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What Are The Types Of Breast Cancer

What Are The Types Of Breast Cancer?

Disease, health and medicine, ,

There are many types of breast cancer and many different ways to define them. The different type of breast cancer is defined by where in the breast they begin and how much they have grown or spread. These types of breast cancer you’ve been diagnosed with will help you and your doctor decide on the best treatment options for you.

What Is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a disease where cells in the breast grow out of control. This type of cancer can begin in different parts of the breast. A breast is made up of three main parts: lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts or lobules.

Types of Breast Cancer

A type of breast cancer is determined by the specific cells in the breast that become cancer.

1. Invasive Breast Cancer

Invasive breast cancer has spread into the surrounding breast tissue. The two most common types of invasive breast cancer are defined by where in the breast they begin to grow:

  • Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC)
  • Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC)

Some types of invasive breast cancer have features that affect how they develop and how they are treated.

2. Non-Invasive Breast Cancer

When breast cancer is called non-invasive it means it has not spread beyond the breast tissue where it started. There are two main types of non-invasive breast cancer:

mammogram result on screen
  • Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), is non-invasive breast cancer that has not spread outside the milk ducts where it started.
  • Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), is non-invasive breast cancer that has not spread outside the lobules where it started.

3. Cancerous Phyllodes Tumors of the Breast

Phyllodes tumors of the breast are rare. Most phyllodes tumors are benign but about 25% are cancerous.

What Are The Symptoms Of Breast Cancer?

  • Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast
  • Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area
  • New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit)
  • Irritation or dimpling of breast skin
  • Any change in the size or the shape of the breast
  • Pain in any area of the breast
  • Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood
  • Thickening or swelling of part of the breast

Treatment for Breast Cancer

Treatment for breast cancer depends on the type of breast cancer you have. Your doctor also considers your overall health and your preferences. Most women undergo surgery for breast cancer and many also receive additional treatment after surgery. Chemotherapy might also be used before surgery in certain situations.

The medication you can use if you have breast cancer:

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer

Disease, , ,

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. Although this cancer may occur in both men and women, it’s far more common in women. 

Breast cancer is cancer that starts in breast tissue. It happens when cells in the breast change and grow out of control. The cells usually form a tumor. Sometimes cancer does not spread any further. It may just spread to nearby tissues and lymph nodes. Or cancer may metastasize through the lymph system or the blood.

mammogram result on screen

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

  • Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
  • A newly inverted nipple
  • A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
  • Change in the size, shape, or appearance of a breast
  • Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange
  • Peeling, scaling, crusting, or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple or breast skin

Causes of Breast Cancer

Doctors know that breast cancer occurs when certain breast cells grow abnormally. The cells multiply more rapidly than healthy ones do, forming lumps or masses as they accumulate. Your breast cancer cells may spread (metastasize) to your lymph nodes or other parts of your body.

Most breast cancers start in the milk-producing ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma). Invasive lobular carcinoma may also develop in the glandular tissue called lobules (breast cancer).

Several factors can increase your risk of breast cancer, including hormonal, lifestyle, and environmental factors. However, it is not known why some people with no risk factors develop cancer while others with risk factors never do. Breast cancer is likely caused by a combination of your genetic makeup and the environment you live in.

Risk Factors of Breast Cancer

Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:

  • Increasing age
  • Being female
  • A personal history of breast conditions
  • A family history of breast cancer
  • Radiation exposure 
  • Obesity
  • Beginning your period at a younger age
  • Beginning menopause at an older age
  • Having your first child at an older age
  • Drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer
  • Inherited genes that increase cancer risk. Certain gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children.
mammogram machine

Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Tests and procedures used to diagnose breast cancer include:

  • Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Removing a sample of breast cells for testing (biopsy)
  • Breast ultrasound
  • Mammogram
  • Breast exam

Depending on your situation, other tests and procedures may be used. 

Treatment and Medications for Breast Cancer

Almost all women who have breast cancer undergo surgery, and many also receive additional treatment, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or radiation. Chemotherapy is sometimes used before surgery as well.

You may feel overwhelmed as you make complicated decisions about breast cancer treatment. Consider seeking a second opinion from a breast specialist in a breast center or clinic. Talk to other women who have faced the same decision.

Medications used for Breast Cancer:

Buy Letrozole

Letrozole

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Letrozole is an anti-estrogen drug used for postmenopausal women with breast cancer. The medicine prevents the action of an enzyme in the body called aromatase. Letrozole was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997.

What condition does Letrozole treat?

Letrozole is used to treat breast cancer and help prevent the condition from coming back. This drug is for those women who’ve been through a type of cancer known as hormone-dependent breast cancer and menopause. Most of the people who take Letrozole will have radiotherapy, surgery, and sometimes chemotherapy to treat their breast cancer.

Letrozole can also use:

How does Letrozole work?

What is the dosage of Letrozole?

  • The recommended dose of this drug is usually 2.5 mg taken once a day, at the same time each day.
  • Letrozole is to be taken by mouth with a full glass of water.
  • You may need to take Letrozole for several years or longer. Continue taking it even if you feel well, and don’t stop taking Letrozole without consulting.

What are the precautions in using Letrozole?

  • Pregnant women should not handle this medication or breathe in the dust from medicine because it absorbs via lungs and skin.
  • The drug night makes you dizzy or rarely blurs your vision. You should not do anything that requires your alertness until you can do it safely.
  • You must not use birth control products that have estrogen.
  • Breastfeed while taking Letrozole and for at least three weeks after stopping treatment is not recommended.
  • Let your doctor know if you have osteoporosis, high cholesterol, or liver disease. This medicine can increase the chance of fractures and broken bones and lessen the concreteness of your bones. Discuss with your healthcare provider the risks of taking this medication.
  • Take right away your missed dose soon as you remember it. Keep in mind to never double your dosage if you’ve missed one. For more information, you can call your healthcare provider. In case of overdose, call for emergency assistance right away.
  • Letrozole may cause side effects such as headache, constipation, weakness, dizziness, or nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if any of these symptoms get worse or do not go away.
  • Keep this drug in the container it came in, tightly closed, and far from the reach of children or your pets. Keep Letrozole at room temperature away from excess moisture and heat.

Cost of Generic Letrozole vs. Femara

Letrozole is a low-cost but effective drug against hormone receptor positive breast cancer among women who have gone through menopause. The generic Letrozole only cost $25 per 10 tabs of 2.5 mg each at Rx 2 Go Pharmacy while Femara, the brand name, costs $235.30 per 10 tablets, or $23.53 per tablet.