Posts Tagged ‘Breast Cancer’

What is breast cancer? How to do breast self examination?

Cancer starts when the cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. The growth of a cancer cell is different from normal cell growth. Cancer cells do not die but they continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells. They can harm other tissues also. The normal cells become cancer cells when there is a damage to DNA. Most cases, cancer cells can become tumor. Some cancers, like leukemia, rarely form tumors.Cancer cells spread to other parts also. It does not matter where does cancer spread, they are always named from where it started. Not all tumors are cancers.

A simple Breast Self Examination (BSE) can be done to detect any chances of breast problems like lumps or change in appearance. The breast self examination should be done about a week after your periods end. Breast self-exam should be performed on the same day each month.

Breast self examination involves the following steps :
- Use left hand for right breast and right hand for left breast.
- Remove all your clothes and stand in front of mirror.
- Observe the size, shape, color, symmetry and texture of your breasts.
- Observe for any kind of discharge or puckering of the nipple.
- Observe for sores or scaly skin.
- Examine the breasts in four different postures.
- First, both arms folded down.
- Second, both arms over the head and check for any swelling or puckering of the skin.
- Third, both arms on your hips and press firmly to flex your chest muscles.
- Fourth, bent forward to examine each breast for change in outline or dimpling of the skin.
- Lie down, check the entire right breast area with your left hand. Make small circles and follow an up and down pattern with light, medium and firm pressure over the area of the breast.
- Feel the breast surface with second, third and fourth fingers of the hand making circular motions.
- Also, squeeze the nipple for any kind of discharge.
- Repeat the same steps with left breast but with right hand.
- During shower, examine the breast tissue in the underarms.
- Feel for lumps under and along the top of the collar bone.

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Research: Eating Broccoli can help in the fight against breast cancer due to the effect on stem cells

The fight against breast cancer is a tough one. Breast cancer affects a sizable number of women, and the risk factors depend on genetics and also on age (to the extent that after a certain age, getting a breast cancer check done is recommended). One of the most significant areas of research is in trying to find chemicals and molecules, both natural and artificial, that help in reducing the risk of developing breast cancer, or in treating the breast cancer to some degree. A lot of naturally occurring plants and herbs are also examined to see whether they have a chance in the fight against cancer, especially breast cancer. In research, a compound found in broccoli has been found to target cancer stem cells (link to article):

A broccoli compound may help prevent or treat breast cancer by targeting cancer stem cells, according to a new study. Stem cells are the small number of cells that fuel a tumour’s growth. The study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center tested sulforaphane, a component of broccoli and broccoli sprouts, in both mice and cell cultures.
Researchers found sulforaphane targeted and killed the cancer stem cells and prevented new tumours from growing.

Research: A simple blood test capable of detecting breast cancer in woman

Breast cancer is a very dangerous form of cancer for woman, affecting a large number of them over the globe. There are multiple projects going to do early detection, along with finding out the risk factors that increase the chances of the breast cancer happening in some woman much more than others. For example, as woman reach middle age and become older, recommendations include checking for breast cancer on a regular basis. There is an effort to try and detect breast cancers when they are much smaller, so that the chance of a successful treatment that will happen much quicker and be less prolonged gets increased. Right now, existing tests are through checking for lumps (can be through a self-examination) or through a mammogram. Well, research is indicating that a simpler blood test that checks for certain chemicals in the blood may also be a much faster alternative (link to article):

Normal breast screening checks, using Xray mammograms, detect a tumour only once it is three or four times bigger, by which time it may have started to spread beyond breast. But, this test can pick up a cancer the size of a small seed before a woman has developed any symptoms. Developed by the scientists, led by Norwegian company Diagenic ASA, the test looks for raised levels of chemical “markers” for cancer picked up as blood flows through tumour, the ‘Sunday Express’ reported.
Dr James Mackay, an oncologist and researcher at University College London, is helping to launch the blood test for private patients. “This test will be particularly useful for younger women who are at risk of developing breast cancer. “They tend to have denser breasts which mammograms cannot easily penetrate. We are suggesting they have a mammogram and combine it with this test so that there is a greater chance of detection,” he said.