Lauren B asked:


I’m in a sorority and our philanthropy is Breast Cancer Awareness & Education. We’re having a “Breast Mania” week next semester and I’m the event chair. Each day, Monday through Friday, we are holding a separate event to raise money for Breast Cancer. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. Even though we’re a sorority and we’re raising money for breast cancer, please don’t put any negative comments/suggestions such as a wet t-shirt contest or anything. Thanks so much for any suggestions!

InformationalVideos asked:

Cathy Golden discusses her choice of the new breast cancer treatment option DIEP reconstructive surgery (DIEP stands for Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator) . Cathy traveled to the The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery in New Orleans to have the procedure done. The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery was established to serve as a dedicated resource for women seeking the most advanced methods of breast reconstruction utilizing the bodys own tissue. Founded by Frank J. dellacroce, MD, FACS and Scott K. Sullivan, MD, FACS, the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery specializes exclusively in state-of-the-art breast surgery techniques (DIEP, SIEA and GAP flap procedures) that allow for breast reconstruction without sacrifice of important functional muscles. The restored breast is typically very natural looking with softness and shape that closely approach that of your own breast. You can get more information at www.breastcenter.com which is the website for the New Orleans center where Cathy had her surgery. Thank you Cathy for sharing your story!

LionLove asked:


this is the 2nd time this week i talked to people about my mom having cancer, b/c it’s her 3 year anniversary (we always joke about how she had to get breast cancer during the breast cancer awareness month)
so when I talk about it with people, they act like they didn’t hear me or awkwardly walk away, and even my teacher did this! Is it really that uncomfortable for them? Couldn’t they at least pull a measly little “i’m so sorry!” and not leave me hanging?

LInda asked:


I am sooooooooo scared that i am going to relapse soon and loose my life from metastatic breast cancer. I had triple negative breast cancer so between now and sometimes next year i am at a very high rate for relapsing. My ocologist says that if the cancer does return again that i will die. i don’t know what to do. How do i stay strong in this and not be afraid?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women affecting one in eight women during their lives. It may develop at any time but the risk of developing it increases as women get older. It is far more common in post-menopausal women and the risk continues to increase with rising age.

CAUSE
The cause of breast cancer is not known and while it can also occur in men, the much higher occurrence in women implicates estrogen.

Today, breast cancer, like other forms of cancer, is considered to be the final outcome of multiple environmental and hereditary factors. Breathing secondhand smoke increases breast cancer risk by 70% in younger, primarily pre-menopausal women.
A newly released study indicates a correlation between the drop in breast cancer and the drop in women taking HRT.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Breast cancer elicits so many fears, including those relating to surgery, death, loss of body image and loss of sexuality, however it is more easily treated and often curable if it is found early, therefore regular self examination and screening is essential. Breast cancer usually shows as a lump or thickening in the breast tissue, although most breast lumps are not cancerous.

Certain predisposing factors are clear.

Women at high risk are those who:

Have a family history of breast cancer.
Have long menstrual cycles, began menses early or menopause late.
Have never been pregnant
Were first pregnant after age 31.
Have had unilateral breast cancer.
Have endometrial or Ovarian cancer.
Were exposed to low level ionizing radiation.

Many other possible factors are still under investigation including, obesity, alcohol and environmental factors.

Those with lower risk include women who:

Were pregnant before age 20.
Have had multiple pregnancies.
Are native American or Asian.

Breast cancer occurs more often in the left breast and in the upper quadrant.
Indications of breast cancer other than a lump may include changes in breast size or shape, skin dimpling, nipple inversion, or spontaneous single-nipple discharge.

TYPES
When breast cancer cells invade the dermal lymphatics, small lymph vessels in the skin of the breast, its presentation can resemble skin inflammation and thus is known as inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include pain, swelling, warmth and redness throughout the breast, as well as an orange peel texture to the skin referred to as peau d’orange.

