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Breast Cancer

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Stages of breast cancer
  • Stage 0 – the earliest form of breast cancer and have not yet become invasive.
  • Stage 1 – the tumour is 2.0 cm and has not spread beyond the breast.
  • Stage 2 – the tumour is 2.0 cm and has reached, or is spreading to, the lymph nodes.
  • Stage 3 – the tumour is larger than 5 cm and has spread to the surrounding tissue.
  • Stage 4 – the cancer has spread throughout the body.
Ways to detect breast cancer
  • Breast self examination should be performed on a regular basis by all women aged 20 or over. This is one of the surest ways of detecting changes in the breast.
  • Clinical breast examination is carried out by your doctor or nurse. Attention is given to the whole breast and the underarm area.
  • Mammography is an x-ray of the breast used to diagnose breast cancer in women who have symptoms.
  • Screening mammography is used as a preventative measure.
  • Breast ultrasound or sonography is when high frequency sound waves are sent into the area of the body suspected of being cancerous.
  • Ductograms diagnose the cause of nipple discharge.
  • Biopsy is usually carried out after a mammogram, ultrasound or physical examination. Biopsy is the only sure way of determining if cancer is present.
  • Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy or FNAB is when a fine needle is guided into the breast lump.
  • Core needle biopsy is carried out under local anaesthesia. A large needle is used to remove a sample of abnormal tissue.
  • Surgical biopsy is used in cases where some or all of the lump is removed for examination.
  • If the results from any of the above diagnoses are benign, no further treatment will be needed.
Treatments
  • Local therapy treats the tumour where it is found without affecting the rest of the body. This includes surgery or radiation therapies.
  • Systematic therapy is given orally or directly fed into the bloodstream. This is used when the cancer has spread beyond the breast. Includes chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and immunotherapy.
  • Lumpectomy removes only the lump and some of the surrounding normal tissue. If the cancer has spread, further surgery will be required.
  • Mastectomy is divided into three areas:
    • Simple or total mastectomy where the whole breast is removed, but not the lymph nodes or muscle tissue.
    • Modified radical mastectomy where the whole breast is removed along with some of the lymph nodes.
    • Radical mastectomy where the whole breast, the lymph nodes and the pectoral muscles are removed.


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