Hormone Driven Invasive Breast Cancer

Is there such thing as hormone driven invasive breast cancer?

At present, the number of breast cancer patients have drastically reduced in the US and some experts say that this was due to the reduction of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use.

In the United States, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is quite popular. HRT and mammography are chosen by the individuals themselves and certain factors influence the choice they make.

In some countries, mammogram is administered in state levels and it is already considered a routine activity especially among women aged 40 years and older. Women who take HRTs also get their medicines through prescriptions.

The relationship between HRT and breast cancer is still not yet established. The evident reason behind it is probably the lack of worldwide coverage. The data collected are often limited in some states or countries only. Other countries don’t gather info as to the number of HRT prescriptions and breast cancer patients.

In the US, there was a considerable drop of breast cancer patients. Many women (and men) are now aware of breast cancer and so they undergo mammography every month. Some of them also made lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. Physical exercise also plays a very important role in maintaining a healthy body and since many individuals are now more concerned about their body’s health, the incident of cancer also decreased. Estrogen metabolism is also affected by exercise. Some say that endogenous estrogens influence the breast cancer receptors. HRT provides exogenous estrogens and not endogenous estrogens. Indeed, further studies should be conducted in establishing the relationship of breast cancer and HRT.

Perhaps some of the studies were only able to show that HRT increases the density of the breast and it also reduces mammography’s sensitivity. Since a large percentage of the population is now undergoing mammography, there will be fewer people who will utilize HRT. Breast cancer patients will definitely decrease because the disease is detected early through mammography. Some breast cancer cases are even identified before they cross any clinical threshold.

Still, hormone replacement has something to do with the increased risk of developing breast cancer. In fact, HRT is already included in the list of the possible causes of breast cancer. But if today’s medical experts want to prove the exact relationship of the reduction of HRT prescriptions and breast cancer patients, they will need to gather more pertinent data.

For now, people should make the necessary lifestyle changes since cancer has a lot to do with nutrition and lifestyle. By maintaining an active and healthy body, cancer can be prevented. There is also increased awareness about breast cancer these days because of the joint efforts of cancer survivors. More and more people are able to prevent the development of the diseases through early detection and by gradually introducing lifestyle changes.

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Breast Cancer, Effective Treatments That Cure

Breast cancer, one of the most feared diseases that most women are terrified of. From all the media attention it receives today one would think that progress is being made in finding a cure, but unfortunately the opposite is true as the breast cancer rates are still climbing.

The main reason why it’s still increasing is that we don’t have prevention when all the causes of breast cancer are now well known.  Also the reason why we don’t have a cure for it is because the treatments today are very profitable even though they are not very effective.

Today’s treatments focus on the cancer growths which does not actually do anything to help the patient regain the level of health they need to keep the cancer from coming back again. It is much more important to focus on the prime reason why the cancer first grew, that is, what caused it to grow in the first place and address those facts.

The well known slogan which tells woman that early detection will lead to a cure is a myth! Early detection is beneficial only to the breast cancer industry through their statistics. If they can detect breast cancer early, the meter that measures the 5 year survival cycle starts running earlier and the earlier it is detected, the better the chance of passing that critical 5 years period. Also early detection slogans helps recruit woman into the breast cancer industry.

The causes of breast cancer have been well known for many years and there is a cure for the disease. It is very simple, remove all the known factors that have caused it and with the amazing self healing powers of the human body, which we all have, it will remove the cancer naturally and permanently and without any side effects.

What our medical system is doing is looking for complex answers to a simple problem. Breast cancer does not need aggressive toxic treatments that can damage the body. To cure breast cancer one only needs to respect the laws of Mother Nature by living as we are supposed to and especially eating the foods we have been designed to eat and they are freshly grown fruit and vegetables.

