BREAST CANCER THREAD... text version Let’s define something terms #MedThreadsByLara
First of, what is cancer? Cancer is the growth of abnormal cells. The body is made up of cells which form tissues & your tissues form your organs & the organs form organ systems. #pinktober

Cancerous cells can invade and damage normal tissue. It is important to make the distinction between tumours & cancer. Cancer is a type of tumour which is MALIGNANT which means it has the ability to invade into nearby tissues and spread to organs far from the origin of the cancer

This is called metastasis. So if you have lung cancer and it spreads to your brain, we say you have brain metastases. The other type of tumours we have are BENIGN tumours meaning they can’t spread to faraway tissues or invade nearby tissues #pinktober #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth

RISK FACTORS are the things that predispose you to or increase your chances of getting a particular disease. They are NOT causes of the said disease. Smoking for instance is a common risk factor for cancer but someone may smoke all their lives & not get it, and a non-smoker will.

Now to Breast cancer- it can start in any part of the breast.
There are many risk factors which include
-gender
-age
-genes
-family history
-personal history of breast ca
-race
-early menstruation/late menopause
-nulliparity or having children later in life
-not breastfeeding

Risk factors continued
-Obesity
-Smoking
-Alcohol use
-Hormonal therapy or recent contraceptive use
-previous chest radiation

Question time just tap an answer don’t peep
Men can get breast cancer.

For some of the risk factors, you cannot do anything about it. You can’t change your gender or race or your family history and you can’t turn back the hands of time to reduce your age in short

Gender- females have a higher risk of getting breast ca than males although, yes, males do get breast ca.
Age-The older you are, the higher your risk.
Genes-If you have certain genes eg BRCA1, BRCA 2 gene mutations you have a higher risk. #pinktober #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth

Family hx- If your first degree relatives eg mother, sister, daughter have a history of breast ca, your chances are higher
Personal hx- if you’ve had breast ca before, there is a likelihood of getting it in the other breast or in the same breast if it wasn’t surgically removed

Race- Whites are at higher risk but blacks are more likely to develop aggressive forms of breast ca that lead to death
Early age at menstruation, late menopause, increase risk.
Nulliparity ie not having children or having your 1st child after 30 increases risk

Not breastfeeding increases your risk.
Obesity, excessive alcohol use, smoking and physical inactivity increase your risk.
For use of hormonal therapy and hormonal contraceptives eg pills they increase your risk but when you stop for some time, the risk decreases.

I hope I’ve not lost you. Are you there?

MISCONCEPTIONS- there are certain myths that people attribute to getting breast ca but there has been no substantial evidence from research studies and these include:
-Use of deodorant/ antiperspirant
-wearing bras for long periods
-inducing abortions
-having breast implants

SYMPTOMS
- breast lump: this is when you can feel a mass or lump in your breast that was not there previously. However not all breast lumps are cancerous, some are benign.
- pain in the armpits or breast unrelated to menses
-changes in the skin overlying the breast. See images

-nipple changes: when the nipple changes direction from normal or it becomes inverted (pulled in) or destroyed
-nipple discharge: clear or bloody discharge is suspect
-swelling in the armpit
-change in size or shape of the breast
-area of thickened tissue in the breast

SCREENING- these are tests done to detect diseases before symptoms occur. The screening methods for breast ca include
- breast examination done by a health professional or by yourself
-mammogram: this is an X-ray of the breast
-breast MRI: not usually done in Africa

DIAGNOSIS- if an individual is already presenting with symptoms, tests are done to determine if it is indeed breast ca.
-mammogram or breast ultrasound is done after you’re examined by a Dr or nurse. The ultrasound is used for those less than 35yrs in addition to the mammogram

-BIOPSY: If there is evidence of a breast mass, a biopsy is taken to determine if it is cancerous or benign & if it’s cancer the exact type which guides treatment options available. Other tests are done if it’s cancer to detect if it has spread to other organs. This is called

TREATMENT- options include
-Surgery: the whole breast or a part may be removed depending on the stage of cancer & the size of the lump & number of lumps
-chemotherapy: the combination of drugs given either in intravenous form (drip) or as tablets depends on the type of cancer

-Radiation therapy: this is the use of radiation to kill cancer cells
-Hormonal therapy: for specific types of breast ca
You may need all or a combination of 2 or 3 or only 1 of the treatment options above, depends on the size & type of breast ca & whether it has metastasized.

PREVENTION- from the risk factors, there are a few things you can do to limit your chances of getting breast ca.
-Be physically active
-limit alcohol intake
-stop smoking
-But the best prevention is EARLY DETECTION so screening is your best bet!

In your early 20s, start self breast examination monthly. This will help u know how your normal breasts feel like so you can detect changes if they happen later on. The best time is the week after your menses ends.
Stand in front of a mirror & inspect & feel both breasts. Video

For women 20-39, clinical breast examination by a health professional should be done every 3yrs.
For women over 40, yearly clinical examination by a health worker is recommended with mammogram every 2yrs.
Nb the screening plan may differ if you have gene mutations or family hx

The earlier a diagnosis is made, the better the chance of a cure. The best prevention is EARLY DETECTION. Once other tissues are invaded or there’s metastasis, chances of a cure reduce.
Questions are welcome, and refer to my voice thread which will be up later for more details