exercise. Moderate intensity exercise on a regular basis for at least 30 minutes every day. This can start with just a way to relax, bike, jog, and so on. If necessary, ask your doctor about sports that are appropriate for your condition.

Limit post-menopausal hormone therapy. A combination of hormone therapy can increase the risk of developing cancer in the breast. That is why, talk back with your doctor about the benefits and risks of exposure to hormones.

Healthy weight. Try to get a healthy and ideal body weight. If you need to lose a lot of weight, ask your doctor about a healthy strategy to achieve this. Basically the key to losing weight is to reduce calorie intake and increase exercise.

Healthy diet. Food intake in fact also plays an important role in preventing this cancer. Therefore, pay attention to your daily food intake. Eat foods with balanced nutrition from fruits and vegetables and avoid foods that contain high fat.

If there are questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.