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Genetic Risk Factors In Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States.  In 2008, approximately 184,450 patients were estimated to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and an estimated 40,930 were estimated to die of this disease.   Furthermore, over 50,000 female carcinoma in situ breast cases would have been diagnosed.  The etiology of breast cancer is poorly understood with multiple genetic and environmental factors involved in the initiation and progression of cancer. 

Scandinavian Twin Study:  For years, there has been a hot debate as to whether the cause of breast cancer is genetic or environmental.  Then in 2000, Lichtenstein and his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden published their study of 44,788 pairs of twins from the Swedish, Danish, and Finnish twin registries.  In this study, they looked at cancer risk with 28 different types of cancers and did statistical modeling of genetic and hereditary contributions in eleven different cancer types.  For breast cancer, they clearly showed that only 27% of breast cancers were due to genetic factors.  This was an even lower hereditary component than other common cancers such as prostate and colorectal.  This study and others have confirmed the fact that over 70% of breast cancers are influenced by environmental factors.

BRCA genes:  Although much attention has been made about hereditary breast cancer, only two genes are commonly tested for breast cancer risk assessment.  These two genes are tumor suppressor genes named “BRCA1″ and “BRCA2″ that are involved with DNA repair.  These two genes only account for about 5% of all breast cancers.  Because of the Scandinavian twin study, most experts believed that there are other yet to be discovered genes involved with breast cancer.  Because the chance of having a BRCA mutation in the general population is so low, genetic testing is not indicated in most patients.  However, if a patient has a family history of breast cancer, then a mathematical model can be used to determine if BRCA testing is indicated.  The likelihood of being a BRCA carrier increases with the number of relatives who had cancer and if the cancers occurred earlier in life.  For example, in families with four or more cases of breast or ovarian cancer under the age of 60, over 80% are found to have a damaged version of BRCA1 or BRCA2.  If a patient is a carrier of one or both of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, her risk of breast cancer dramatically increases.  According to estimates of lifetime risk, about 13.2% (132 out of 1,000 individuals) of women in the general population will develop breast cancer, compared with estimates of 36-85% (360-850 out of 1,000) of women with an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.  In other words, women with an altered BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 gene are up to eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than women without alterations in those genes.  The BRCA1 mutation confers a higher risk than a BRCA2 mutation.  Women who inherit a damaged BRCA1 gene have a 60-85% chance of developing breast cancer at some stage in their lives and a 20-40% chance of developing ovarian cancer.  For BRCA2, the risks are 40-60% and 10-20%, respectively.  

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Is Breast Cancer Genetic?

While a tremendous amount of research has been done on the causes of breast cancer, an exact breakdown by percentages or some such measure is still not completely accurate. Hormone levels and those levels related to age are factors. Diet and heredity are also among the most important indicators of breast cancer probability.

The hormones in question are estrogen and progesterone. Any levels significantly different from the average of the females at the age the woman is, represents an increase in probability of getting breast cancer. This includes age factors for the beginning age of menstruation as well as the ending age. If a girl begins menstruation at an early age, or a woman past middle age has not reached menopause, cancer risk increases.

Because of this connection, hormone therapy after menopause is not always a recommended practice – especially if there are is a family history with links to breast cancer.

The dietary aspect is also under scrutiny, but all indicators are that obesity and/or a diet that is high in percentage of calories consumed as fat are both positively linked to higher breast cancer probability. There are also indications that excessive alcohol usage is a prominent factor.

Whether breast cancer is genetic is really two questions. One is whether family genetics are a major factor, and the other is the genetic cause of recurrence in the actual patient. Concerning the latter, a woman who previously had breast cancer that was successfully removed still has a very significantly higher risk of getting it again. An operationally removed tumor in early stages represents the best chance of reducing future risk. Chemotherapy and radiation are not as effective, since the cancerous stem cells are never destroyed. Stem cells are the special cells that do the multiplying and replacement of old cells. So if cancerous stem cells, even in small quantities are still present, their genetic code will be replicated in some of the cells with which the body replaces old cells.

