Essays On Breast Cancer

Essay on Breast Cancer Case Study
Luis F Vega Jr
NUR 1211
Breast Cancer Case Study
Mrs. Thomas, a 57 year old married lawyer, was found to have a 4 X 6 cm firm, fixed mass in the
upper, outer quadrant of the right breast during a routine physical examination, and a stereotactic
core biopsy indicated a malignant tumor. Although the surgeon recommended a mastectomy because
of the size of the tumor, Mrs. Thomas chose to have a lumpectomy. Now three weeks postoperative,
she is scheduled for chemotherapy.
Subjective Data
Never had a routine mammogram
Never practiced Breast Self–Examination (BSE)
States she deserves to have breast cancer for being so careless about her health
Chose to have a lumpectomy to remove the tumor despite its large size because she believes...show
more content...
What can the nurse do to help Mrs. Thomas reduce or manage the common physical effects of the
chemotherapy?
Nausea & Vomiting– anti–emetic drug, eat and drink slowly, drinking enough fluids
Mouth sores (Mucositis) – OTC anesthetics, ice chips or popsicles, gargling
Diarrhea – drink plenty of fluids, high–protein foods, cooked vegetables, fresh fruits without the skin
Hair loss – wear some kind of head covering (scarf, turban, hat, or wig)
4. What does the finding that Mrs. Thomas's tumor is estrogen receptor–positive mean? What
additional treatment modalities might this suggest? This means that estrogen, but not progesterone,
may be supporting the growth and spread of the cancer cells. Your doctor usually will prescribe
some form of hormonal therapy at some point in your treatment plan.
5. How could the nurse help Mrs. Thomas cope with her feelings of guilt and maintain a positive
relationship with her husband? The nurse could listen to and explore Mrs. Thomas's feeling of guilt.
Inform her about support groups and counseling that are available in her area.
6. What are some possible reasons that Mrs. Thomas did not perform BSE or have mammography
performed?
Not confident in the technique of BSE
Fear that something may be found
Losing her sexual identity
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My Perception In Nursing
At fourteen, my world was turned upside down when my mother learned that she had breast cancer.
Shock and worry consumed our family while she cried in my father's arms. As humans, we naturally
fear the unknown, and for us, this diagnosis presented just that. A couple of days later, the physician
contacted her, but surprisingly, not to discuss treatment options. Instead, he apologized profusely
and revealed her misdiagnosis. My perception of medicine until then had been strictly scientific, but
my mother's psychological state at that moment rattled my naГЇve conceptions and exposed its
humanistic dimension.
From a young age, my mom would pick me up after school and drive me to the medical clinic where
I stayed until her workday was over. It...show more content...
The manner in which he cared for his patients further reshaped my naГЇve conceptions and revealed
the true nature of this field, one rooted in science, communication, and compassion. I also recognized
the importance of cultural sensitivity when he attempted to comfort them by conversing in their
native tongue, often resulting in giggles and approval. I witnessed the effect of humility after he got
on one knee while discussing their history to make direct eye contact. Above all, I treasured his
patient–centered approach, helping each one better understand the language of medicine while
transforming some of their fear to relief. Even without providing direct care, merely taking the
initiative to introduce myself and ask a patient about their day was more than enough to improve
their mood. One of my most memorable experiences involved an exchange with an ill homeless
man at the end of a shift where we conversed about topics ranging from his ex–girlfriend to his
favorite movies. The smile on his face throughout our conversation was a remedy after a long,
exhausting day. Undoubtedly, I recognized the power of humaneness when providing patient

