Breast Cancer
Breast cancer incidence in India has been rising steadily over the years, attributed to various factors including lifestyle changes.
Breast cancer risk factors and potential causes include:
- Age: Risk increases with age, particularly after 50.
- Gender: Being female increases the risk, though men can also develop breast cancer.
- Family history: Having a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer increases risk, especially if diagnosed at a young age.
- Genetics: Inherited mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, and other genes can significantly increase risk.
- Personal history: Previous breast cancer or certain benign breast conditions increase risk.
- Hormonal factors: Early menstruation, late menopause, never giving birth, or having the first child after age 30 increase risk, possibly due to longer exposure to estrogen.
- Dense breast tissue: Increases risk and can make mammograms less effective at detecting cancer.
- Radiation exposure: Prior radiation therapy to the chest increases risk, especially if received during adolescence.
- Alcohol consumption: Regular alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, increases risk.
- Obesity: Being overweight or obese, particularly after menopause, increases risk.
- Physical inactivity: Lack of regular physical activity is associated with an increased risk.
- Hormone replacement therapy: Long-term use, especially of combined estrogen and progesterone therapy, increases risk.
- Certain environmental factors: Exposure to certain chemicals, such as those found in some plastics, may increase risk, though research is ongoing in this area.
- It’s essential to understand that having one or more risk factors doesn’t guarantee breast cancer, and some people with no known risk factors develop the disease. Regular screenings and a healthy lifestyle can help manage risk.
Signs and symptoms include lumps in the breast or armpit, changes in breast size or shape, nipple discharge, or skin changes like redness or dimpling.
Types of breast cancer includes :
- Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS): This is the earliest form of breast cancer, where abnormal cells are found in the lining of a breast duct. It’s non-invasive.
- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC): This is the most common type of breast cancer. It starts in the milk ducts and spreads to nearby tissue in the breast.
- Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC): This type starts in the milk-producing glands (lobules) and can spread to other parts of the body.
- Inflammatory Breast Cancer: This rare and aggressive type causes the breast to appear red and swollen.
Diagnosis: It typically involves a combination of physical exams, imaging tests like mammograms or ultrasounds, and biopsies, PET scans sometimes MRI Breast.
Breast cancer treatment often involves a combination of approaches tailored to the individual's specific type and stage of cancer. Here's a breakdown:
1. Surgery. (Most Important Treatment Part in Early Breast Cancer)
- Lumpectomy: Removes the tumor with adequate free margin of surrounding normal tissue.
- Radical Mastectomy: Removes the entire breast with Axillary Lymph Node Dissection.
- Sentinel node biopsy: Removes the lymph nodes to check for cancer spread and preventing removal if entire lymph node unnecessarily if there is no spread of disease.
- Radical Mastectomy: Removes the entire breast with Axillary Lymph Node Dissection.
- ICG (Indocyanine Green) guided breast SLNB (Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy) surgery is a technique used to locate and remove the sentinel lymph nodes in the breast. It involves injecting a fluorescent dye (ICG) near the tumor site, which helps us to identify the lymph nodes that drain the breast area.
This method can aid in more precise and targeted lymph node removal, reducing the risk of unnecessarily complete removal of all axillary lymph nodes.
BREAST ONCOPLASTIC RECONSTRUCTION is specialized branch in which we do maximum possible restoration of breast anatomy and contour even after cancer surgery by doing Plastic Reconstruction.
2. Chemotherapy
- Administered either before surgery (neoadjuvant) to shrink tumors or after surgery (adjuvant) to kill any remaining cancer cells.
- Side effects may include hair loss, nausea, fatigue. But definitely Effect of Chemotherapy is more than side effects and hence should be done if needed.
Chemoport : Now we deliver Chemotherapy via Chemoport which prevents unnecessary pricking of veins everytime. Its Minimal Invasive and painless way of chemotherapy Delivery.
3. Radiation Therapy
- Uses high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells.
- Typically follows surgery to target any remaining cancer cells in the breast or nearby lymph nodes. In case of Breast Conservative Surgery Radiation is needed 100% after surgery.
- Side effects may include mild skin irritation.
4. Targeted Therapy
- Targets specific molecules involved in cancer growth.
- Examples include HER2-targeted therapy for cancers that overexpress the HER2 protein and hormone therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancers.
5. Hormone Therapy
- Used for hormone receptor-positive breast cancers.
- Works by blocking hormones.
6. Immunotherapy
- Stimulates the body’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
- Still being researched but shows promise in certain breast cancer subtypes.