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Breast Cancer

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it’s far more common in women.

New York  by Ed Hosseinipour, Senior Clinical Pharmacist  Substantial support for breast cancer awareness and research funding has helped created advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Breast cancer survival rates have increased, and the number of deaths associated with this disease is steadily declining, largely due to factors such as earlier detection, a new personalized approach to treatment and a better understanding of the disease.

Symptoms.  Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

  • A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
  • Change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast
  • Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
  • A newly inverted nipple
  • Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin
  • Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange

Causes  Breast cancer occurs when some breast cells begin to grow abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass. Cells may spread (metastasize) through your breast to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body.

  • Breast cancer most often begins with cells in the milk-producing ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma). Breast cancer may also begin in the glandular tissue called lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or in other cells or tissue within the breast.
  • Researchers have identified hormonal, lifestyle and environmental factors that may increase your risk of breast cancer. But it’s not clear why some people who have no risk factors develop cancer, yet other people with risk factors never do. It’s likely that breast cancer is caused by a complex interaction of your genetic makeup and your environment.

Diagnosis. A doctor often diagnoses breast cancer as the result of routine screening or when a woman approaches her doctor after detecting symptoms  .Diagnosis also involves staging the cancer to establish the size of a tumor, how far it has spread, and whether it is invasive or noninvasive

Breast exam: The doctor will check the breasts for lumps and other symptoms. During the examination, the person may need to sit or stand with their arms in different positions, such as above their head or by their sides.

Imaging tests: Several tests can help detect breast cancer.

Mammogram: This is a type of X-ray that doctors commonly use during an initial breast cancer screening. It produces images that can help a doctor detect any lumps or abnormalities.

A doctor will usually follow any suspicious results with further testing. However, mammography sometimes shows a suspicious area that turns out not to be cancer.

Ultrasound: This scan uses sound waves to help a doctor differentiate between a solid mass and a fluid-filled cyst.

MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) combines different images of the breast to help a doctor identify cancer or other abnormalities. A doctor may recommend an MRI as a follow-up to a mammogram or ultrasound.

Biopsy: In a biopsy, the doctor extracts a sample of tissue and sends it for laboratory analysis. This shows whether the cells are cancerous. If they are, a biopsy indicates which type of cancer has developed, including whether or not the cancer is hormone sensitive.

Risk factors . A breast cancer risk factor is anything that makes it more likely you’ll get breast cancer. But having one or even several breast cancer risk factors doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll develop breast cancer. Being female. Increasing age. A personal and Family history of breast conditions. Radiation exposure. Obesity, and Drinking Alcohol Beginning your period at a younger age. Beginning menopause at an older age. Having your first child at an older age. Having never been pregnant. Postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Treatment . The main treatment options include:

-Surgery: If surgery is necessary, the type will depend on both the diagnosis and individual preference. Types of surgery include:

    – Lumpectomy: This involves removing the tumor and a small amount of healthy tissue around it. A lumpectomy can help prevent the spread of the cancer. This may be an option if the tumor is small and easy to separate from its surrounding tissue.

    – Mastectomy: A simple mastectomy involves removing the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue, nipple, areola, and some skin. In some types, a surgeon will also remove the lymph nodes and muscle in the chest wall.

    – Reconstruction: Following mastectomy, a surgeon can reconstruct the breast to look more natural. This can help a person cope with the psychological effects of breast removal.

Chemotherapy: A doctor may prescribe cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells if there is a high risk of recurrence or spread. When a person has chemotherapy after surgery, doctors call it adjuvant chemotherapy.

Radiation: Radiation involves targeting the tumor with controlled doses of radiation that kill any remaining cancer cells.

Hormone blocking therapy: Hormone therapy may be used to treat estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and progesterone receptor (PR)-positive cancers. Doctors may recommend a person has hormone therapy for 5–10 years after surgery.

Biological Medications: Targeted drugs can destroy specific types of breast cancer. Examples include .trastuzumab (Herceptin), lapatinib (Tykerb), bevacizumab (Avastin)

Baron Specialty Pharmacy handles Specialty Medications such as biologicals for Breast cancer treatment. For More information about treatments for breast and  other disease states , feel free to contact our trained clinical pharmacists for a free educational consultation.[ENG]