Breast Cancer

The type of cancer that attacks the ducts or lobules of the breast tissue is known as breast tissue. It can appear in both sexes, but men that develop breast cancer are very rare. Recent studies indicate that breast cancer can also be caused by exposure to asbestos.

Breast cancer caused by asbestos

This type of cancer caused by asbestos is very rare, and doctors are not yet sure if it is really linked to the inhalation of asbestos fibers. The thing they are certain about is that approximately 30 percent of women with asbestos fibers concentration in the lungs also developed breast cancer. Further testing is being conducted as we speak, researchers hoping to get more conclusive results on the matter.

Breast cancer symptoms

The first signs of breast cancer are usually obvious to the patient because the breasts will be painful to the touch, even if only slight pressure is applied. Further symptoms linked to inflammatory breast cancer include:

  • Lumps that weren’t present until recently (usually painful when touched)
  • Changes in breast size or shape
  • Paget’s disease of the breast (can be discovered by simple testing procedures)
  • If breast cancer is metastatic development of another type of cancer, the symptoms will be those caused by the original cancer area

Breast cancer phases

Breast cancer is split into several development phases or stages. These stages determine how far the cancer has progressed and what the future risks are. The total number of stages is four and they consist of the following:

  • Stage I – the tumor has a maximum diameter of 2 cm, lymph nodes are not infected yet
  • Stage II – lymph nodes under the armpit are filled with cancer cells, no tumor is present in the breast tissue yet
  • Stage III – the tumor in the axillary lymph nodes has grown t over 5 cm in diameter, it is already spreading to other organs or structures
  • Stage IV – the final stage of breast cancer means that the tumor has reached metastatic level and is spreading to other vital organs, such as bone, brain or lungs.

Breast cancer treatment

Early discovered breast cancer has a cure if efficient treatment is provided immediately. Not all patients are cured, but the number of cured ones grows each year. Breast cancer is treated like any other type of cancer, such as mesothelioma or lung cancer, with the help of chemotherapy. It proves efficient in this case because the cancer is initially located in a small and accessible area.

Breast cancer prognosis

Prognosis of breast cancer depends, similar to all other types of cancer, on how early or late it is discovered. In the case of it being discovered and diagnosed early, the patient has a chance of about 40 percent of being cured. This percentage grows smaller with each week the cancer is allowed to evolve without any type of treatment being provided to the patient.

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