Breast Cancer : Cancer And Cancer Essay
Internationally, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of
cancer related death amongst women. (CITE) Each year an estimated 1.7 million new cases are
diagnosed worldwide, and more than 500,000 women will die of the disease. (CITE) According to
(CITE), somewhere in the world one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 19 seconds and
more than three women die of breast cancer every five minutes worldwide. (CITE) Breast cancer is
a heterogeneous condition that contains more than 20 different subtypes. (ALC) These various
subtypes are grouped based upon the genes in which they express. This includes the genes for the
estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER–2 receptor, all of which influence cell
growth rate and the metastatic potential of cancer cells. (CITE)[8, 9 ALC] The purpose of this
paper is to explore XYZ of the HER–2 positive breast cancer subtype. Approximately one in five
women diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide will have HER–2 positive breast cancer, a notably
aggressive form of the disease. In the United States alone XYZ women were diagnosed with HER–2
positive breast cancer in ABC. (CITE) Poor prognosis for patients with breast cancer is dictated by
tumor characteristics including high grading (poor differentiation), large tumor size, and lymph
node involvement. According to XYZ, HER–2–positive breast cancers tend to be larger, high grade
tumors and are more likely to spread to other organs in the

Breast Cancer And Cancer Awareness Essay
Breast Cancer Advertisements
1) Criteria for Comparison Cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast is known as breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a potentially deadly disease that is one of the major causes of cancer related deaths
among women. One woman in fourteen will contract breast cancer during her lifetime and one in
twenty one will die of it (Fallowfield, & Clark 1991). The national breast cancer awareness is vastly
known throughout the entire month of October in the United States. The goal of the campaign is to
bring attention to breast cancer throughout the entire month, help women get educated, and raise
awareness. The awareness campaigns offers the perfect opportunity to briefly review what breast
awareness means, and how to promote it in primary care (Edwards, 2008). This paper will focus
on two advertisement about breast cancer awareness, the effectiveness of two different
advertisement are used to persuade their targeted audiences, and how differently they are being
used to promote breast cancer awareness. The first ad "Obsessed with Breasts" is a public
awareness campaign print ad that was launched in 2000, by The Breast Cancer Fund which is an
eight year old non profit group based in San Francisco in response to the public health crisis of
breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Fund also identifies and advocates for elimination of the
environmental and other preventable causes of the disease (Breast Cancer Fund, 2014). The
advertisements were placed in bus

Essay on Breast Cancer Awareness
According to the American Cancer Society, Every year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed
with breast cancer; furthermore Twelve percent of all women will contract the disease, and 3.5% of
them will die from breast cancer (American Cancer Society, 2005). There are risk factors that may
lead to breast cancer. There are 4 stages of breast cancer and several treatments, although
treatments vary from types and stages of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death
among women who are 40 to 55 years old (Breast Cancer, 2009).When cells divides it causes cancer
which then changes from an normal call to what's called a cancerous cell that requires gene
alterations. The uncontrolled growth and alter genes is what causes tumors to...show more content...
I'm not saying that someone will really get breast cancer because a few other women in the
family have it but know that there's a small chance is good. Other factors are woman who gets
menopause and they are very the age of 50. Also a young girl under the age of 12 yrs old who
starts a period does to. Women over 40 who have there first pregnancy is at risk of getting the
disease. Caucasian women have a much higher better chance of having breast cancer but a black
woman has a higher risk of dying. Other races chances are real low like Spanish, Asian or Indian
women. According to a study, woman who takes birth control has a slightly greater risk of getting
breast cancer. Most studies suggest that use of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) for relief of
menopause symptoms for more than 5 years may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer (Breast
Cancer Statistics, 2008).
Let's get to the four stages of breast cancer. First is stage zero which is noninvasive, that is,
carcinoma in situ with no affected metastasis or lymph nodes. Stage zero is the most favorable.
Now Stage One breast cancer is less than two centimeters in greatest dimension and is only in the
breasts. Stage two is when the cancer is no bigger then two centimeters but has spread to lymph
nodes. With stage three breast cancers is a lager size, lets say greater then two inches in diameter. It
also has a greater involvement from the lymph nodes or inflammatory type.

