Breast cancer is the form of cancer that occurs from breast tissues in women. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, changes in the shape of the breast, dimpling of the breast skin, a fluid coming out of the nipples or development of red scaly patches on the skin. There might be pain in the bones, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, or the skin turning yellow and pale.

Breast cancer is a fatal mode of cancer in women, and one must try to abstain from this cancer in all possible ways. Here are 5 ways you can decrease the risk of breast cancer.

1. Keeping a check on your weight: although the process is tough to maintain, keeping up a sound and healthy weight is a critical objective for everybody. Being overweight can expand the danger of a wide range of cancers, including breast cancer, particularly after menopause in women. Exercise is very important for maintaining a healthy body and lifestyle. Women who exert physically regularly are fitter than others and are at a much lower risk of acquiring diseases of any kind. Regular exercise decreases the chance of getting breast cancer and also keeps the body weight in check.

2. Maintaining a healthy diet: maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is a key for keeping away from any kind of cancer or major health problem. Include a sufficient amount of fresh fruits and green vegetables in your daily diet to ensure the supply of all vital nutrients to your body. This would increase your immunity.

3. Avoid smoking and consume less alcohol: smoking is a very unhealthy and harmful habit. Smoking lowers the quality of your life, and causes numerous diseases. Heart diseases, stroke and many kinds of cancer, including breast cancer can be caused from smoking. If you drink alcohol, you should moderate your drinking habits and drink less, as drinking in excess may lead to breast cancer.

4. Practice breast feeding: breast feeding your children for a span of one year or more is likely to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

5. Avoid taking birth control pills: birth control pills, in spite of having several benefits are associated with risk factors as well. Birth control pills have got worse effects in younger women than older aged women. Using birth control pills may cause breast cancer and these pills should be avoided.

There are many ways, adapting which you can lower the chances of getting breast cancer.

5 Easy Ways to Decrease Your Breast Cancer Risk

Breast examination is a way of detecting early changes that help in detecting lumps or other growth in the breast. This is a manual form of examination that may be carried out by the doctor or even by the patient. This kind of examination helps in detecting the onset of breast cancer and helps in successful treatment of the same. It is an essential screening strategy that all women must go through. Let us cast a glance on the various details regarding this examination, and also how frequently it must be conducted.

Age: Women who have reached the age of 18 are said to have matured physically and sexually. They should perform this examination once they have reached the said age in order to detect any anomalies in the way the physical changes occur in the breast tissue.
Procedure: One should begin by looking at one's reflection in the mirror to find any rashes or dimpling in the breasts. The shape, size and colour of the breasts and nipples must also be studied so as to check for any anomalies. Inverted nipples, redness and soreness must also be reported to the doctor. Once you are done checking the visuals, you can raise your arms and look for any changes. Then, you will need to lie down and feel your breasts by using a circular motion. The finger pads must be used in order to check for any lumps. One must start from the centre and move the breasts sideways. Any wet and slippery feeling must be reported to the doctor immediately.
Pressure: During the breast examination, you must use light pressure for the skin and tissue that lie beneath the breasts, while medium to moderate pressure should be used for the middle portion of the breasts. One must use a firm hand to check the tissue that lies at the back of the breasts, near the rib cage.
Frequency: One must get into the habit of conducting a breast examination at least once a fortnight or once a month, without fail. You can also go to the gynaecologist for an examination in case you are not confident of conducting it on your own with proper movements and accuracy. You may also journalise your breast examination findings.
Menstrual Cycles: When you are going through your menstrual cycle or period, it is important to remember that your breasts can become tender just before or after the start of the cycle. So, do not panic if you think you have found a lump or any other growth at this time. It is best to check again after a week and then visit the doctor about checking the same.

How Frequently Should a Breast Examination Be Done?

Chemotherapy has been the remedy for cancer since the late 90s. But in today s world the medical field has been improved so much that new methods have been invented. One of them is Hormonal therapy. It is used to cure some types of breast cancer that are affected by hormones. Receptor proteins in the breast cancer cells attach to estrogen and help the cells grow. This therapy stops the receptors attaching to estrogen in various ways.

When it is used?
Hormonal breast cancer therapy is performed after surgery to prevent the cancer from coming back. It is also applied to treat the cancer that has come back or to prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. Sometimes, if needed, it starts before the surgery. It takes five years, generally.

How it works?
Hormonal therapy mainly stops estrogen from acting on the cancer cells or lowers the estrogen level. There are different ways to do that.

