Breast Cancer Essay Example for Free

Breast Cancer Essay Is it true that wearing ‘underwired’ brassieres bring about cancer? Can breast cancer be treated? Are there signs and symptoms that individuals can check to know if breast cancer really occurs in them? These are just some of the essential questions that this paper will attempt to answer. It will also attain to reintroduce breast cancer’s definition, history of recovery, signs and causes, statistical information, diagnosis, breast cancer myths, risk factors, as well as, treatment. Definition   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A 34-year-old woman, named Susan has been told by the family doctor that she has a breast cancer. When she asked about it, the doctor initially explained it as â€Å"a type of cancer that forms in tissues of the breasts, typically in the ducts or the areas where milk goes through till it reaches the nipple, as well as, the lobules or the glands which produces milk† (National.. n.p.). History of Discovery The doctor also told Susan that the aforementioned disease has been observed in Egypt way back in approximately 1600 BC (Wikipedia n.p.). Back then he stated that, â€Å"tumors of the breasts were addressed or treated by cauterization through an instrument they technically refer to as the fire drill though they openly admitted that there is no cure for such† (Wikipedia n.p.). The doctor also added that, centuries later experts found â€Å"a relationship between the lymph nodes found in the armpits and cancer of the breast, in fact, Jean Louis Petit and Benjamin Bell were the first ones to get rid of the lymph nodes, breast tissue, as well as, a primary muscle in the chest† (Wikipedia n.p.). The doctor, to make Susan stay calm, mentioned that such surgery has been very successful thus it was also done by William Halsted during the next century or 1882 to be exact, in fact, until the 1970’s, this procedure remained to be the most successful surgical procedure to address the aforementioned condition (Wikipedia n.p.). Signs and Symptoms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since Susan was complaining about the physical changes in her body that she observed prior to be being diagnosed as having breast cancer, the doctor also told her that the signs and symptoms of breast cancer include the following: First of all, if there is a lump in the breast then there is a possibility that a person has breast cancer (Mayo.. n.p.). Second, there is also a probability that breast cancer may occur if the nipple/s of an individual discharges blood and has a lump that goes along with it (Mayo.. n.p.). Third, there may be an occurrence of breast cancer if there exist a â€Å"retraction, flattening, or indentation of the nipple† (Mayo.. n.p.). Fourth, if the size of the breast and its contours changes, then it is possible that breast cancer is in existence (Mayo.. n.p.). Last but not least, redness of the skin on the breast area may signify breast cancer as well (Mayo.. n.p.). Upon hearing the aforementioned, Susan remembers that she mainly complained about sign symptoms number one in the right breast, something she has been complaining about for about 16 months. Statistical Information   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Susan has been feeling weird and a little scared and so she decided to look into medical and health magazines, internet sites, as well as, books to check if she is going to make it or not, if she’s going to die etcetera and here’s a statistical information that she stumbled upon: 1) â€Å"Deaths brought about by breast cancer already reached forty thousand four hundred sixty (40,460) for females and four hundred fifty for the males (450)† (National.. n.p.); 2) â€Å"Unfortunately, there are new cases reported as well, there are one hundred seventy eight thousand four hundred eighty (178, 480) females and two thousand and thirty (2,030) males now who currently have breast cancer† (National.. n.p.). And the aforementioned is in the United States only (National.. n.p.); 3) â€Å"In the United Kingdom, on the other hand, twelve thousand four hundred (12,400) individuals or more die each year because of breast cancer† (National.. n.p.). In fact, in 2003 alone, there were forty three thousand and seven hundred fifty six women and there were three hundred thirty five (335) men who were diagnosed and reported to have breast cancer (National.. n.p.). Diagnosis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During that time, Susan was also in denial that is why she researched on her own. She found out that: Breast cancer may be diagnosed through the following: 1) breast self-examination; 2) clinical breast exam; 3) mammogram including screening mammograms, diagnostic mammograms; 4) computer-aided detection; 5) digital mammography; 6) magnetic resonance imaging; 7) â€Å"ultrasonography†; 8) ductal lavage; 9) molecular breast imaging; 10) diagnostic procedures like ultrasound; 11) biopsy including fine-needle aspiration biopsy, core-needle biopsy, stereotactic biopsy, wire localization, surgical biopsy; 12) estrogen and progesterone receptor tests; 13) staging tests; and 14) genetic tests (Mayo.. n.p.).