Janet Lane-Claypon orchestrated the first scientific study of breast cancer during the mid-1920s. Eighty years later, we still lack a full understanding of what exactly causes breast cancer. We do know that all cancers are caused by some kind of damage to the DNA. Exposure to radiation, estrogen hormones, diet, and geography are all elements that could contribute to the mutation of DNA, leading to several kinds of cancer. Our inability to find a cure results from our inability to determine the root cause of breast cancer. The risks of breast cancer increase as women age. Women who are fortunate enough to live to be ninety have a one in seven chance of getting breast cancer. Family history is another important factor. Women whose mothers, grandmothers, and aunts suffered from breast cancer are more likely to experience breast cancer as well.

Symptoms

Regular breast examinations and mammograms are so important because the symptoms of breast cancer are completely painless and difficult to detect. Lumps on the breast, under the arm or above the collarbone that do not go away is one sign. Breast discharge, skin discolorations, and nipple inversion are also warning signs. Please review our guide to self-examinations below.

Treatment

Surgery remains the most popular form of treatment. Hormonal therapy is often used in tandem with surgery. The severity of a patient's condition, whether it be high or low risk, designates the specific cycle of hormonal treatment.

Patients are subjected to X-rays or gamma rays that bombard the cancerous tumors with powerful radiation. This is done using a machine called a linear accelerator. This treatment is often used in conjunction with surgery. Sometimes radiation will be used after surgery to clean up any remaining cancerous material that was not removed by the surgery. Other times, the radiation is used as a precursor to surgery to prepare the area for invasive entry. Radiation treatment is performed for about fifteen minutes each day, for five days a week. This goes on for five to seven weeks. Because normal cells repair themselves much more quickly than cancerous cells, we can use radiation without the risk of permanently damaging normal tissue.

Chemotherapy is also performed before and after surgery. Here are some common types of chemotherapy:

Tamoxifen is used to block estrogen receptors, common in cells, in order to stop the transportation of estrogen between cells.

Aromatase inhibitors lowers the estrogen count in post-menopausal women.

GnRH-analogues can be useful during the early stages of breast cancer.

Ovarian ablation or suppression can be used to stop the ovaries from producing hormones in pre-menopausal women