Family genetic factors are definitely involved, although most researchers believe that genetic inheritance is not the primary cause of cancer. It’s a matter of risk, but a small enough percentage of the population carries the faulty gene code that causes the disease. It is now believed that about 5 to 10% of breast cancers are caused by inherited genetic mutations. There is definitely an increased risk for an individual whose mother or sister has gotten breast cancer, especially if this has occurred at an early age (before menopause).

Researches have identified two particular genes that are direct causes of breast cancer. Also, the presence of oncogenes (a general cancer causing mutation) can result in the development of breast cancer, as well as every other form of cancer that can afflict us.

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Facts You Need to Know About Breast Cancer

 

When someone is first diagnosed with breast cancer they are in a state of shock and denial and will automatically turn to the health provider they trust the most to help them overcome their problem. We have been programmed to think that when we get cancer we should go straight to our doctor as he has the best treatments for us, but what one needs mainly are facts on the subject and some common sense so one can make an informed decision based on knowledge.

 

Here are some well known facts about breast cancer so you can make that decision as to what are the best treatment options for you so you can be sure that your choice will lead to a cure.

 

The highest rates of breast cancer are in all the developed countries whereas there is very little in undeveloped countries so it’s not hard to find a reason why it’s occurring.

Nobody has ever died of primary breast cancer, it’s metastasise cancer, cancer which has shifted, that kill.

By the time breast cancer is detected, whether by self examination or mammography, it is well established.

90 percent of breast cancers are found by the women themselves.

The introduction of breast screening hasn’t reduced the breast cancer mortality rate.

Mammograms are unreliable with 20 to 30 percent being false positives and false negatives.

There is no safe level of radiation as is used in mammograms, the effects are cumulative.

Breast cancer awareness month in October has done nothing to bring the cancer rate down, facts that we are all aware of. It has also been called breast cancer recruitment month.

Breast cancer is classed in stages, 1 to 4. (4 being the worst)

Removing the cancerous lump in the breast, whether by surgery, radiation or chemotherapy only addresses the problem, not the cause of the problem. (That’s why the cancer returns)

Radical mastectomies do not address why the cancer grew in the first place.

DCIS which is Ductal Carcinoma in Situ is a very mild form of breast cancer; and is classed as stage 0. It is 95% curable.

 The drug tamoxifen has demonstrated its ability to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer but a fact that is well know is that it can promote aggressive liver and uterine cancer.

Herceptin has been heralded as a miracle drug for the breast cancer but has been described by the well know cancer expert Dr Ralph W Moss as practically worthless. (Check out his website)

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Breast Cancer – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) growth that begins in the tissues of the breast. Over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer of the breast tissue, which can occur in both women and men. Breast cancer may be one of the oldest known forms of cancer tumors in humans.Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer). Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. Today, breast cancer, like other forms of cancer, is considered to be a result of damage to DNA. How this mechanism may occur comes from several known or hypothesized factors (such as exposure to ionizing radiation, or viral mutagenesis). Some factors lead to an increased rate of mutation (exposure to estrogens) and decreased repair (the BRCA1, BRCA2 and p53) genes. Alcohol generally appears to increase the risk of breast cancer.

Breast cancer can also occur in men, although it rarely does. Experts predict 178,000 women and 2,000 men will develop breast cancer in the United States. There are several different types of breast cancer. First is Ductal carcinoma begins in the cells lining the ducts that bring milk to the nipple and accounts for more than 75% of breast cancers. Second is Lobular carcinoma begins in the milk-secreting glands of the breast but is otherwise fairly similar in its behavior to ductal carcinoma. Other varieties of breast cancer can arise from the skin, fat, connective tissues, and other cells present in the breast. Some women have what is known as HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2, short for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2, is a gene that helps control cell growth, division, and repair. When cells have too many copies of this gene, cell growth speeds up.

