Anatomy: What does the Breast look like?

The breast is made up of glands called lobules that can make milk and thin tubes called ducts that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple. Breast tissue also contains fat and connective tissue, lymph nodes, and blood vessels. 

What do your breasts mean to you?

They can mean different things to different people.  For any woman, they may be linked to her identity as a woman, her sense of femininity, intimacy or to her roles as a mother or sexual partner.

When you hear the term breast cancer, what does it mean?

What are the types of Breast Cancer?

The most common type of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma, which originates in the cells of the ducts. Breast cancer can also arise in the cells of the lobules and in other tissues in the breast. Ductal carcinoma in situ is a condition in which abnormal cells are found in the lining of the ducts but they haven’t spread outside the duct. Breast cancer that has spread from where it began in the ducts or lobules to surrounding tissue is called invasive breast cancer. In inflammatory breast cancer, the breast looks red and swollen and feels warm because the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin.

How common is breast cancer?

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women and leading cause of cancer related deaths in India. One out of every two women diagnosed of breast cancer die of it. Although, most of the cases are seen in females, there is 1% chance of its occurrence in males.

Globocan 2018 data:

What causes breast cancer?

We don’t know exactly one single reason that causes Breast cancer. We do know that it occurs as a result of gene mutation.

This can be contributed by a number of “Risk Factors”

What can be your risks?

  • Being female
  • Having a family history of breast cancer
  • Being overweight or obese after menopause
  • Consuming alcohol
  • Breastfeed, if you can
  • Getting older
  • Genetic factors- 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases are hereditary. BRCA1 or BRCA2 are the most common cause of hereditary breast cancer. 
  • Personal History of Breast cancer
  • Previous chest radiation
  • Hormone replacement therapy

What can you do???

Know your risks

  • Talk to your mother’s and father’s  families about your family health history
  • Talk to a doctor about your risk of  breast cancer 

Know what is normal or you

  • Know how your breasts look and feel 
  • Look at and feel your breasts- Regular self breast examination
  • Report changes to a doctor

Breast Cancer – Early Signs & symptoms

Get Screened

Screening tests:

  • Are offered to people who feel fine and who have no reason to suspect a breast problem
  • Are different from tests that are done to evaluate a problem in the breast, which are called diagnostic tests

Ways of screening:-

  • Clinical Breast Exam- physical exam done by a doctor. 
  • Imaging tests

                                   -Breast Ultrasound

                                   -Mammography – annual/biennial after 50 yrs age

                                   -Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging – for women with high risk



Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Reduce your risk of breast cancer: Possible strategies for primary prevention:-

  • Breast feed
  • Early pregnancy
  • Avoid long term use of estrogens, menopause medicines
  • Avoiding weight gain
  • Replace saturated fat with olive oil and other oils high in MUFA
  • 5 servings of fruits/veg a day
  • >3 hrs of physical exercise every week
  • Limit alcohol

 

How is breast cancer Diagnosed?

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