Oncology is one of the most dangerous enemies of all modern mankind. About 8 million people die of cancer every year in the world. According to some reports, this number is growing endlessly and could double by 2030.
Sad statistics
Breast cancer is one of the most common oncological diseases among the female population. According to statistics, approximately one in ten is faced with such a diagnosis.
Men are also at risk of developing this pathology, because their mammary gland is similar in structure to the female one. But due to hormonal reasons, the representatives of the stronger sex have much fewer cases of the disease (approximately 1% of all cases of breast cancer). Mortality in this case is about 50%.
The most common cause of death is a person’s late appeal for medical help, when the process is at the last stages in which the tumor is very actively metastasizing. Indeed, in most cases, the patient does not die from the tumor itself, but from its metastases, which it spreads to almost all organs and systems. Therefore, it is very important to timely diagnose a tumor and its metastases in breast cancer. It can literally save a life.
When does a tumor begin to metastasize?
As a rule, the movement of malignant cells begins at the 3rd or 4th stage, however, in practice, there are cases when the tumor metastasized and at the 1-2nd stage.
It happens that a woman was diagnosed with cancer in the early stages, the main tumor was removed and complete recovery ensued. However, with a sharp decrease in immunity or severe stress, the body malfunctioned, as a result of which the malignant process began again and spread with renewed vigor.
With breast cancer, malignant cells spread throughout the body at the very beginning of the disease. However, while the immunity is strong, it is able to prevent the spread of the malignant process. Nevertheless, in any patient with cancer, the protective forces are gradually reduced, and as a result, the body can no longer resist. After this, metastases begin to spread with lightning speed with lymph and blood to all organs.
Therefore, we can say that, to some extent, the rate of formation and spread of tumor cells depends on the strength of the body's immune system.
Where do metastases go?
In breast cancer, metastases can spread very quickly. Even a single cancer cell, getting into a healthy organ, can cause the development of malignant tumors.
First of all, the nearest lymph nodes (cervical, scapular and others) are affected. Then the cancer can go to the second breast, and also get to the inguinal lymph nodes.
With blood, metastases spread far beyond the mammary glands and affect the lungs, brain, liver, kidneys and bones. In the lungs, metastases in breast cancer are most often.
Of course, this process leads to the appearance of a number of symptoms in the patient:
- Different in intensity of pain in the affected organ.
- With the appearance of malignant foci in the lungs, the patient has a constant cough, shortness of breath, an unpleasant pressing feeling in the chest area.
- In breast cancer, metastases can affect the brain, causing dizziness, headaches, fainting, and a sharp change in behavior.
The appearance of the secondary foci
What metastases look like directly depends on the organ in which they arose. For example, for the lungs, multiple formations of an even rounded shape are characteristic. In the picture they look like white spots.
In the liver, they can be heterogeneous in structure, with an irregular shape and densification in the middle. How liver metastases look can be seen in the photo below.
Bone metastases in breast cancer externally are asymmetric spots with uneven borders, reddish in color, softer than bone tissue. Dimensions can reach 5 centimeters in diameter. The formation usually protrudes 1-2 mm above the bone.
In the lymph nodes, they are nodules of various sizes, they are perfectly felt during palpation and at the same time are mobile. They can reach large sizes. For example, in the cervical lymph nodes there are such huge formations that they even protrude above the skin and are visible to the naked eye.
Brain metastases may be multiple, or may be single. The size in diameter can be about 8 cm. The surface is uneven, bumpy. Inside, the formation is darker and denser.
Metastases in the intestine are characterized by rapid growth, large size and saturated, dark color. These formations of soft consistency can compress neighboring organs, as well as interfere with the digestive system.
Diagnosis of the presence of metastases
Even if the tumor has already metastasized to distant organs, the patient may not immediately feel this. It often happens that symptoms appear in the last stages when the spread of metastases in breast cancer has already gone very far. Therefore, it is especially important to conduct timely diagnosis of the tumor and its secondary foci. To do this, there are a number of surveys:
- Ultrasound examinations of internal organs.
- Tomography. Particularly reliable information is provided by the positron emission form (PET).
- Roentgenography. Another reliable way to detect metastases in breast cancer.
- A mammogram is performed to examine the breast for the presence of formations.
- For a full examination, as a rule, laboratory blood tests are also prescribed for the presence of oncological markers in it, which will indicate the occurrence of breast cancer. These are markers such as CEA, CA15-3, CA27-29.
Metastasis treatment
Methods of healing from metastases are conditionally divided into two groups:
- Systemic therapy. This includes chemotherapy with one, two or more drugs with anticancer activity, stopping the growth and spread of metastases. If cancer cells are sensitive to hormones, then therapy can be carried out with their help, which increases the chances of recovery.
- Local therapy This includes treatment with gamma rays that can destroy metastatic cells, as well as the operation to destroy metastases.
Oncology pain relief
Pain, to one degree or another, haunts almost every cancer patient. Therefore, anesthesia in oncology is a matter requiring special attention. The scheme of drugs depends on the severity of pain and is prescribed by the oncologist individually for each patient. For mild or moderate pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. In severe pain, the patient is prescribed opioid analgesics, which are drugs in nature.
Patient Life Forecast
Of course, a dangerous diagnosis is the presence of cancer in a person with metastases. How many live with such a pathology is difficult to say, since it is impossible to name the exact amount of time. The fact is that a lot of different factors have a huge impact:
- In the presence of hormone-sensitive receptors in tumor cells, the prognosis is more favorable. Since in this case it is possible to carry out hormone therapy, destroying the malignant cells.
- The leading influence on the prognosis is provided by the number of metastases and the range of their distribution. The smaller the affected organs, the more favorable the prognosis.
On average, patients with metastases live from several months to ten years. Therefore, we can conclude that everything is strictly individual for each patient.
Nursing
Due to the high prevalence of cancer, a large number of hospices for cancer patients have recently appeared. Similar institutions are already available in almost all major cities (for example, there are hospices for cancer patients in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg).
These are specialized medical institutions, which provide proper care and any necessary assistance to patients in the advanced stages of cancer.
There are times when a person needs constant help in the form of anesthesia and round-the-clock care. It can be difficult for relatives and friends to take care of themselves. This is especially hard given in psychological terms. Therefore, most often such patients are placed in a hospice.
Basically, medical care here consists of palliative treatment - the removal of painful symptoms and pain relief in oncology. This improves the quality of the last days of patients' lives.
Nutrition for cancer patients who are not capable of self-feeding is provided through a special probe. Patients who take food on their own should follow a dairy-vegetable diet. The diet includes at least 500 g of vegetables and fruits per day, dairy products. Red meat, fatty, fried, smoked foods, salt should be limited.
In addition, patients receive moral support in hospices for cancer patients in St. Petersburg and other cities. Relatives of the patient can also seek the help of a psychologist, who find it difficult to see how the disease takes away a person close to them, and they cannot reconcile themselves with the upcoming loss.
The main task of hospices is to improve the quality of life of the patient, the relief of torment. In addition to nutrition, cancer patients receive full and high-quality care around the clock.
Conclusion
Thus, we can conclude that the appearance of metastases in breast cancer is a negative sign, indicating that the process is far from the first stage. In addition, with the appearance of secondary foci, the prognosis of the patient's life worsens significantly. Metastases can have a very different location and appearance. Also, they can begin to disturb the patient immediately after the appearance, and can spread and grow in his body, remaining invisible for a long time. Therefore, it is so important to monitor your health and regularly undergo preventive medical examinations.