Causes of Breast Cancer

Simply being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer. While men can also get the disease, it is about 100 times more common in women than in men. The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Nearly 8 out of 10 breast cancers are found in women age 50 or older. About 5% to 10% of breast cancers are linked to changes (mutations) in certain genes. The most common gene changes are those of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease. The relatives can be from either the mother’s or father’s side of the family. Woman with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is different from the first cancer coming back Many experts now believe that the main reason for this is because they have faster growing tumors. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer. Certain types of abnormal biopsy results can be linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.Women who have had radiation treatment to the chest area (as treatment for another cancer) earlier in life have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer

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Green Tea Extract And Other Nutritional Supplements To Combat Breast Cancer

Most likely, there is nothing more frightening for a woman than the discovery of a lump in her breast. Her mind is quickly flooded with cancer and all of its consequences. Most women have a friend, a sister, or a coworker who has been diagnosed with the disease and know how difficult dealing with it can be. Fortunately, 80% of all breast lumps are not cancer, as most are cysts or a benign clump of tissue. From puberty on, a woman’s breasts undergo many changes. Because of these continual changes, breast tissue requires adequate nutrition. Although everyone benefits from a healthy diet, there are additional nutrients which can specifically benefit women including B vitamins, calcium D-glucarate, broccoli extract, green tea extract, maitake mushrooms, and iodine.

Because scientists can learn a lot about diseases from simply observing it, they have learned that certain cultures have a very low incidence of breast cancer, among these being China and Japan. As compared to women in America, Canada, and parts of Europe, the Asian cultures have a much lower breast cancer rate and it seems likely that something in their diet could be protecting these women from the disease because as Asian women adopt a western diet their breast cancer rates climb. It has also been recognized that certain types of vegetables play a large role in the prevention of all types of disease, including cancer. Based on this, scientists have carried out many studies to determine what it is about these nutrients that can prevent breast cancer.

Deficiencies in vitamin B12 can result in a serious type of anemia, as well as nerve damage, and is now being researched to see if these deficiencies can also, in part, cause breast cancer. A scientific study proved that women who had the lowest levels of B12 in their blood had the highest rates of breast cancer. Another study discovered that when B12 was applied directly to cancer cells, it actually stopped cancer cells from growing. The researchers conducting this experiment believe that giving B12 to women with breast cancer as a part of a chemotherapy regime might help to keep cancer in check.

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Breast Cancer: Keeping Abreast

A tiny suspicious lump tucked somewhere in the underarm or anywhere near the breasts, a mammography test and a U.S.G. of the breasts are probably the few first indicators of breast cancer. This is by far one of the most common diseases amongst women anywhere between 20- 40 years of age and certainly does not spell disaster if diagnosed at a proper stage and is dealt with courage and patience.

What is Breast Cancer?
When cells in the breast multiply uncontrollably thereby invading the nearby tissues or tissues in the other parts of the body, it gives rise to breast cancer. The tumors that are a result of this rapid multiplication of cells may or may not be cancerous. Those tumors that are a harmless lump are termed as Benign While the ones that may pose threat to a human body are called malignant.

Are Women the only victims to this disease?
The straightforward answer to this question would be a No. Women are not the only targets and men too can fall prey to this disease. However the proportions might vary greatly. Hardly 1% or 2% of men are known to be suffering from breast cancer.

What causes breast cancer?
Though there are no proven causes for breast cancer yet medical experts often blame it upon excess smoking, high intake of alcohol, over-weight, and exposure to radiation. This is also a heredity disease and may often be inherited from a close relative down the blood- line.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer- Well, according to me the fear of this ghastly disease is worse than the disease itself. Though there are many ways of dealing with it yet most patients suffering from breast cancer are devoured by their own paranoia and inhibitions. So the best way to conquer this is to take the bull by its horns. Agreed, no way is it going to be an easy task. But you can at least make an attempt at it.

