Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Its incidence has increased in recent years, and now the disease strikes about one in every nine women. Next to lung cancer it is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. The increased incidence of breast cancer is partly due to increased life expectancy.
The causes of breast cancer are not known, but there appears to be a higher risk in women with a family history of the disease. An estimated 5% of breast cancers are familial. Researchers have suggested that mutations of two tumor suppressor genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) may predispose a woman to develop breast cancer.
Although no conclusive evidence yet exists, some investigators think that other risk factors include a high-fat diet, obesity, exposure to radiation, and exposure to certain chemicals. Smoking cigarette increases a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer by at least 25%. Women who smoke two packs or more of cigarettes a day have a 75% greater risk. A recent study suggests that taking estrogen for five or more years as hormone replacement therapy after menopause increases the risk of breast cancer by more than 30%.
About 50% of breast cancers begin in the upper, outer quadrant of the breast. As a malignant tumor grows, it may adhere to the deep tissue of the chest wall. Sometimes it extends to the skin, causing dimpling. Eventually the cancer spreads to the lymphatic system. About two-thirds of breast cancers have metastasized (spread) to the lymph nodes by the time they are first diagnosed. When diagnosis and treatment begin early, 80% of patients survive for five years, and 62% survive for then years of longer. Untreated patients have a five-year survival rate of only 20%.
Mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast) and radiation treatment are common methods of treating breast cancer. Lumpectomy (surgical removal of only the affected portion of the breast) in conjunction with radiation treatment is thought to be as effective as mastectomy in some cases. Chemotherapy is useful n preventing metastasis, especially in premenopausal patients. A recent development in cancer treatment is the use of biological response modifiers, which include substances such as interferons, interleukins, and monoclonal antibodies.
About one-third of breast cancers are estrogen-dependent; that is, their growth depends on circulating estrogens. Removing the ovaries in patients with these tumors relives the symptoms and may cause remission of the disease for months or even years. The synthetic drug tamoxifen, which blocks estrogen receptors, has been heralded as the most effective drug for preventing new cancers in women who have had breast cancer. However, recent studies suggest that tamoxifen may increase risk of uterine cancer.
Because early detection of breast cancer greatly increases the chances of cure and survival, campaigns have been launched to educate women on the importance of self-examination. Mammography, a shot-tissue radiological study of the breast, is helpful in detecting very small lesions that might not be identified by routing examination. In mammography, lesions show on an x-ray plate as areas of increased density.
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"What are the causes of breast cancer?" was posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 at 2:53 am.
When will there be funding for research linking breast cancer and abortion? Women who have a history of breast cancer in their families are 50-75% more susceptible contracting cancer when they have an abortion. Results have already been published in Great Britain and Australia. When a woman has a miscarriage, the unborn child dies 2-3 weeks before it is expelled. This give the body time to adjust to the hormonal changes. When a woman has an abortion, her body is thrown into hormonal chaos. Most breast cancers are hormonal reactive. I’ve lost 2 friends to breast cancer who had abortions and had a history of breast cancer. Why isn’t this being told to women? It is a travesty!
I urge women to be very careful about submitting themselves to breast Xrays. The procedure and the annual submitting to these harmful rays, I believe, is often the cause of breast cancer. If you have a lump, adopt a wait and see appraoch, don’t allow yourself to be rushed into biopsies “just in case” and get back to health basics.
By that I mean don’t consume cows milk. have goat milk instead, as cows milk is packed full of antibiotics and growth hormones etc.,(read “Don’t drink your milk” by Frank Oski. Fast occasionally, drink plenty of clean water and avoid junk food and above all, no fizzy drinks with sweeteners (aspartame, saccarin and don’t even think about using Equal etc). Definitely avoid all soy products, it’s a con, and also have butter not margarine.
Buy an additive code book and learn the numbers of what to avoid, and do not have lo fat meals or products, full of sorbitol and aspartame etc.
Check it out on the web, if you think I’m over reacting, be alert, not alarmed.