Essay on Breast Cancer
Breast cancer will strike one in every eight American women. This makes it the most common
cancer in woman. Approximately 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Of
that number, 40,000 will die from breast cancer each year. (Journal of Environmental Health 2003)
Breast cancer is just one type of cancer. Cancerous cells are cells that grow without the normal
system of controls placed upon them. Breast cancer develops from the mammary ducts 80% of the
time. The other 20% of the time the cancer develops from the lobules of the breasts. While breast
cancer may occur in men, this paper will primarily focus on breast cancer in women. Breast cancer
is 100 times more likely to affect women as it is men. There are two...show more content...
Basically the breasts are located off to the sides of the sternum, on the front of the chest wall
between the second and sixth ribs. (Anatomy of the Human Body, Gray, H.) During puberty
hormonal changes cause the breasts to begin to develop and mature. This stimulation comes from the
release of estrogen from the anterior pituitary. The base of each breast lies on top of the pectoralis
major, obliquus externus abdominis, and serratus anterior muscles and
extends up into the axillary region. On the external surface of the breast, between the 4th and 5th
ribs is the nipple. The nipple is made up of contractile muscle fibers and is capable of becoming
firm and erect when stimulated. The color of the nipple can range from a light pink to brown. At
the tip of the nipple there are up to twenty tiny openings from the lactiferous ducts. The circular
area surrounding the nipple is called the areola. The color of the areola may also range from a
light pink to a dark brown. During pregnancy the areola will darken. Imbedded in the areola are
areolar glands which give the areola a slightly bumpy appearance. These glands secrete an oily
kind of substance that acts as a skin protector during breast feeding. (Textbook of Medical
Physiology, Guyton, 2000) The breast tissue itself is a series of lobules and mammary ducts that
form a pattern similar to clusters of grapes. The lobules are round sacs that produce milk. The ducts
are

Research Paper On Breast Cancer
Cancer
As we all know, cancer is a deadly disease. There is a over 50 types of cancer. In this research paper,
I will inform you on two types of cancer, the different treatments for the diseases , and the side
effects of the treatments.
One type of cancer that most people are familiar with is breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer that
forms in the cells of the breasts. It usually starts off in the inner lining of the milk ducts or the
lobules that supply them with milk. If the tumor is big, it can spread through the body. Breast cancer
is most common in women. A few treatments are radiation, surgery, biological therapy. However, If
the tumor is not big, the patient can have surgery to get the cancer removed. However, if the cancer

Argumentative Essay On Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a cancer that forms in the cells of the breast. Breast cancer is one of the most
common cancer a human being can get. There are more than 3 million United States cases per year.
There are medical treatment options for this specific type of cancer. Usually breast cancer starts off
in the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply them with milk. Common symptoms of
breast cancer include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple, and changes in the
shape or texture of the nipple or breast. Survival rates from breast cancer have increased from early
detection, new treatment , and a better understanding of the disease. Something that many people
don't actually realize about breast cancer, is that men can get it too. Men also have breast tissue
which they can develop cancer. Men's breast tissue has ducts, but only a few if any lobules. Like all
cells of the body, a man's breast duct cells can undergo cancerous changes. Even though men can get
breast cancer...show more content...
Some include a family history of breast cancer in a first–degree relative, like a mother, daughter, or a
sister. Also drinking a lot of alcoholic beverages can increase your risk of breast cancer. Obesity is
another risk of breast cancer. A major risk is treatment with radiation therapy to the breast or the
chest. They're many treatment options for breast cancer. These options vary by the stage you are in,
like how far along are you in the disease. Treatment for non–invasive breast cancer involves surgery
and the possibility of radiation therapy and/ or tamoxifen. Treatment for invasive breast cancer
usually involves some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy. The order of
the therapies and the specific treatments depend on the cancer stage and the characteristics of the
tumor. Treatment plans really depend on the area of the breast the cancer is in, but no matter what,
there is always