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During this time, she was already prepared to believe that she really does not have breast cancer because she had a mammogram performed in March 1989 and again in February 1999, wherein, the results both showed that it is normal. Although, she had to try to accept it or at least entertain that it might be true when an ultrasound was also carried out where it was detected that a fibrocystic lump exists and that it was benign. Breast Cancer Myths After the detection of the fibrocystic lump, Susan began to reflect on her way of life, what could have caused the lump to exist inside of her body†¦she actually thought that it may be because of her use of deodorants, ‘underwired’ brassieres, stress from work, as well as, injury to the breasts which she got from playing basketball when she was in college and still a part of a varsity team. It is not very surprising that Susan thought of those as the primary reasons for the lump since there are so many myths that are related to breast cancer and some of the most popular ones are the following: First of all, some individuals claim that deodorants bring about breast cancer, however, currently, no studies have been carried out yet that may confirm or deny such belief of some people (Breast.. n.p.).   Second, some people think that wearing ‘underwired’ brassieres bring about cancer (Breast.. n.p.). Just like the first myth though, no evidence have been found to conclude such a statement (Breast.. n.p.). Third, there are individuals who think that stress can bring about breast cancer, however, research studies have not yet been able to establish an extremely clear link to conclude that such is really possible (Breast.. n.p.). Fourth, there are people who claim that â€Å"living near electricity pylons cause breast cancer† but no evidences have been presented ever since that breast cancer may be associated to electricity pylons (Breast.. n.p.).    Fifth, some individuals say that an injury to the breast augments the probability that breast cancer may occur (Breast.. n.p.). However, no evidences have been presented to back up such claim (Breast.. n.p.). Sixth, people claim that females who are young are more likely to be detected with breast cancer (Breast.. n.p.). Well, statistical information denies this, in fact, eighty percent of all the cases in the UK occur in females who are already fifty years old and above (Breast.. n.p.). Seventh, there are individuals who believe that if a person feels pain or discomfort in his or her breasts, then it is already safe to say that an individual is suffering from breast cancer (Breast.. n.p.). However, experts explain that there are so many reasons why breasts may be painful, for instance, this may be related to the menstrual cycle (Breast.. n.p.). Eighth, some people say that getting pregnant increases the probability of suffering from breast cancer later (Breast.. n.p.). On the contrary, experts have found evidence linking early pregnancy to breast cancer risk being reduced (Breast.. n.p.). They also reiterated that the more babies a woman gives birth to then the lower the risk of getting such cancer (Breast.. n.p.). In light of the detection of the lump, instead of getting more focused with the myths, Susan should have gotten a second opinion. If in case she did that, and the biopsy results will show that an â€Å"infiltrating lobular carcinoma† already exists and that it is already in stage IIa then a more extensive treatment would be provided to her. Risk Factors   Ã‚   The aforementioned are really just myths, they were never provided with evidences to establish that those are really linked with breast cancer. Susan was told by her doctor that the main risk factors for breast cancer, actually, include the following: 1) age; 2) age of menarche; 3) age at birth of first-born child; 4) biopsies of the breast; 5) family history; 6) occupation; 7) race; 8) hormone replacement therapy, as well as, 9) alcohol (Hales 105). Susan is only thirty four years old, never had any children, used to engage herself in binge drinking during college, and an aunt of hers had breast cancer years ago. As we can see, most of the risk factors are present in Susan’s case. Treatment            According to the experts Susan spoke to, â€Å"Breast cancer may be annihilated and for that to occur: 1) either lumpectomy or mastectomy should be carried out; 2) radiation may also be helpful; 3) drugs like taxol, taxotere, and herceptin may be taken; 4) chemotherapy; as well as, 5) hormonal therapy may be undergone by the patient† (Hales 105). Because her treatment options have been clearly explained to her, she decided to have a â€Å"right modified radical mastectomy† following a reconstruction immediately (Hales 105). During the surgery â€Å"eight lymph nodes were annihilated and the biopsy gave out a negative result† (Hales 105). After which Susan underwent chemotherapy as part of her post-surgical treatment which made her experience side effects including loss of hair and anorexia (Hales 105). Last but not least, she was also made to take in drugs named Cytoxan and prednisone (Hales 105). References       Breast Cancer Care. Statistics and Facts About Breast Cancer. 2004. Cancer Research, UK. 15 June 2007 http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/content.php?page_id=1730 Hales, D. An Invitation to Health, Eleventh Edition. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Breast Cancer.   29 December 2006. n.a.. 15 June 2007.    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer/DS00328/DSECTION=2 National Cancer Institute. Breast Cancer. n.d. n.a. 15 June 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast Wikipedia. Breast Cancer. 14 June 2007. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 15 June 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_cancer#History