Breast cancer treatment is needed for a type of cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts. This condition can affect both men and women, but it is far more common in women. Public support for awareness and research funding has helped improve diagnosis and treatment. Survival rates have risen and the number of casualties has been decreasing, thanks to earlier detection, new treatments and a better understanding of the disease. Symptoms of this disease may include a breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue, bloody discharge from the nipple, change in the size or shape of a breast, changes to the skin over the breast such as dimpling, inverted nipple, peeling or flaking of the nipple skin, redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange.
Breast cancer causes are not clear. Doctors are aware that this illness takes place when some breast cells begin growing abnormally. These cells split more quickly than healthy cells do. The agglomerating cells form a tumor that may spread (metastasize) through the breast, lymph nodes or to other parts of the body. These tumors start most frequently with cells in the milk-producing ducts. Doctors label this type of tumors as invasive ductal carcinoma. They may also originate in the lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or cells within the breast.
Researchers have identified factors that can increase breast cancer risk. But it has not been determined why some people who do not have risk factors develop it, yet other people with risk factors never do. It's likely that these tumors are provoked by a complex combination of genetic makeup and environment. Experts estimate that 5 to 10 percent of the cases that require breast cancer treatment are related to gene mutation passed through generations of a family. A number of inherited defective genes that can augment the probability of suffering from this condition have been established. The most common are a couple of genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2, both of which elevate the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. If there is a strong family history of this or other cancers, blood tests may help identify defective BRCA or other genes that are being passed through your family.
Breast cancer treatment comes in the form of a medication like Anastrozole, a medication that inhibits a certain estrogen-producing enzyme. Some tumors, like the ones that lodged themselves in the breast, are susceptible to estrogen, and possess receptors that feed off this steroid compound, making the tumor larger. Therefore, by reducing estrogen production, the growth of such tumors may be halted. This kind of breast cancer treatment is called hormonal therapy.