Breast Cancer Essay
Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer Prevention Every year for the last fifty years the number of cases of breast cancer in
women has steadily increased. The only cancer that claims more women's lives in the United States
is Lung Cancer.
(http://rex.nci.nih.gov/NCI_Pub_Interface/raterisk/rates42.html) This naturally causes concern
among women, and thus the question of prevention is immediately asked. With prevention of lung
cancer, the easiest and most effective way is to avoid smoking completely. Breast cancer, on the
other hand does not have such a direct behavioral action that dramatically changes a person's risk.
There are many factors that cause a person to be more at risk for breast cancer,...show more content...
Statistics show how countries around the world have rather different rates of breast cancer. From
1986 to 1988 the death rates of breast cancer victims were compiled. England and Wales had the
highest rate with 29.3 deaths per 100,000 women with breast cancer. Other European countries
tended to have the highest rates, and Asian countries had the lowest. Thailand had the lowest number
of deaths with only one death per 100,000 women from 1986 to 1988. The United States ranked
sixteenth of the fifty countries in the survey with a rate of 22.4 deaths per 100,000 women. (http:/
/rex.nci.nih.gov/NCI_Pub_Interface/raterisk/rates42.html)
Incidence rates are roughly five times higher in northern Europe and North America than in Asia.
(International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1992) It has been shown that when women move
from a country with a typically low rate of breast cancer to one with a higher rate, the woman's risk
gradually increases to that of a typical woman in the country with the higher rate. Thus,
environmental and behavioral differences between the countries must play an important role in an
individual woman's breast cancer risk.
Dietary Fat
One theory of the large variance among the country's incidences of breast cancer deals with the
amount of fat the people in each country consumes. As body weight and mass increase in

Essay about Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is one of the most widespread cancers among women worldwide. In the US, it is the
most common, and the leading cause of cancer related deaths among women between 45 – 64 years
of age (Clegg et al., 2002; Ward et al., 2008). Early detection and improved treatment procedures
have resulted in gradual decline in the number of deaths caused by the disease since 1990.
Nevertheless, in 2009, the estimated death toll for the disease was 40,170 (American Cancer
Society, 2009). The gravity of the disease therefore demands further research towards its early
diagnosis, and for evaluating the prognosis of its course.
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease characterized by the complex interplay of molecular,
genetic and...show more content...
The principal mechanism leading to pain and inflammation is the arachidonic acid (AA)
pathway. AA is typically bound to the membrane phospholipids and is released by a group of
enzymes known as the phospholipases A2's. AA acts as the precursor of the group of bioactive
lipids collectively known as the eisosanoids. There have been several reports that AA and the
eicosanoids are intimately linked to cancer biology (Markaverich et al., 2007; Nie et al., 2001;
Pan et al., 2008; Sveinbjornsson et al., 2008). The downstream enzymatic pathways of AA, the
cycloxygenases (COX) and the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways, are responsible for the synthesis of
the eicosanoids from AA. Elevated levels of the COX–2 protein have been reported in archived
breast cancer tissue, and studies indicate that the overexpression of COX–2 is sufficient to induce
mammary tumor formation in transgenic mice (Denkert et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2001). Human
cancerous breast tissue indicates 3– to 30–fold higher 12–LO mRNA when compared to the normal
breast tissue (Ding et al., 2003; Natarajan et al., 1997). There is sufficient evidence that the products
of the COX and LOX enzymatic pathways, the eicosanoids, such as the prostaglandin (PG) PGE2 and

Breast Cancer Essay
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world (Breast). Every three minutes a
woman is diagnosed: one in eight women will have breast cancer (Walgreens, 2011; Chen, 2010).
"I have to admit, like so many women, I always knew there was a chance. But like so many women,
I never thought it would be me. I never thought I'd hear those devastating words: 'You have breast
cancer.' "– Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a democratic representative of Florida (2011).
Mutations turn genes on and off, activating diseases; all women have a chance of developing breast
cancer (Understanding; Breast). Unhealthy cells divide and form a tumor. The tumor can be benign
and not dangerous. Malignant tumors can become potentially dangerous...show more content...
This cancer has a higher chance of spreading and a worse prognosis (Rosen, 2011).
Triple–negative breast cancer occurs when cells lack estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors
from not having an excess of the HER2 protein (Rosen, 2011). The gene HER2 helps cells grow,
divide, and repair; this spreads the disease faster. HER2–positive breast cancer becomes a more
aggressive cancer and has a higher risk for recurrence (Chen, 2010).Typically found in younger
women and African–American women; this cancer grows and spreads quickly (Rosen, 2011).
Paget disease of the nipple starts in the breast ducts and spreads to the nipple; accounting for about
1% of breast cancers. The skin of the nipple appears crusted, scaly, and red. The woman may
experience burning or itching (Rosen, 2011).
Angiosarcoma begins in blood vessel or lymph vessel cells; usually developing as a complication of
radiation treatments. This cancer grows and spreads quickly (Rosen, 2011).
Risks increase for breast cancer as you age. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer
than men. The chance of breast cancer developing becomes higher when a family member has
cancer: 20 – 30% of women with breast cancer have a family history of cancer. Genes increase the
chances of breast cancer; women with a gene defect have an 80% chance of breast cancer (Chen,
2010). Only 5–10% of cancers are caused by an abnormality inherited from

