Written by: Tanisha Singh
“Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2016.” UICC, 2016, www.uicc.org/news/breast-cancer-awareness-month-2016. Accessed 21 Oct. 2021.
Types of Breast Cancers
A breast tumour is an abnormal tissue growth. It can be either benign, meaning non-cancerous, or malignant, meaning cancerous.
Benign breast tumours are generally non-threatening to the surrounding tissue unless they become of a size that can press against them in which case they have to be surgically removed.
Malignant breast tumours threaten the surrounding tissue and are cancerous. They are classified as ‘malignant’ and have to be tested and treated in an aggressive manner.
Metastatic breast tumours can spread the cancer cells to other parts of the body through the blood or the lymphatic system, and from secondary tumours.
Surgery
Surgery is the most common treatment plan for patients diagnosed with breast cancer, surgery for these patients could include, Mastectomy: Two forms of a mastectomy could include a radical mastectomy or a partial mastectomy. Radical mastectomies have been the more common approach in the past, however, have become less common today. Radical mastectomies include the removal of the entire breast, chest wall, and all axillary lymph nodes. Partial mastectomies require the removal of a larger portion of the breast than is removed in the lumpectomy to remove the cancer and the small rim around it to ensure all of the cancerous areas was removed. Lumpectomy: This is the least invasive form of breast cancer surgery however can still be effective and not require any further surgery. This procedure involves the removal of the cancerous region and a margin of healthy tissue around it while preserving the rest of the breast. If more tissue needs to be removed from the area, this procedure would become a partial mastectomy. Reconstructive Surgery:
Implants
Skin Grafts and Transplant: Tissue from the back (LATTISIMUS flap), belly (TRAM flap) or gluteal (GLUTEAL flap) area is extracted and sculpted
DIEP Flap (Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap): This procedure is similar to the previous option however surgeons use the abdominal fat to sculpt the tissue into the shape of your breast
Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses a combination of types of drugs to destroy cancer cells or slow down their growth. It is a systematic therapy that involves the chemo travelling through the bloodstream throughout the body.
Cytotoxic Drugs: This form of chemotherapy results in cell damage or death. These drugs are commonly given orally or through the bloodstream (intravenously). Chemotherapy is only offered to patients after the following factors have been considered:
Tumour type, grade and size
Number of lymph nodes involved and degree of involvement
Risk for cancer to spread elsewhere in the body
Side Effects of Chemotherapy:
May cause a reduction in red blood cell count which could cause anaemia
May cause a reduction in white blood cell count
Hair loss
Impact on nerve cells
Tiredness
Stephan, Pam. “Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.” Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 18
Sept. 2021, https://www.verywellhealth.com/chemotherapy-basics-for-breast-cancer-430309. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
There are two types of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer these include progesterone receptor-positive (PR-positive) breast cancer and estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer.
Hormone-receptor breast cancers are cancers in which cells receive growth signals from either progesterone or estrogen. Breast cancer can be classified as either hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-negative. Two-thirds of breast cancer cases are hormone receptor-positive cases. Hormone blockers Medication that blocks hormones from attaching to cancer cells:
Tamoxifen - Usually taken in the form of a daily pill for the duration of around 5-10 years. This type of medication is used to block estrogen shaped openings in cancer cells, preventing these cancers from growing. It is also used to reduce the chances of cancer recurrence
Toremifene - This medication is also commonly taken in the form of a daily pill. It is used in cases of breast cancer where cancer has spread to other parts of the body
Fulvestrant - This is administered as a shot originally starting off by getting a shot every two weeks in the first month then once every month following that.
Hormone inhibitors
Used to reduce the production of hormones in the body
In cases of ER-positive breast cancer, when the cancer is cut off from estrogen the tumour cells begin to starve and eventually die.
Often used in combination with chemotherapy for a better end result
Biologic therapy is also known as targeted therapy. It is the process of using the human body’s immune system or hormone system to fight breast cancer cells. This process works by stimulating the immune system to attack cancer cells. “As an example, chemicals that stimulate your immune system cells could be injected into your body. Or a sample of your immune system cells could be trained in a lab to attack cancer cells before being reintroduced to your body” (Mayo Clinic). Another way this therapy could work is by making cancer cells easily recognizable by the immune system. “As an example, drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors can target specific chemical receptors on cancer cells, blocking the signals the cancer cells send to suppress the immune system” (Mayo Clinic).
Types of biological therapies
Adoptive cell transfer
Angiogenesis inhibitors
Bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy
Biochemotherapy
Cancer vaccines
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy
Cytokine therapy
Gene therapy
Immune checkpoint modulators
Immunoconjugates
Monoclonal antibodies
Oncolytic virus therapy
Targeted drug therapy
The process of radiation therapy entails using high energy ionizing radiation aimed at a precise point in your body to kill the cancer cells. This form of therapy kills cells by destroying its genetic material that controls the activity of the cell. However, a disadvantage of radiation therapy is that it can kill or damage both healthy and cancerous cells.
External beam breast cancer radiation: This is a more traditional example of radiation therapy, in this procedure, beams from this machine are delivered through a large machine targeting the general area of the cancer.
Internal breast cancer radiation: Radioactive cancer treatments are directly injected into the affected region.
The treatment of the breast tumors are generally done with standard and widely accepted proven treatments which is a combination of medication and surgery. However, this is an evolving field and new treatments are always being discovered, and these are used to treat patients in a controlled manner through clinical trials.
Works Cited List:
“Breast Cancer Treatment Options.” National Breast Cancer Foundation,
https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-treatment/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“Chemotherapy Side Effects.” NHS Choices, NHS,
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chemotherapy/side-effects/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“Er-Positive Breast Cancer: Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Treatment.” Medical News Today,
MediLexicon International, Aug. 2019, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316779#symptoms. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“How Does Chemotherapy Work?” Icon Cancer Centre, 14 Apr. 2021,
https://iconcancercentre.com.au/brochure/how-chemotherapy-works/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“How Is Breast Cancer Treated?” Breast Cancer Treatment, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 20 Sept. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/treatment.htm. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“Lumpectomy.” Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center, https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/types/breast/treatment/lumpectomy. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
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