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Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer: usually the cell (body basic unit) grows and divides when the body needs them. Sometimes, they keep dividing when new cells are not needed and form a mass of tissue that could be benign (not harmful) or could be malignant in origin (cancer). Malignant tumors (cancer) can spread in different ways and affect other organs (metastasis). Risk factors are family history of BRCA autosomal dominant gene (only %10), increased estrogens, nulliparity (never pregnant), OCP use (oral contraceptive pills), hormone therapy, and obesity. Although the most affected patients have no risk factors. It’s the most common CA in women 1 in 8 women will develop it the average age is 64. The most common symptom is no symptom, but rare case pain that suggests less likely to be cancer, bloody discharge, asymmetry, and skin changes of the breast. Remember your 1-2 year mammography if you are over 40 and annually if >50 and clinical breast exam at 40 years of age and earlier if you have high risk. Treatments are surgical removal of the mass (partial mastectomy) or modified radical mastectomy with a breast implant (optional but very common). In some cases, lymph nodes are involved, and chemotherapy for 4-6 months, radiation, or tamoxifen medication treatment for 2-5 years if you have estrogen receptors present on tumor cells should be performed as adjuvant therapy.