Essay Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer Breast cancer is a disease that is becoming more and more popular in this day of
age. One in every eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer (Breast Cancer, 2010). Women and
men who suffer from breast cancer not only are fighting cancer but are also fighting the
psychological aspects of the disease. Breast Cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer among
women in the United States right behind skin cancer. Women are now survivingbreast cancer a lot
more frequently because of the treatments out there to help. In 2008, the number of breast cancer
survivors was 2.5 million (Breast Cancer, 2010). The numbers of survivors is an increasing state
because the research and treatments are growing. There are many ways of...show more content...
The physician may order a mammogram or ultra sound. Women are recommended to have yearly
mammograms after the age 40, but earlier if breast cancer runs in the family (National Cancer
Institute). A mammogram detects lumps in the breast and is an x–ray picture of tissues inside a
person's breast. It may detect a lump before it is even felt by someone. A ultrasound also is a test
that can show details of the breast lump and its sound waves creates pictures showing if the lump
is solid, filled with fluid or a little of both. When it shows a sign of a more solid lump it is greater
risk of cancer (National Cancer Institute). Once a breast lump is detected and shows signs of
being cancerous the lump is then removed or biopsied. Biopsy is a tissue removal which is
looking for cancerous cells. There are several different types of biopsies, but is the true way to tell if
these cells in the breast are cancerous. These different types of biopsies are fine–needle aspiration,
core biopsy, skin biopsy or surgical biopsy. After the tissue is removed then they can send it to the
lab to determine if a person has cancer or not (National Cancer Institute). The lump will then be
considered either benign or malignant. Benign is good meaning no cancer present, but malignant
means that there is cancer present in the tumor. After determining that a person has breast cancer it
must then be staged.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, it accounts for one of every three
diagnoses in the United States. Breast cancers are malignancies, life threatening tumors that develops
in one or both breasts.
A female breast consists of fatty and fibrous connective tissues. The interior of the breast is divided
into about twenty different sections called lobes. Each of the lobes is further divided in to lobules,
which are structures that contain small milk–producing glands. These glands place the milk into tiny
ducts. These ducts take the milk through out the breast and store in a chamber located below the
nipple.
Breast cancer can either be invasive (spreading) or noninvasive (non–spreading). An invasive cancer
penetrates...show more content...
Chemicals are also suspected to cause breast cancer. Xenoestrogens are chemicals with estrogen–like
effects, they are found in pesticides and other common industrial products. Other estrogen–like
chemicals that have a stronger association with breast cancer include dieldrin and
beta–hexachloraocyclohexane. Although these chemicals are very weak estrogens, one study
showed that exposure to single weak–estrogen compounds isn't a big risk but a combination of two
or more chemicals result in extremely high estrogenic
chemicals. Many women, who took diethylstilbestrol (DES) to prevent miscarriages, increased the
risk for breat cancer in their children.
There are lost of ways to prevent cancer or try to prevent it. One of these is reducing your fat
intake. One study shows that the result of this is that the level of estrodiol, the potent form of
estrogen decreases. Another way to fight breast cancer is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Many
fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that may be cancer fighters. A concentrated form of
limonene, a substance found in citrus skins, has been found to shrink breast cancer in animals. Some
studies have shown that if you breast–fed for more than four months it lowers your risk of the
cancer. In a recent study women who have underwent breast reduction have a low risk of getting
breast cancer by forty percent.
There

Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is only one of 200 different types of cancer. It is considered a woman's disease but
both men and women have the disease. Every year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with
breast cancer. Twelve percent of all women will get the disease and 3.5% of them will die. Breast
cancer is the leading cause of death among women who are 40 to 55 years old.
Cancer occurs when cells divide uncontrollably. Cells keep dividing even though new cells are not
needed. Change from normal to cancerous cells requires gene alterations.
Altered genes and uncontrolled growth may lead to tumors. These tumors can be benign (NOT
cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Benign tumors won't spread but it can damage tissues around
...show more content...
Being obese may also increase your risk.
chemicals – Researchers in the New York State Department of Health have found that women on
Long Island who grew up within a mile of a chemical plant have a greater chance of getting breast
cancer if they lived further away from the chemical plant.
race – Even though white women are more likely to get cancer than African–American women,
African–American women are more likely to die from cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian
women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer.
Birth control pills – A study showed that women using birth control pills have a slightly greater risk
of breast cancer.
Hormone replacement therapy – Most studies suggest that use of HRT for relief of menopause
symptoms for more than 5 years may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer.
Alcohol – Women who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1 1/2 times the risk of women who drink
no alcohol.
Symptoms
There are several symptoms of breast cancer. Early cancer may not show any symptoms at all but as
time goes by and the cancer grows, there may be symptoms.
You may get a lump or a thickening in or near the breast. Change in its shape or contour, swelling,
thickening, pore enlargement, retraction or scaliness of the nipple, nipple discharge, pain or
tenderness. It is usually found in a person's breast as a hard lump that is painless. In some cases,
pain and tenderness may occur. Bloody

Informative Essay On Breast Cancer
Breast cancer
When life changes to be stronger. You move with it. What hurts you today makes you stronger
tomorrow. Breast cancer is a sickness lots of people can have. Breast cancer is a serious disease
because you can die from. Breast cancer is a disease that needs to be taken care of. That means
visiting doctors offices more than you ever have in your life. Breast cancer also means that you have
to take medicine. It is a serious disease that cause your body cells to be damaged causing damaged
DNA cells to continue flowing.
How does It Start?
There are many types of cancer but they all start the same way. Breast cancer is mostly common
among women. The body is made up of millions of cells. When one cell dies the body creates a
new cell to replace it. These cells will normally grow, multiply,and die according to a schedule that
keeps your body functioning. Inside...show more content...
There are many types of cancer but they all start the same way. Breast cancer is mostly common
among women. The body is made up of millions of cells. When one cell dies the body creates a
new cell to replace it. These cells will normally grow, multiply,and die according to a schedule that
keeps your body functioning. Inside every cell there is deoxyribonucleic acid, also known as DNA.
This is genetic material that determines the cell's growth and reproduction.
DNA can get damaged. If and when this does happen to a normal cell a new cell will repair the
damage. If the cell does not repair the damaged DNA cell the damaged cell will automatically die
and the new cell will replace its spot. Sometimes the DNA damage is not repaired and the cell will
still live becoming an abnormal cell. Abnormal cells can keep multiplying even though the body
doesn't need more cells. Those cells still have damaged DNA therefore the uncontrollable cell
growth will keep on repeating. Think of cancer starting as a party. The cells don't want to stop to
turn down the music or stop joining the

