Damage to breast tissue by cancer cells is one of the most common oncological diseases found in women. Today, every tenth inhabitant of the planet hears this diagnosis. And if men think that this diagnosis does not threaten them, they are mistaken - they just have the disease manifested much less often. What kind of disease is this? How does it manifest? How is breast cancer determined at home? What are the consequences of late detection? We will deal with these issues.
Causes of Breast Cancer
They still can’t pinpoint the cause of breast cancer. Scientists have identified only factors that, under certain conditions, can provoke malignant degeneration.
First of all, you need to understand why the breast is so prone to the appearance of malignant neoplasms, because adverse factors affect the whole body. This is due to the strong hormone dependence of the mammary glands. And in a woman’s body, hormonal changes can be caused by almost everything, including climate change, stress, an unhealthy lifestyle, solar radiation, and much more.
Today, a woman, having given birth to a child, seeks to return to work as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, it has been proven that prolonged breastfeeding is useful not only for the baby, but also for the mother - the risk of developing breast cancer is much lower.
Modern lifestyle and oncology
Exercising involves the presence of injuries, and, at first glance, a minor blow later oncology can make itself felt. Therefore, it is important to know how breast cancer can be determined.
City life involves finding a person in conditions of constant stress, and this is another provoking factor. Nervous experiences reduce the activity of immunity, and the body is no longer able to cope with defective cells formed in the tissues.
Doctors consider UV exposure to be another factor. Today's topless tan is making medical workers sound the alarm. Doctors recommend sunbathing in the shade, so as not to provoke the growth of pathological cells in the gland.
Cancer and heredity
Most researchers are inclined to believe that a hereditary predisposition plays a large role in the occurrence of breast cancer in women. And this has its own reason, because everything is exposed to environmental factors, but only some women have a tumor.
From the studies, it was concluded that in 10% of cases of cancer, the cause is a mutation that is inherited. A large number of gene defects have been identified in which the risk of breast cancer rises sharply.
A special genetic analysis has been developed for the presence of these genes in the female body. But the discovery of mutations does not mean that a woman will necessarily fall ill. This is just a risk warning. Knowing the presence of a genetic predisposition, patients will be more attentive to their health.
Signs and Symptoms
Knowing how to detect breast cancer at an early stage, you will not allow yourself to develop more severe forms. Unfortunately, at first the disease does not manifest itself. Only by chance, when examining by palpation of the chest, the first symptom is discovered - a small seal in the mammary gland. Most often, education is painless and has clear boundaries.
You should also know other possible signs of oncology manifestation in order to imagine how to independently determine breast cancer:
- an incomprehensible change in the shape and size of the lymph nodes above the clavicle or under the armpits;
- the appearance of a feeling of discomfort in the mammary gland;
- around the detected nodule, the skin structure changes (the so-called orange peel, formed due to edema or wrinkling of skin tissues);
- discharge from the nipples, often bloody;
- a change in the shape of the breast itself from one or two sides;
- retraction into the gland of the nipple or a change in its shape;
- the skin changes color (redness, blanching, cyanosis at the site of growth of the neoplasm is observed).
This is an incomplete list of what you should pay attention to if you are interested in how to determine breast cancer in women. But even if you find one of the symptoms, this is not a sentence. Only a specialist, after conducting a series of analyzes and studies, will make a diagnosis.
Accompanying illnesses
There are certain diseases, the presence of which significantly increases the risk of developing breast cancer. If you have them, you should be more careful about yourself and be sure to study the recommendations on how breast cancer is determined in order to notice changes in time. These include:
- breast diseases that are themselves pretumor, such as fibroadenoma or mastopathy;
- endocrine pathologies that cause a jump in estrogen levels - diabetes, hypothyroidism, etc .;
- the onset of menopause - the period is complex in itself, but it is at this time that the likelihood of oncology in women is very high (due to a sharp change in the hormonal background).
Stage classification
In international medicine, which is used in the CIS countries, four stages are distinguished in the classification. Each of them manifests itself in its own way and has morphological features. How is breast cancer and its stage determined depending on the symptoms present?
The stages of cancer and their features for simplicity we have tabulated:
Stages | Symptoms | Knot Dimensions |
I | There are no symptoms at this stage. Cancer does not germinate in adipose tissue and skin. | less than 2 cm |
II | A characteristic manifestation is the “wrinkled syndrome”, when wrinkles occur perpendicular to the skin fold when the skin is captured by the fingers. The elasticity of the skin decreases, the area after the pinch is not smoothed for a long time. The appearance of adhesions is possible. The skin under the cancerous node is pulled inward. | from 2 to 5 cm |
III, or else it is called inflammatory breast cancer | The penetration of a malignant formation into fatty tissue and skin integument begins. Due to increased skin retraction, the following symptoms appear and progress: - swelling; - "Orange peel"; - retraction of the nipple inward. Metastases spread to nearby tissues. The appearance of discharge from the nipples (bloody or transparent) is characteristic. | 5 cm and more |
IV | The tumor spreads metastases throughout the mammary gland, affects nearby and distant organs. Malignant cells spread through the lymphatic and blood vessels. There is the appearance of purulent or bloody discharge, the shape of the chest is completely deformed. | Size can be any, but metastases spread to all organs and tissues |
Methods for determination and diagnosis
For the purpose of prevention, every woman should at least once a year conduct a routine examination to identify a tumor in the mammary gland. There are several effective methods. So how is breast cancer determined?
- mammography (the method is based on the study of a picture taken under x-ray radiation) and ductography (a type of mammography in which a contrast agent is injected into the milk ducts);
- breast ultrasound;
- a biopsy of the material taken from the seal in the mammary gland;
- blood test for tumor markers;
- study of nipple secretions.
It should be remembered that the older the woman, the higher the probability of getting sick.
There is a greater chance of seeing a history of breast cancer in those cases if:
- menstruation in a woman began earlier than 9 years;
- menopause came after 55.
Self diagnosis
How to identify breast cancer at home? A monthly self-examination will help. The best time for examination is the week after the end of menstruation, since during this period the chest is softer.
After the shower, lather your hands and first raise your right hand, with your left hand, probe the right breast from the armpit to the sternum. Then carry out the same procedure on the left side. Be sure to probe the area along the clavicle and the entire area of the armpits.
If you find any nodules or seals, as well as the appearance of discharge from the nipples, be sure to contact a specialist. Only after an examination can he make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.