Blocking Estrogen Receptors: These drugs stop estrogen from helping breast cancer cells.
Tamoxifen: It acts as anti-estrogen in the breast cells, but acts like estrogen in other cells. It lowers the risk of breast cancer and also stops cancer from coming back.
Toremifene: It works in a similar way, but it is only used in metastatic breast cancer. It also decreases the pain and swelling in the muscles and bones.
Fulvestrant: It blocks and damages estrogen receptors. It is given by injections after other drugs stop working.
Lowering Estrogen Levels: These drugs slow the growth of cancer by lowering estrogen levels.
Aromatase Inhibitors: These drugs stop estrogen production in women whose ovaries are not working due to menopause or other treatments. There are three types of this drug- Letrozole, Anastrozole and Exemestane.
Ovarian Suppression: In this method, ovaries are removed or shut down to turn pre-menopausal women to post-menopausal. There are several ways to do this, and they are- Oophorectomy or surgery, LHRH analogs and applying chemotherapy drugs.
There are some other types of hormone therapy that are less common. They were used more in the past. They are:

Megestrol acetate
Androgens
High doses of estrogen
Side Effects:
Unfortunately, Hormonal breast cancer therapy has lots of side effects. They are-

Hot flashes
Mood swings
Vagina discharge or dryness
Developing uterine cancer
Blood clots
Stroke
Night sweat
Headache
Mild nausea
Bone pain
Injection site pain
Muscle pain and joint stiffness and pain
Bone thinning
Menopause
Although hormonal therapy has lots of side effects, they are limited to different kinds of hormonal therapies and it is not necessary that they will surely happen. But it is best to undergo any kind of treatment with a doctor s advice. So patients should consult the doctor first.

Breast Cancer - New Advancements That Can Help!

Breast cancer begins when cells in the breast start to get out of control. These cells are mostly in the form of a tumor that can be regularly seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. The tumor is dangerous (malignant) if the cells attack the surrounding tissues or spread to far off zones in the body. Breast cancer happens mostly in women, yet men can get it, as well.

This is how breast cancer can spread:

Bosom cancer can spread through the lymph framework
The lymph framework includes lymph nodes, lymph vessels, and lymph liquid found all throughout the body
Lymph nodes are little, bean-shaped accumulations of immune system cells that are connected by lymph (or lymphatic) vessels. Lymph vessels resemble little veins, with the exception of that they transport a liquid called lymph (rather than blood) far from the breast
Lymph contains tissue liquid, waste items, and immune system cells. Breast cancer cells can enter lymph vessels and start to develop into lymph nodes
A large portion of the lymph vessels of the breast deplete into the:

Lymph nodes under the arm (axillary hubs)
Lymph nodes around the neck bone (supraclavicular and infraclavicular lymph hubs)
Lymph nodes inside the neck close to the breast bone (inner mammary lymph hubs)
Following are some of the causes of breast cancer:

Hormones play a part in creating breast cancer disease; however exactly how this happens is not completely known
Ordinary breast cells get to be distinctly carcinogenic in view of changes (transformations) in DNA
Yet, most DNA changes identified with breast cancer are gained in breast cells during a woman s life as opposed to having been acquired
Qualities that accelerate cell division are called oncogenes
Tumor silencer qualities are typical qualities that back off cell division, repair DNA oversights, or advise cells when to bite the dust
Certain acquired DNA transformations (changes) can drastically increase chances for building up specific growths and are in charge of a large number of tumors that keep running in few families
Some of the treatments of breast cancer include:

Health alterations: Body weight, physical action, and eating routine are all connected to breast tumor, so these may be territories where you can make a move.
Restorative alternatives for women at expanded hazard: For women who have certain hazard components for breast growth, for example, a family history; various restorative alternatives may counteract breast cancer.
Medications to lessen hazard: For women at expanded danger of breast cancer, medications, for example, tamoxifen and raloxifene, can reduce the hazard. However, these medications can have their own dangers and symptoms.
Preventive surgery: In case that you have a solid family history of breast cancer, you can talk with your specialist about hereditary testing. This test addresses changes in qualities that increase the danger of breast cancer; for example, the BRCA qualities. In case you have a hereditary change from a family with a transformation, however, have not been tried, you could consider surgery to bring down your danger of tumor.

Breast Cancer - Important Things You Must Be Aware Of!

The incidence of breast cancer is increasing worldwide, especially in the western world due to a variety of factors like diet, genetics and lifestyle, including body weight. Other predominant factors are ovarian function and oestrogen exposure, pregnancy, and lactation. It is the second most common carcinoma in women and it occurs mostly after the age of 30. It s most commonly seen in the age group of 40-60. Even though there is so much of awareness about this cancer, there is a high incidence of this cancer going undetected.