Breast Cancer Essay examples
In the United States in 1999 alone, an estimated 43,700 people will die from breast cancer. It is
the number two cancer killer among females ages 15 to 54. On average if a woman gets this
disease, their life expectancy drops drastically. This cancer is within the top three cancers of all
women above the age of 15, and comprises a great amount of all health care costs in the U.S.
totaling an astounding 37 billion dollars a year in direct medical costs. An average woman is said
to have a one in nine chance of getting the cancer, but if that person had family history of the disease,
his or her chances have been measured up to a one in six chance. Sixty–nine percent of African–
American women survive from it, and there are predicted to be...show more content...
This accounts for approximately 13% of all breast cancer patients observed. Jewish women in
specific were used, as early on there was a definite pattern of breast cancer through the Jewish
community especially that which lived in the United States. The specific mutation, 185delAG, was,
"strongly associated with the onset of breast cancer in Jewish women before the age of 30."
Scientists advanced upon this new information of genealogical interplay, so the "New England
Journal of Medicine" (NEJM) set out determined to study the overall effects of these genes. In an
article printed on January 18, 1996, germ–line alterations in BRCA1 were discovered in six of the 80
women surveyed who had breast cancer but had no apparent familial history of it. Thus the
scientists concluded that mutation was not limited to women with a history of cancer. Genes are
thought to cause five to twenty percent of all breast cancers. A gene known as p53 supposedly
stalls reproduction of cells, and can even cause a cell to "commit suicide". Other genes that seem
to accelerate growth to overtake and stick to proteins include HER2, neu, and erB2 (Fitzgerald et
al, 1996). The relation between serum estrogen levels at a single time is linked to breast cancer, but
no evidence links estrogen levels over an extended time to the risk of breast

Breast Cancer Essay
Breast Cancer
There is a large amount of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer every day but they
usually do not know a lot about it in terms of how it forms and the many ways it can be treated.
Breast cancer is a very serious disease that shouldn't be taken lightly; if it is left untreated it can
spread to other organs and eventually kill you. Even if you do not have breast cancer, chances are
that you know or will know someone who will get it, so it is imperative that people understand
how breast cancer forms, know the stages of breast cancer, be familiar with who gets breast cancer
and how you can possibly avert it, and understand all of the different ways to treat the cancer and
prevent it from coming back.
Breast...show more content...
Benign tumors grow less rapidly and are not a threat unless it continues to grow, and then the tumor
must be removed. According to the American Cancer Society the second leading cause of death in
America among women is breast cancer. 175,000 women and 1,300 men in America die in a year
from this type of cancer; thankfully because of modern medicine this number is declining. There are
various stages of breast cancer. Stage zero means that there isn't any indication of cancer cells that
have penetrated or attacked adjacent normal cell tissue. This stage best describes non–invasive
breast cancer. Stage one on the other hand better illustrates invasive breast cancer; that means that
the cancer cells have actually broken through and have begun invading some of the adjacent normal
cell tissue. Tumors in this stage measure up to about two centimeters; the lymph nodes are not
involved in the spreading of the cancer. Stage two of breast cancer is also an invasive form of
cancer; in this stage the tumor has grown to at least 2 centimeters and is no more than five
centimeters big. The cancer has metastasized to the lymph nodes under the armpit on the side of the
tumor, but the lymph nodes have not yet stuck together or affected surrounding tissues. Stage three
can be divided into two different categories. They are both invasive, but the first one describes a
tumor that is larger than five

Essay on Breast Cancer Treatment
Breast Cancer Treatment
Only lung cancer kills more women each year in the United States than breast cancer does. The
American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that over
184,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in women in 1996 (ACS Breast).
Although these statistics are alarming, there are a number of treatment options available for those
that are diagnosed with breast cancer.
The best way to treat any disease is to prevent it. Since little is known about breast cancer, there are
no established rules for prevention. The
ACS recommends that women age twenty and older perform monthly breast self–exams, and it also
suggests clinical examinations every three years (ACS...show more content...
Radiation therapy is another common treatment for breast cancer.
Radiation involves the use of high–energy x–rays to damage cancer cells and retard further growth.
The radiation may come from a radioactive source outside the body, or it can come from radioactive
pellets placed directly in the breasts.
It is not uncommon for a patient to receive both internal and external radiation. For external
radiation, patients must visit the hospital or clinic each day. When this regimen follows
breast–sparing surgery, the treatments are given five days a week for five to six weeks. At the end
of that time, an extra
"boost" of radiation is often given to the place where the tumor was removed.
Hospital stays are required for implant radiation. Some common side effects of radiation therapy
include swelling of the breast and dry skin at the radiation site. Chemotherapy is one of the systemic
therapies doctors use to fight breast cancer. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells, and it
usually involves a combination of those drugs. Traditional chemotherapy is administered in cycles; a
treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment, and so on (NIH 23). Like
radiation therapy, chemotherapy can be administered on an outpatient basis. Although chemotherapy
works to kill cancer cells, some of the side effects almost make treatment

