breast cancer treatments and symptoms blog

Breast cancer has been broken out with great havoc. Approximately 40,500 women become victim of this chronic disease each year in England and Wales and then seek different kinds of breast cancer treatments. Men also have not been saved from this trauma, though women are the major sufferer of this bloody bug. This syndrome has not left any country with its effects. Breast cancer requires very much attention and awareness among our people so that we may save ourselves with this ailment. In the country like Pakistan lack of awareness, hesitation, lump of problems and shortage of financial resources make patient unable to cure and he goes into the mouth of fatality soon. There are a number of treatments carried out for the cure of breast cancer. The treatment varies from patient to patient depending upon his immune system, age and stage of the cancer. A number of ways can be opted like surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy and so on.

Above all one should know about this disease and its symptoms. It is always recommended that women above 40 years should have their regular medical checkup because they have greater chances of breast cancer. Everyone can have his/her own check up at home. According to Consultant breast surgeon Clive Griffith, when someone feels any abnormality in the shape of his/her breast or some deformity near the breast must consult the physician. Different people face different behaviors like some women have lump at their armpit or the darkening or zit on the breast, thickening of tissues, behavior of breast during menstrual time period, sometimes become tender near armpits. After hysterectomy (removal of the womb) and menopause women should be conscious about their health.

Sooner the cancer is detected effective is the therapy. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advises to check out regularly for the symptoms of breast cancer.

stages of breast cancer

The classification of breast cancer has been done on the basis of development of the disease and hence has been categorized into four stages of breast cancer. This classification helps in treatment of the disease in a clear way.

Early (zero) stage of breast cancer is the most initial stage when the tumor is limited to only breast tissue and is not regulated towards lymph node.

Stage 1 of breast cancer is the stage when the tumor size grows to 1 cm and other tissues and organs are not affected.

In Stage 2A the tumor involves lymph node with the increase in size less than 2 cm but when the size ranges from 2-5 cm it may not involve axillary lymph nodes.

In Stage 2B the tumor size increases from 5 cm with or without involvement of axillary lymph nodes.

Late (metastatic) stages of breast cancer are the phase when the trauma has been spread to lymph nodes and other tissues.

Stage 3A is the local spread of the cancer in which melanoma spreads to size 5 cm with or without axillary lymph nodes with the network structure of tumor cells with surrounding tissues.

Stage 3B is when the tumor size is not definite but metastases and penetrates into the skin, chest wall and internal lymph nodes of mammary gland (present inside the chest below breast).

Stage 3C is the stage when sarcoma has been spread with greater metastases with involvement of lymph nodes. The tumor may be of any size.

Stage 4 is the tumor that has spread to the parts of the body like bones, lungs, liver, brain or distant lymph nodes.

Different treatments have been developed to cure the cancer to protect and save the life of patient as soon as possible. The doctors say that sooner the patient comes sooner they try to chuck out this disease from him. Sometimes surgery is carried out to remove cancer cells. Some lymph nodes are taken from the underarms to check out whether it is infected with the cancer cells, this process is called biopsy or lymph node dissection. It is just a method to detect the infected cells.
Breast-conserving surgery is a sort of surgery to remove cancer cells but the breast is not removed. Lumpectomy is a surgery to remove tumor cells and tissues around. In another type of surgery, Partial or segmental mastectomy the infected part of breast and the tissues around are cut off.

Total mastectomy is the operation in which the whole breast is removed from the body because it has been so infected that it may affect other body organs and no treatment can cure it. Modified radical mastectomy is done when many of lymph nodes underarm, chest wall muscle have also been infected. In this case too breast is removed from the body.

Even after the removal of complete cancer part visible at the time of operation procedure, some other therapies are also conducted to remove the suspected cancer cells left into the body. These therapies include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy.

Sometimes after mastectomy when some part of breast that is infected is removed is surgically reshaped. The process is called breast reconstruction. In this case patient’s own tissues from any part other than breast are implanted filling with saline or silicone gel. All such facilities are FDA recommended.

Radiation therapy is the therapy in which cancer cells are killed by applying high energy x-rays onto the infected part. For external therapy x-ray device is placed outside the body while for internal therapy radioactive substance sealed in needle, wire, seed or catheter is placed directly near the infected site.

Chemotherapy is another traditional procedure of treatment in which drugs are given to the patient to stop the growth of cancer cells. Drugs can be administered orally, muscularly or through spinal cord depending on the stage of the disease.

In hormone therapy hormones are removed to block the growth of cancer cells. The hormone estrogen gives medium to cancer cells to grow produced from ovaries. Ovaries ablation is another therapy to stop the ovaries to make estrogen.

Targeted therapy is a method of killing cancer cell using drugs without harming normal uninfected tissues.

Other newer techniques are also being adopted due to their efficiency like sentinel lymph node biopsy followed by surgery in which the first infected lymph node is treated and operated out to save the rest part of the body from this infection. High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant is also conducted.