The most common pathologic types of breast cancer are invasive ductal carcinoma, malignant cancer in the breast’s ducts, and invasive lobular carcinoma, malignant cancer in the breast’s lobules.
Occasionally, breast cancer presents as metastatic disease, that is, cancer that has spread beyond the original organ. Bone or joint pains can sometimes be manifestations of metastatic breast cancer, as can jaundice or neurological symptoms.

TREATMENT
Much controversy still exists over treatment of breast cancer, options include; Surgery , chemotherapy, Radiotherapy,Hormonal therapies,Herceptin and complementary treatments.

The mainstay of breast cancer treatment is surgery when the tumor is localized, with possible adjuvant hormonal therapy (with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor), chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy.

In February 2007, the MammaPrint test became the first breast cancer predictor to win formal approval from the Food and Drug Administration. This is a new gene test to help predict whether women with early-stage breast cancer will relapse in 5 or 10 years, this could help influence how aggressively the initial tumor is treated.

Interstitial laser thermotherapy (ILT) is an innovative method of treating breast cancer in a minimally invasive manner and without the need for surgical removal, and with the absence of any adverse effect on the health and survival of the patient during intermediate followup.

PREVENTION
Routine (annual) mammography of women older than age 40 or 50 is recommended by numerous organizations as a screening method to diagnose early breast cancer and has demonstrated a protective effect in multiple clinical trials.

Women with one or more first-degree relatives (mother, sister, daughter) with premenopausal breast cancer should begin screening at an earlier age.

PROGNOSIS
There are many prognostic factors associated with breast cancer: staging, tumour size and location, grade, whether disease is systemic (has metastasized, or traveled to other parts of the body), recurrence of the disease, and age of patient.

With advances in screening, diagnosis, and treatment, the death rate for breast cancer has declined by about 20% over the past decade, and research is ongoing to develop even more effective screening and treatment programs.

By: Dick Aronson

About the Author:

[carpwp:amazon{breast cancer}][/carpwp]

A rare but very aggressive type of cancer is Inflammatory breast cancer. The mortality rate for it is higher than that for most other cancers. Contrary to its name, it doesn’t occur because of some inflammation; rather, inflammation is just a symptom in IBC. It is not confined to older women and can develop in very young women, too. Men are not totally protected from IBC, even though their risk is too low.

There are lymph vessels in the breasts. When a person develops IBC, the malignant cancerous cells block these vessels. IBC develops in women at a younger age, compared to other forms of breast cancer. Some studies also suggest that White people are less likely to develop this cancer than the African Americans, who are also said to be vulnerable at a younger age.

The progression of IBC is its most alarming feature. The time lapse between the first symptom appearing and the cancer reaching a very advanced stage may be leek than two weeks. This however, may be one of the reasons for early diagnosis of IBC, since the symptoms are very apparent early on due to the cancer’s fast advancement.

The unique characteristic of Inflammatory breast cancer is that no lump formation is associated with it. This characteristic makes it all the more dangerous, because mammography and ultrasound can not detect it, and it often goes undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed. Biopsy is the best method for diagnosing IBC.

Typical symptoms for it are extreme reddish to purple-ish, bruised appearance of the breasts, tenderness and immense swelling, which accounts for its inflamed appearance. The skin around the breasts may be rough and uneven, the nipples may get inverted, there might be persistent itching and heaviness accompanied with burning aching sensations. Usual symptoms like change in color and texture of areola and breasts are present, too. You might also have swellings under your arm and above and below your collarbone, which you should never ignore.

The most common misdiagnosis of this is mastitis. Mastitis is just a breast infection that shows the same symptoms like redness and swelling, as IBC. After a week or two of treatment for mastitis, your symptoms should start disappearing; otherwise, it’s not mastitis. Lymph vessels can get blocked because of other reasons than cancer, too, such as operations on the chest. This is not any type of cancer. The best way of making sure is getting a biopsy done.