Breast Cancer
Chromosome 17 and BRCA1
Among the most common diseases affecting the female population, breast cancer develops in one of
every eight American women. This means that almost 200,000 women suffer from the disease each
year. Doctors would advise women to take necessary precautions, such as routine surveillance, in
order to ensure a life without obtaining this disease prior to understanding any genetic linkage of
breast cancer. Although many external factors contribute to breast cancer, current investigations
reveal that five to ten percent of these cases may be attributed to genetic inheritance (Lynch, 1999).
This knowledge, an ingenious finding by Mary–Claire King in 1990, linked breast cancer to the
long–arm of...show more content...
al., 1999). Various methods of positional cloning have been used to detectmutations of BRCA1, but
originally the gene was isolated using single–strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and direct
sequencing. During 1994, when the gene was first discovered, SSCP was done using both genomic
DNA and cDNA from lymphoblast RNA (Friedman, et. al, 1994). SSCP analysis detected each
variant and sequenced it on several templates. Results from this experiment helped prove the
involvement of BRCA1 to breast cancer development. Other studies have used Southern Blotting
techniques and other Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methods in order to further analyze BRCA1.
BRCA1 encodes a protein that is approximately 1865 amino acids in length, which is "a tumor
suppressor, a protein that acts as a negative regulator of tumor growth" (Miki et. al., 1994). Loss of
function is due to premature termination of protein synthesis. Because predisposition is a dominant
genetic trait, a single copy of the mutant allele is enough to increase risks of breast tumors proving
that a functional BRCA1 is needed in order for normal breast tissue (Miki et. al., 1994). This
protein is expressed in the epithelial cells of mammary glands and other tissues, and the protein acts
to inhibit cell division. Because BRCA1 is a tumor suppressor gene, any mutation leads to breast
tumor formation.
Once the two genes, BRCA1 and BrCA2

Essay On Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer
In 2016, breast cancer was the commonest diagnosed cancer in women with 17 million cases
diagnosed and a resultant 5 million deaths. In the Western world, improved treatments and screening
programmes have resulted in a 5–year survival of 80–90% (WHO, 2016). However, a third of breast
cancer patients are found to have distant metastases at diagnosis, bringing their 5–year survival rate
down by 25% (Siegel et al., 2004). Metastasis occurs when tumour cells travel through the vascular
or lymphatic system and grow in distant organs, commonly bone, lung, liver and brain.
Current treatment involves surgical removal of the visible tumour bulk followed by chemo– and
radio– therapy targeting distant spread. Breast cancer is...show more content...
Tumour Micro–environment
The tumour stroma appears to be a major factor in tumour progression after initial tumour formation
(Conklin and Keely, 2007). It initially protects against tumourigenesis; but neoplastic cells cause
changes and recruit various other cell lines with a multitude of functions, forming a tumour
micro–environment (TME). This is defined as "a heterogeneous population of cells consisting of the
tumor bulk plus supporting cells" (Bussard et al., 2006). The tumour cells recruit the stroma cells
and cause a reactive phenotype, known as tumor–associated stromal cells (TASCs).
Mesenchymal stem cells, endothelial cells, pericytes, fibroblasts and various other immune cells are
all components of the TME,each with specific functions. When activated, they take on a similar in
function to those found in inflammation and wound healing and cause fibroblast infiltration,
recruitment of immune cells, remodelling of the extracellular matrix. This is why cancer has been
likened to a wound that never heals, the tumour stroma being chronically activated and promoting
growth and angiogenesis (Dvorak, 1984).
The rapid proliferation of tumour cells soon exhausts the existing vascular supply and brings about a
hypoxic environment in the TME (Coussens and Werb, 2005). Endothelial and stromal cells form a

Essays On Breast Cancer

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