Though the life risk of breast cancer is 10% but the important is to have a life with quality rather than quantity. The war against breast cancer has increasing daily. Every person must go for regular checkups to avoid or detect breast cancer and thus avoiding any painful breast cancer treatments.

After going through chemotherapy by the breast cancer patients it definitely increases their overall survival; but occurrence of the adverse events are inevitable in all of the side effects due to chemotherapy, or bone marrow toxicity. A bone marrow’s primary function is as the production site for white & red blood cells. Many women treated by chemotherapy in breast cancer experiences a decline in their white blood cell count,  often 7 to 15 days after their treatment. The drop of these cell counts is called leucopenia. Therefore, while chemotherapy is on, breast cancer patient should always be alert for infections; it is the first sign for bone marrow suppression. Most immediate symptoms of infection is fever.

Being a cancer patient, it’s important that one alert’s her physician at the very first signs of any infection & to receive antibiotic therapy. Some clinical protocols are there that routinely put’s women in antibiotics from second week after each of the chemotherapy session’s for a prophylactic measure. The gene technology today is trying in getting in the picture for safer chemotherapy. Few genetically engineered bone marrow stimulants which are available for patients who develop some severe depression in their WBC or RBC counts. Some drugs such as Neuprogen and Epogen are few of these agents.

Luckily, toxicity of the bone marrow is temporary and reversible which occurs after chemotherapy. Infection occurs, then it is considered to be potentially very serious & should be addressed at that moment for avoiding fatal complications.

Few of them show sensitivity for anticancer drugs are the cells which form a line in gastrointestinal tract starting from the mouth to anus, that undergoes cell division timely & that the body manufactures & replaces in few days. Few anticancer drugs which interrupt’s production of theses cells, can cause small ulcers. Luckily, it is quite unusual for breast cancer chemotherapy, but could still occur. Mouth & the rectal areas are said to be the most susceptible.

Most common of the gastrointestinal symptom of cancer chemotherapy is nausea & vomiting, though often in the week just following treatment. It is primarily because of a big mediator release in substances which are called histamines, when they are stored in cells which line the gastrointestinal tract. Newly available drugs are now available which prevent release of histamines of patients going through chemotherapy. As the discovery & appropriate use for supportive medications, nausea & vomiting which accompanies chemotherapy is very less of problem than it was used to. All incidences of these worst events deviates which depends upon the drugs which are used & their dose intensity along with they are used.

For many women, loss of hair (alopecia) is very distressing side effect for few anticancer agents. Few agents such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin, docetaxel could cause uniform temporary alopecia, specially on the scalp. Some of the drugs only cause small hair thinning. Most of chemotherapy regimens of breast cancer has doxorubicin & few of newer ones have docetaxel or paclitaxel, for that reason temporary loss of hair can be expected after chemotherapy.

As side effects could be debilitating, most women wants’ to know that can they continue working when on chemotherapy. Answer to this question varies which depends upon the type of regimen used & the stress & demands of some particular job. The patient decides to work or not, but it is important for the patient during the period of chemotherapy, she plan’s to take it easy – try in reducing most of the stress. One should engage in time with their loved ones, their friends & extend their support system specially while the periods where she is down & not feeling well.

Further to add to the chemotherapy, the patients having advanced breast cancer could be treated with different drugs: 

• Tamoxifen
• Herceptin (only FDA approved for patients with HER2-positive receptors)
• Taxol
• Aromasin

Some drugs known as bisphosphonates can also be used for treating bone metastases. 

Before we get into all the specific cancer therapies, first of all it is important that we understand its terminology. This word “alternative,” “integrative” and “complementary,” have been used interchangeably in order to describe all the non-traditional breast cancer treatments, though all of them have very different meanings.

So knowing some extreme exceptions, many non-traditional cancer therapies are not regarded as alternatives for standard treatments. Therefore choosing any alternative care for the case of a breast cancer treatment means forgoing chemotherapy and radiation. Though commonly, a cancer patient is introduced to some complementary therapies, which are just as its name suggests — they are complementary to traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, though they are not considered to be substitutes.

Integrative or Consolidative care is also a style of medicine which incorporates both the traditional as well as the complementary treatment. Today the physicians who practice integrative medicine have a look to how a disease can affect a person as a whole: in respect of body, mind, & spirit.

Some of the Complementary Treatments

There are five types of treatments which are recognized by National Centre for Complementary & Alternative Medicine:  

• Biologically based practices. It includes nutritional therapies, use of supplements, or vitamins, & herbal medicine.
• Whole medical systems. Includes culturally formed healing traditions like traditional Chinese medicine (i.e. acupuncture) & ayurveda (therapy which originated in India which uses herbs, massages, & yoga), added to it is Western medical systems like homeopathy or naturopathy.
• Energy medicine. Therapies, are based on energy fields surrounding & permeate a body, includes reiki & qigong.
• Manipulative and body-based practices. In this it is massage therapy included added with chiropractic & osteopathic manipulation.
• Mind-body medicine. This type of therapy involves mind’s capacity in influencing  body’s functions. Include prayers, hypnotherapies, visualization, imagery, meditation, art therapy, and music therapy.

