All About Breast

Physiology

A woman’s breasts are rarely balanced (symmetrical). Usually, one breast is slightly larger or smaller, higher or lower, or shaped differently than the other. The nipple can be flat, round, or cylindrical in shape. The color of the nipple is determined by the thinness and pigmentation of its skin. Read More →

Anatomy

Each breast has 15 to 20 sections, called lobes, each with many smaller lobules. The lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can produce milk. Lobes, lobules and bulbs are all linked by thin tubes called ducts. These ducts lead to the nipple, which is centered in a dark area of breast skin called the areola. The areola also has oil-producing glands that secrete a lubricant to make breastfeeding easier. The spaces between the lobules and ducts are filled with fat. There are no muscles in the breast, but muscles lie under each breast and cover the ribs Read More →

Breastfeeding

For hundreds of thousands of years, humans, like all other mammals, fed their young milk. Before the twentieth century, alternatives to breastfeeding were rare. Attempts in 15th century Europe to use cow or goat milk were not very positive. In the 18th century, flour or cereal mixed with broth was introduced as substitutes for breastfeeding, but this did not have a favorable outcome, either. True commercial infant formulas appeared on the market in the mid 19th Century but their use did not become widespread until after WWII. Read More →

Diseases of Breast

Don’t panic, when your find a lump or discharge on your breast self exam (BSE), chances are it is harmless, the breast tissue changes with the release of hormones during the menstrual cycle and lumps can come and go. If at any stage a lump is found, do not try and squeeze it or interfere with it in any way. Consult with your doctor or health care providerwho will carry out a professional examination and make a referral to a specialist if necessary who will probably want to perform more detailed tests. Read More →

Treatment of Breast Cancer: Part 3

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Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing. Hormones are substances produced by glands in the body and circulated in the bloodstream. Some hormones can cause certain cancers to grow. If tests show that the cancer cells have places where hormones can attach (receptors), drugs, surgery, or radiation therapy are used to reduce the production of hormones or block them from working. The hormone estrogen, which makes some breast cancers grow, is made mainly by the ovaries. Treatment to stop the ovaries from making estrogen is called ovarian ablation.

Clinical trials for newer treatment
Below are the some new types of treatment that are being tested in clinical trials. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy followed by surgery
High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant
Monoclonal antibodies as adjuvant therapy
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors as adjuvant therapy

Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. For the new treatment or want to take part in clinical trials, consult with your health care provider.

Treatment of Breast Cancer : Part II Radiation Therapy

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Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing.Radiations often used to destroy any remaining breast cancer cells in the breast, chest wall, or axilla (underarm) area after surgery. Occasionally, radiation therapy is used before surgery to shrink the size of a tumor. Radiation therapy may occasionally be recommended for women to destroy remaining cancer cells after mastectomy (surgical removal of the affected breast) or to shrink tumors in patients with advanced breast cancer.
There are two types of radiation therapy.

External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer.The procedure itself is pain-free. As part of treatment after breast surgery, patients are typically treated with radiation five times per week for at least six weeks in an outpatient clinical setting. Each treatment generally lasts a few minutes; the entire radiation session after machine set-up typically lasts 15 to 30 minutes.Side effects of external beam therapy vary among patients.Temporary side effects of radiation therapy are
* Fatigue
* Neutropenia (reduction in white blood cells)
* Breast swelling or tenderness
* Feeling of heaviness in the breast
* Sunburn-like appearance of the breast skin
* Loss of appetite

Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.Common side effects of internal radiation therapy include risk of infection and breast swelling.

Treatment of Breast Cancer : Part 1

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Many women with breast cancer want to take an active part in making decisions about their medical care. It is natural to want to learn all about your disease and treatment choices. Knowing more about breast cancer helps many women cope.Women with breast cancer have many treatment options. These include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and biological therapy. Depend upon the stage of the breast cancer and associate conditions; it will be single or combine therapy.

Surgery

The first line of therapy against breast cancer is the surgery. It may be

Lumpectomy is the removal of only the lump and a small portion of surrounding tissue.

Mastectomy is the removal of all of the breast tissue with or without the muscles under the breast.

Lumpectomy with lymph node removal is the removal of the tumor and small part of surrounding tissue, together with the axillary lymph node, when the biopsy shows that the breast cancer has spread outside the milk duct.

Mastectomy with lymph node removal is the removal of all breast tissue with the associated lymph nodes when biopsy result shows spreading of cancer outside the breast tissue.

Prophylactic mastectomy is preventive removal of the breast to lower the risk of breast cancer in high-risk people.

Prophylactic ovary removal is a preventive surgery that lowers the amount of estrogen which is produced from the ovaries and that stimulates the growth of cancer cells.

Breast reconstruction is the rebuilding of the breast shape after mastectomy and sometimes lumpectomy. Reconstruction can take place at the same time as cancer-removing surgery, or months to years later. The reconstructed breast may be made with the patient’s own (nonbreast) tissue or by using implants filled with saline or silicone gel.

Even if the surgeon removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to increase the chances of a cure, is called adjuvant therapy, that include radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy.

All About Breast

All information about female "Breast"