Things you need to know about breast cancer

Has anyone in your family or a friend been diagnosed with breast cancer? If not, you may feel a little scared or curious when talking about it. What exactly is breast cancer ? Who gets it? How is the risk? Let's talk about all of this in a very simple and friendly way today. Knowing these things is very important for you and your loved ones.

How do doctors classify breast cancer?

Breast cancer is not all the same. Doctors classify it in different ways. They classify it based on where in the breast the cancer starts, what hormone receptors the cancer cells have, and how the cancer has spread. This classification determines treatment and gives an idea of ​​the chances of recovery.

Simply put, there are two main types:

1. Noninvasive (contains only one area): This means that the cancer has not spread beyond where it started. Think of it like a weed. It is confined to one area. A good example of this is ` Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS).` Here, the cancer cells are only inside the milk ducts.

2. Invasive: This is when the cancer has spread beyond the milk ducts or milk-producing glands (lobules) where it started, to other parts of the breast or to the lymph nodes in the armpit. Most breast cancers fall into this category.

In addition, they are also classified according to the receptors present on the cancer cells. These receptors are substances that affect the growth of cancer cells.

Other rare varieties

• Inflammatory breast cancer: This is a rare type that spreads very quickly. The breast becomes red and swollen.
• Paget disease of the nipple: A type of cancer that occurs in the nipple.
• Angiosarcoma: Starts in the cells of blood vessels.
• Metastatic Breast Cancer: This is when cancer cells break away from the breast and travel to other parts of the body (often the bones, brain, lungs, or liver) to form new tumors.

What are the risk factors for breast cancer?

Some things can increase your risk of developing breast cancer. Some of these we can control, some we can't.

Here are some of the main risk factors :

• Age: Women over 50 are at higher risk.
• Family history: Having a close relative, such as a mother, sister, or daughter, with breast cancer.
• Personal history: If you have had cancer in one breast before, you are at risk of developing it in the other breast as well.
• Menopause: The onset of menstruation before the age of 12 or the onset of menopause after the age of 55.
• Having children: Having your first child after age 30, not having children, or not breastfeeding your children.
• Previous radiation therapy: Having received previous radiation therapy to the chest area.
• Lifestyle: Severe obesity, alcohol consumption, and long-term use of some hormone therapies and birth control pills.

How to detect cancer early?

A mammogram is an X-ray of the breasts. It is the best way to detect cancer before symptoms appear. The earlier it is detected, the better the chance of a full cure with treatment.

If there is a suspicious area on the mammogram, the doctor may recommend an MRI, ultrasound scan, and biopsy (taking a small piece of tissue for examination) to confirm whether it is cancer and, if so, how far it has spread.

Different health organizations around the world make different recommendations about the age and frequency of mammograms. The general recommendation is to start after age 40. However, it is important to talk to your doctor about the screening schedule that is best for you.

What are the treatment and recovery chances like?

More people are surviving breast cancer today than ever before, thanks to early detection and improved treatments.

• If the cancer has not spread outside the breast, the relative chance of surviving 5 years is as high as 99% .
• If it has spread to nearby lymph nodes, the chance is about 86% .
• If it has spread to distant parts of the body (metastatic) , the chance is 29% . But even in this case, some people live for many years.

What are the treatments?

Treatment options depend on many factors, including the type of cancer you have, the size of the tumor, and the effects of hormones.

• Traditional treatments: Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are still most commonly used.
• Targeted Therapies: These are the newest and most effective treatments. They work by targeting only cancer cells.
• Hormone therapy: Drugs like `Tamoxifen` are given for hormone-dependent cancers.
• HER2 drugs: For HER2-positive cancers, drugs like Trastuzumab (Herceptin) block the HER2 protein and stop the growth of cancer cells.
• Immunotherapy: Drugs like ``Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)`` help our own immune system fight cancer cells.
• PARP Inhibitors: Drugs like `Olaparib (Lynparza)` are used for cancers with `BRCA` gene mutations.

Your doctor will conduct genetic testing and other tests to determine the most appropriate and successful treatment for you.

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