Proof of some Complementary Breast Cancer Treatment

Evidence that these therapies work is less. “We work with very toxic drugs with a lot of side effects, so we’re not willing to give them without ample evidence that they work. Oncologists want to use that same scale for seeing evidence that complementary therapies work.” “Oncologists are the most evidence-based doctors you can find,” says Dr. Abrams. But he points to conflicts in holding some complementary therapies for the same standard like toxic chemotherapeutic agents. “Studies on many complementary therapies are hard to do because a placebo for blueberries or massage, for eg, is difficult to come up with,” he says.

Today, the evidence is in favour of the complementary therapies for the breast cancer treatments have to do in relieving side effects of the traditional therapy. Acupuncture, as example, has shown in various numbers of small trials in order to reduce nausea & vomiting though was not compared to state-of-the-art the nausea treatments. Moreover, acupuncture is considered to be that effective for hot flashes in a breast cancer patient. Though some evidence that few types of treatments may also reduce inflammation.

Nutrition is considered as the key for Breast Cancer Treatment

Exercise & Diet is also a very important part for complementary breast cancer treatment. Any Women having breast cancer increases with risk due to obesity, specially after menopause women who had estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. A reason, for increased physical activity & proper diet are considered crucial complements for traditional breast cancer treatments.

“It has been demonstrated that increased physical activity improves survival among women with breast cancer,” says Abrams. Exercise is the means to improve energy level & help in alleviating all tension & depression.

He also recommends very low diet of animal fats & high in fruits & vegetables, majorly vegetables like as broccoli, or the cauliflower, or kale. Abraham also is a fan of seasoning food clubbed with garlic, or onions, or turmeric & drinking green tea, all have been considered to have anti-cancer properties.

It’s no secret that cancer is one of the highest reasons for deaths in the world. There have been number of researches done in the world to find out cure for this disease but they have not yet been fully successful. As per the latest facts and figures 1 is dying around the world every 20 minutes because of this disease. If there is more awareness of this type of cancer then the identification, prevention and breast cancer treatment could become a lot easier.

The best awareness program for breast cancer is the breast cancer walks. Mostly these walks are part of the fund raising campaigns which are held for multiple days. Men and women who want to influence positively the lives of the breast cancer patients participate in these events.

The breast cancer walk usually involves a three days walk which usually is around 60 miles. In United States alone there are millions of people who participate in this to show their support for fighting this disease. Throughout this breast cancer fundraising campaign awareness about the symptoms and cures is discussed by experts and the victims.

The roads are surrounded by safety nets and people on the sides of the roads are standing with food and drinking items. Specials stalls are installed to support this event. The write-ups are shared among the participants to create more awareness about breast cancer symptoms of this disease.

The breast cancer walk really becomes a fun and fulfilling experience. This kind of breast cancer walk 2010 will usually take place in Philadelphia, Chicago, Michigan & Boston. Individuals around the world are invited to take part in these events and show their support in creation of awareness and fighting this disease. Most of the funds raised in such walks go in the research for finding breast cancer cures.

A report published online on breast cancer treatments discussed that extracts of bitter lemon a tropical fruit had the elements that would reduce the growth of breast cancer chemicals. This is a huge step forward in the breast cancer research.

Basically the extracts of bitter lemon does is that it slows down the signals that tells the breast cancer cells to divide and it helps them to kill itself instead of dividing. The laboratory research when breast cancer cells were treated with bitter lemon showed that it slows down the cells growth process and in many instances it killed them before dividing. This has not been tested on animals as yet. But the research is moving forward proactively where bitter lemon extracts would be tested on animals and eventually if things move positively forward it would be tested on humans.

Statistically breast cancer is the most widespread cancer in women in the world. Genetics and hormonal factors are primary causes of this cancer. Over the years many new types of breast cancer treatments have emerged. Study has shown that because of these different breast cancer options the spread of this cancer can be stopped in early stages.

This bitter lemon is easily found in Africa, Asia and South America. This fruit has also been used in local medicines for treatment of diabetes, allergies and other similar infections. Chinese use bitter lemon in there day to day cooking needs as this adds a nice bitter flavor to their soups and tea. Many other countries like Pakistan, India, Nepal & Vietnam are also using this in cooking too.

As research is in its early stages so experts don’t advise eating bitter lemon as a cure for breast cancer treatments. However, they are confident that future in the study of bitter lemon extracts will help in preventing the breast cancer cell growth.

For now you should follow the standard breast cancer treatment’s preventive measures like keeping control on your weight, reducing the alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity by exercising and walking and finally getting regular mammograms as prescribed by the doctors. These activities will help in preventing breast cancer in early stages.

I always wanted to create a breast cancer treament blog. A blog where one can get all the information they want regarding breast cancer symptoms, breast cancer stages and various treaments that could be used to cure breast cancer.

Unfortunatly in my family there had been a few cases of this which really made my knowledge and experience of this disease above then normal. I hope this breast cancer treament and symptoms blog will help others.

Cheers