This cancer is treatable if detected early. For this, we need to know its common symptoms, which are

Lump in breast i.e. presence of a hard mass in the breast with no defined margins
Bleeding from nipple
Nipple retraction
Redness and pain
If left undetected, cancer in the breasts can spread to the bones, liver and even the brain.

Homeopathic treatment
We all know that Homeopathy, a popular holistic system of medicine cures by using the principle of  Like cures like . Homeopathy relies on a specialised remedy based on the physical, psychological and emotional symptoms of a patient. This is the reason that self-medication fails abysmally in homoeopathy. The homoeopathic medicines for breast cancer in this article thus should be used just as a reference and you should consult a good homoeopath for a complete cure. Several proven homoeopathic remedies are available to treat symptoms of breast cancer like:

Conium Mac: It is an excellent cure for breast cancer, especially when the breasts are hard and tender. The breast becomes rock-hard and there is a stinging pain in this type of breast cancer which starts in the milk ducts and spreads to outer regions. This type of breast cancer is tackled by Conium Mac.
Baryta Carb: This homoeopathic drug is used when the breast is enlarged and inflamed. The mammary gland is also hard and stony plus sensitive to touch. The milk glands in this type of cancer become enlarged and tender. Blood from the nipple is another indication for use of Baryta carb.
Hydrastis Can: The patient has to swell of the mammary glands and complains of pain and tenderness. Her nipples are engorged, have cracks and a watery discharge.
Iodine: This homoeopathic remedy works mostly on the enlargement of the breasts which may be malignant or malign. In this type of cancer, the mucous membrane of the mammary glands as well as the breast tissue gets inflamed. The breast tissue becomes enlarged and hard and presents with nodes.
Phytolacca: A hard, irregular tumour with retracted nipples is the main indication for this homoeopathic remedy. A sore that extends from the breasts to the arms is another predominant feature.

Breast Cancer - Is Homeopathy Helpful In Treating It?

Medical science constantly challenges the boundaries by finding not only the cures to the most dangerous diseases, but finds a way to prevent them even before they occur. With years of research, practice and data available for analysis, scientists are using advanced technology in combination with years of research to create a predicting mechanism for often fatal diseases like cancer.

Breast cancer screening has always been done with mammography. The fact is that this method is only 75% accurate, laden with false positives and misses a whole set of women totally- and that too when cancer has already developed. Part of the problem comes from the dense breast tissue which one in three women have. This tissue masks the lumps, which makes it difficult for mammograms to accurately screen cancer.

Some breakthrough scientific methods are changing this by drawing on years of research to predict this deadly disease, years before it can manifest itself.

A genetic test to predict cancer 10-11 years ahead of time
This test was performed to see how environmental factors could influence cancer, along with habits like smoking, abusing alcohol or hormones, genetic changes that occur and are put a large percentage of the women at a high risk of developing this disease.

A simple blood test is used for the genetic analysis of hereditary cancer. Researchers found a biological marker, methylation of the ATM gene, which has a very high ability to predict the risk of developing cancer, several years before diagnosis. 'Methylation' concluded that when one biological indicator is exposed to carcinogenic substances, or other abusive substances like tobacco and alcohol, it may trigger the development of cancer. On the flip side, this test will take time to reach the commercial market and even then cannot give an exact timeline as to when someone may develop the disease.

A simple blood test to predict breast cancer 5 years before it develops
This is the kind of medical miracle the world is looking for. Last year in April, researches in Denmark identified a simple blood test that can predict breast cancer five years before it actually develops with an accuracy of a whopping 80%.

It works by "measuring all of the compounds in the blood to build a 'metabolic profile' of an individual, in order to detect changes in the way chemicals are processed, during a pre-cancerous stage," says Laura Donnelly, health editor at The Telegraph, which covered this development. Danish researchers observed 57,000 participants over 20 years, gathering blood samples along the way, specifically comparing a set of 800 women who remained healthy or developed breast cancer within 7 years of their first blood sample. The researchers found they were able to predict, with 80 percent accuracy, which patients would be affected by the disease, just by looking at the metabolic profiles they built from the participants' blood samples. The results have been published in Metabolomics.


Are you living with the uncertainty of a lump in your breast? It's time you take the first step and consult a specialist here.

Can Breast Cancer Be Predicted Before It Develops?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Breast surgeon online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Breast surgeon - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES