Posts Tagged ‘metastasis’
Early detection and screening
The earlier a breast cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the chance of successful treatment. By checking your breasts regularly for lumps and other changes, you can improve your chances of finding breast cancer at an early, curable stage. Women in the UK at higher risk of developing breast cancer because of their age or family history are eligible for regular breast screening as part of a national screening programme.
Breast self-awareness
It’s important to become familiar with how your breasts normally feel at different times of the month. You’ll then be able to pick up any changes in your breasts that aren’t normal for you. If you are concerned about anything unusual in your breasts, you can make an appointment with your GP.
Our cancer support specialists can give you information about breast awareness, or you can contact Breast cancer care.
UK National Breast Screening Programme
In the UK, all women between the ages of 50 and 70 (64 in Northern Ireland) are offered mammograms (breast x-rays) every three years, as part of a national Breast screening Programme . Women over the age of 70 can ask to continue with three-yearly mammograms.
Women may be eligible for regular screening at a younger age if they are at higher risk of developing breast cancer because of their family history. If you have a close relative with breast cancer, you can discuss with your GP whether you should have regular screening before the age of 50 .
What is screening?
Screening is testing to detect cancer early, before symptoms are noticed, or to find changes that could develop into cancer later if left untreated.
Types of breast cancer and related conditions
There are different types of breast cancer. They are usually named after the types of cells from which it is thought the cancer has developed. Most breast cancers start in the cells lining the ducts (the channels in the breast that carry milk to the nipple) and spread into the surrounding breast tissue. This is known as invasive ductal breast cancer. There are other, less common types of breast cancer. Knowing the exact type of cancer helps the doctors to decide on the most appropriate treatment.
Learn more about these types and related conditions, including how they are diagnosed and treated, below:
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
DCIS is a condition in which breast cancer cells have developed within some of the breast ducts (the channels in the breast that carry milk to the nipple). The abnormal cells are completely contained within the ducts and have not spread into the surrounding breast tissue. Because the cancer cells have not spread outside of the ducts, DCIS is sometimes referred to as pre-cancerous, pre-invasive, non-invasive, or intraductal cancer.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
LCIS means that there are changes to the cells lining the lobules (where milk is produced) of the breast. It is not cancer, but it means there is a small increase in the risk of developing breast cancer later. Most women with LCIS will never develop breast cancer or need treatment, but doctors usually will recommend regular breast examinations so that any changes can be recognised early if they do occur.
Invasive breast cancer
If cancer cells have spread beyond the lining of the ducts or lobules into the surrounding breast tissue, it is called invasive breast cancer.
HER2 positive breast cancer
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, a sample of breast tissue will be tested for the protein HER2. HER2 is a growth factor receptor, found on the surface of normal breast cells, and helps cells grow and divide. Some breast cancer cells have an abnormally high number of HER2 receptors – these cancers are described as being HER2 positive (HER2+). Between 15–25% women with breast cancer have HER2+ cancers. Effective treatments called biological or targeted therapies, have been developed to treat HER2+ breast cancer. The drug most commonly used is trastuzumab
Invasive ductal breast cancer
Invasive ductal breast cancer occurs when the cells that line the duct have become cancerous and have spread into the surrounding breast tissue. It is the most common type of breast cancer; between 70-80% (7 to 8 out of every 10) of all breast cancers are this type.
Invasive lobular breast cancer
Invasive lobular breast cancer develops from the cells that line the lobes of the breast. They have a different appearance to ductal cancers and have a particular pattern of spread in the surrounding breast tissue. Approximately 10% (1 in 10) of breast cancers are this type.
Inflammatory breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type of breast cancer in which the cancer cells block the tiny channels (lymph vessels) in the skin and tissues of the breast. This causes the breast to become swollen, red and inflamed. The breast may also feel warm and tender to the touch. Chemotherapy is usually the first treatment, often followed by a combination of radiotherapy, hormonal therapy and surgery. About 1 to 2% (1 to 2 in every 100) of all breast cancers are inflammatory breast cancer.
Triple negative breast cancer
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, a sample of breast tissue will be tested for receptors for the hormones oestrogen and progesterone and the protein HER2. triple negative breast cancer don’t have any of these receptors. About 15-20% of women with breast cancer have this type of breast cancer. It is often treated with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Paget’s disease of the breast
pagets disease of the breast | is a change in the skin of the nipple that usually first appears as a scaly, red rash. Some women may notice an itching or burning sensation, and there may be oozing or bleeding from the nipple or the darker area surrounding it (areola). About 9 in 10 women with Paget’s disease of the breast will have an underlying breast cancer. Treatment will depend on whether or not cancer is present, the type of tumour and how much of the breast is affected.
Prostate Cancer – Symptoms
Symptoms:
Thanks to the prostate specific antigen test (PSA, for its acronym in English), most prostate cancers are now found before they cause symptoms. Although most of the symptoms listed below can occur with prostate cancer are more likely to be associated with noncancerous conditions. Read the rest of this entry »
Bone Metastasis
According to statistics, three out of four patients who die of cancer have bone metastasis, ie in 75% of deaths due to cancer disease primary malignancy has developed cancer cells, and new tumors in the bones. The metastasis can affect any bone, but the spine is affected most often. Not infrequently, however, that the ribs, pelvis, bones of the limbs, suffer this process. Read the rest of this entry »
Cancer of the head
Cigarette smoking and alcohol is present in 85 percent of individual cases of cancer found in the head. The treatment of choice, whether surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy depends on how advanced the tumor. Read the rest of this entry »
Normal cells and cancer cells
The cell is the simplest element, endowed with life itself, which is organized tissues. It consists of a mass surrounded by protoplasm containing a nucleus.
A cell wall surrounds the cell and separates it from its environment. Inside the nucleus is the DNA that contains the information to program cellular life. Read the rest of this entry »
Massagué announces developments to prevent metastasis in breast cancer
The researcher Joan Massagué announced they have discovered that breast cancer metastasis by attacking the protein could be avoided SRC, a vital cog in the supply of cancerous cells lethal during years stay dormant in vital organs, before manifesting itself. Read the rest of this entry »
Experts hope to win battle to cancer metastasis in five or ten years
Oncologists hope that in five or ten years you may win the battle of cancer because they know the mechanisms by which stem cells out of primary tumors that after a while in silence, nested in other organs and metastasize. Read the rest of this entry »
Belgian Scientists develop molecule to combat cancer metastasis
The Flemish University scientists believe that the new molecule may be used in combination with conventional therapies, to stop both the primary tumor and the metastasis process. Read the rest of this entry »
Find molecules that prevent breast cancer metastasis
The activity of two molecules of RNA (ribonucleic acid) present in tumor cells of malignant breast cancers prevents them from spreading to bones and lungs, according to an article published in the journal Nature, the team involving the Spanish researcher Joan Massagué . Read the rest of this entry »

