Breast Cancer – A very difficult experience
Dr.Kut | Jan 17, 2010 | Comments 0
Although there has been lost of research and developments done in the medical fields and medicine has reached a very sophisticated platform, still there is a lot to be done, and diseases like cancer are still claiming lives all over the world at very high rates. One of the most common cancers is breast cancer and is something which affects women mainly in their fifties.
Of course, there are many options now to try to combat this dreadful disease, which were not there before. Once you were diagnosed with breast cancer, it was as good as having been told that you were about to die and that is traumatic enough, not taking into considerations the trauma of the actual disease itself.
Breast cancer has been divided into stages to make a prognosis more accurate and to be able to decide on the right treatment. The size of the tumor in the breast also makes a difference in deciding the required treatment.
You can easily break these stages into three parts. The first part is when you may have a tumor in your breast however; it has not proven to be cancerous one. There are no signs of the cancer breaking in as yet. The second stage is when the cancer actually starts to form and establish itself in the tumor. At this stage the tumor is about 2 cms in size. On the third stage, the cancer may start to spread from the tumor into other parts of the breast through the lymph nodes. Once this stage is completed, the cancer seems to find a gateway to get into your system by slowly and steadily invading the lymph nodes, moving on to the skin and creating a stage called the inflammatory breast cancer.
Once this stage has been established, the cancer proceeds to invade all other parts of the body and it may spread to the arms, lungs, liver, bones and the brain and eventually leading to death.
The actual time that a cancer takes to reach from stage 1 to stage 4 is not accurate as it varies from person to person depending on your immune system, life style and other factors that may not be known yet. However, early detection of breast cancer can be as important as a life and death situation.
There are many symptoms that you may look for to find out if you are getting breast cancer and some of them include inverted nipples or nipple discharge, and nipple rash of any kind. If you have any of the above symptoms combined with pain then you should contact your doctor immediately.
Early detection of the problem is the best solution. There are however, many treatments available at present to help you manage breast cancer and you should take the advice of your doctor on what is best for you. Surgery is an option that may or may not be necessary. Chemotherapy is also very important and you should be aware of the side effects of the disease as well as the effects of the treatment.
Breast cancer is something to be taken serious; however with lots of faith, patience and understanding, it can also be something you can overcome for good.
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Filed Under: Cancer • Women's health