Post surgery depression is inevitable so start by adopting all the positive survival strategies around you. Do not ostracize yourself from the society and be a loner who basks in his past glories. Instead make the most of social events. Try and be with friends and loved ones who are sure to generate optimism around you. Get hold of all the reading material that will help you to lead a much happier and healthier life. Always think that those dark days are over and that once the surgery is done this disease wont pop up its ugly head again. After all lightening never strikes the same place twice!

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Breast Cancer Clothing

Among the most important clothing that you need to give proper attention is your undergarments. Some women wear tightly fitting brassieres. Tight bras can affect or impair the lymphatic flow. It is therefore very important to pay attention to what you wear and to prevent breast cancer you must wear those that they call breast cancer clothing.

It’s also not good to wear bras twenty four hours a day especially the tight ones. If you do this, you will be 125% more prone to breast cancer. The risk level increases when you have a history of the disease in your family. One out of seven breast cancer patients acquired the disease because they wore bras for over 12 hours each day. But if you rarely wear a bra, your chance of developing the disease is very low.

The lymphatic system is responsible for flushing out toxins and wastes. By wearing tight clothes, the function of the system is impaired. If the toxins are not flushed out, it can turn into carcinogenic compounds.

For women who are not comfortable without their bras, they can choose sports bra instead. Under-wired brassieres are a big ‘no’ and so you must wear yoga tops or support camisole as a substitute.

To improve the circulation of the lymphatic system, your breasts should be able to move with ease. To cleanse your breast from toxins, you can undergo a massage, body brushing, re-bounder, or exercise. Cellular metabolism produces toxins and there is a need to eliminate the toxins regularly.

If you can’t stand wearing loose clothes, try to wear just the right size. That way, you can still wear the clothes you like but this time, the clothing is no longer too tight. Aside from breast cancer, you might also develop other health problems since the lymphatic system is not working properly. There are still other causes of breast cancer and the undergarment is just one of them.

Since the brassiere is the primary clothing you wear over your breasts, you must ensure that you’re wearing the right sized bras. If you don’t know how to determine your bust size, you can ask the help of sales personnel in the undergarments area. They know how to measure the exact size of the bra. You can also measure your own bra size by following the instructions in some info resources online.

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Identifying the Signs of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths.

Every woman’s breasts are different so it is important for each individual woman to be familiar with her breasts in order to recognize any peculiarities.

Unfortunately, the early stages of breast cancer may not have any symptoms. This is why it is important to follow screening recommendations. As a tumor grows in size, it can produce a variety of symptoms including:

* lump or thickening in the breast or underarm * change in size or shape of the breast * nipple discharge or nipple turning inward * redness or scaling of the skin or nipple * ridges or pitting of the breast skin

If you experience these symptoms, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have breast cancer, but you need to be examined by a doctor.

Breast cancer is very rare before age 20 and is rarely diagnosed in women younger than age 25. Past that age, the incidence rises steadily to reach a peak around the age of menopause. The rate of increase is lessened after menopause, but older women are still at increasing risk over time.

Although a specific cause for breast cancer has not been identified, there are risk factors that increase the likelihood that a woman will develop a breast cancer. These risks include:

* Maternal relative with breast cancer. * Women who start their menstruation early and/or go into early menopause, increasing the length of reproductive years, are at greater risk. * Obesity. Women who are overweight are at increased risk * Women who have never had children are at greater risk. * Women who had their first child over age 30 are at greater risk. * Previous breast cancer. * Previous endometrial cancer.

Aside from the genetic predisposition, the common factor in many of these risks is increased endogenous estrogen exposure over a long time.

It is recommended that women over 35 check their breasts monthly. However, it is also important that all women do regular breast checks. Your doctor can show you how to effectively check your breasts. Any lump, regardless of size, should be reported to your doctor. Many of these lumps are simply fatty lumps or cysts but it is far better to be safe than sorry.

Catching breast cancer early makes a big difference in the type of treatment needed as well as the overall prognosis.

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