Due to tremendous number of researches going into the field, Inflammatory breast cancer can be cured in almost fifty five out of every hundred IBC cases. What used to be a certain death two decades back is curable today! Today, the treatment for IBC is very extensive, although it gives a lot to hope for. Systemic therapies like chemotherapy and hormone treatments are backed up by surgeries like mastectomy and then by radiation therapy, to eliminate chances of a recurrence, and the treatment is done!

Yes, there is still a high mortality rate for Inflammatory breast cancer, but do not let that bring you down. You should keep in mind technology has bettered, and is still improving, and that there are people who love you. You will live as normally as you want to.

By: Roselyn Capen

About the Author:

[carpwp:amazon{breast cancer}][/carpwp]

UCtelevision asked:

Nine courageous, everyday women survive breast cancer only to discover that their health struggles continue after their cancer treatment ends. Sponsored by The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation [2/2009] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 13448]

Abby Corneto asked:


If one person in my family had breast cancer, am I more likely to get it? If, say, five people had it in my family, would I would be almost guaranteed to get it? A close friend recently was diagnosed, and it made me highly curious. I found out that my great grandmother had it – if anyone is educated in this topic, please let me know the risks.

There are many types of breast cancer and not all look the same way. Not all breast cancers show up as a lump. One type of breast cancer that does not typically present as a lump is Inflammatory Breast Cancer or IBC. IBC makes up only 1% to 6% of all breast cancers, so many people are not familiar with the disease.

IBC is the most aggressive type of breast cancer. It tends to grow at a much faster rate than the other types of cancer. IBC grows in sheets or nests of cells in the breast as opposed to growing in a solid tumor. IBC grows in the dermal (skin) lymphatic system which explains why there is usually no lump associated with it. The symptoms of IBC appear due to the cancer cells blocking the lymph vessels below the skin – typically presenting as warm skin and color changes. Because of the involvement of the lymphatic system, IBC carries an initial Stage 3 diagnosis, however, the earlier you detect the disease and begin treatment, the greater your chances of survival.

Symptoms of IBC include a rapid, unusual increase in breast size; nipple discharge or change in the areola area (the pigmented area around the nipple); any skin changes of the breast such as redness, rash or blotchiness; a flattening or retracting of the nipple; persistent itching of the breast or nipple; dimpling or ridging of the nipple; a lump or thickening of the breast tissue; any lymph node swelling under the arm or above the collar bone; stabbing pain or sore breast; and a feverish breast. These symptoms may appear quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. Mammograms and ultrasounds usually miss IBC unless there is a tumor involved.

IBC can be detected by a number of biopsy methods. A skin punch biopsy or needle core biopsy in combination with an MRI and/or a PET scan are usually the course of action when investigating suspicious symptoms. Any area of concern removed by biopsy must also include the tissue from below the skin surface. Another term used to refer to IBC in a pathology report is “dermal lymphatic involvement”.

Some doctors will treat women with an antibiotic for mastitis upon initial consultation. Mastitis is a benign breast infection. If your symptoms have not improved after 7-10 days of antibiotic treatment, insist on a biopsy. Some skin rashes can be caused by allergies or are reactions to certain soaps and/or detergents. Changing the soap or detergent you use can sometime resolve a skin rash, but if there is no improvement you should insist on a biopsy.

One myth of breast cancer is that is does not hurt. Most of the time breast pain comes from non-cancer causes, such as hormonal changes. With IBC there is pain involved more so than other types of breast cancer.

The treatment for IBC includes chemotherapy, modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and auxiliary lymph node dissection (ALND) and radiation. If the cancer is hormone receptive, a hormonal treatment like Tamoxifen is used.

As with all breast cancer symptoms, any indication of IBC should not be taken lightly. Chances are in your favor that it will be benign, but in the event that you do have IBC, early detection and treatment are key to your survival.

By: Michael Russell

About the Author:

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justbhappie asked:


I was wondering why different organizations had breast cancer walks. Also, how many different walks are there.