Is Breast Surgery Painful
There can be scar tissue after breast reduction surgery that causes pain. Typically, if you have breast augmentation, your pain shouldnt last more than one to five days, although there may be some soreness and swelling for as long as a few weeks.
After breast cancer surgery the area may be bruised. There may be numbness or tingling all over, including your upper arm and armpit. Take pain relievers, warm showers and do some easy exercises. When youre allowed to, put vitamin E lotion or pure lanolin on the incisions to help with scarring.
Special Types Of Invasive Breast Cancers
Some invasive breast cancers have special features or develop in different ways that affect their treatment and outlook. These cancers are less common but can be more serious than other types of breast cancer.
Inflammatory breast cancer is an uncommon type of invasive breast cancer. It accounts for about 1% to 5% of all breast cancers.
Looking For More Of An Introduction
If you would like more of an introduction, explore these related items. Please note that these links will take you to other sections on Cancer.Net:
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ASCO AnswersFact Sheet:Read a 1-page fact sheet that offers an introduction to breast cancer. This free fact sheet is available as a PDF, so it is easy to print.
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ASCO Answers Guide:Get this free 52-page booklet that helps you better understand breast cancer and its treatment options. The booklet is available as a PDF, so it is easy to print.
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Cancer.Net Patient Education Video:View a short video led by an ASCO expert in breast cancer that provides basic information and areas of research.
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Risk Factors For Breast Cancer
There are several risk factors that increase your chances of getting breast cancer. However, having any of these doesnt mean you will definitely develop the disease.
Some risk factors cant be avoided, such as family history. You can change other risk factors, such as quitting smoking, if you smoke. Risk factors for breast cancer include:
While there are risk factors you cant control, following a healthy lifestyle, getting regular screenings, and taking any preventive measures your doctor recommends can help reduce your risk for developing breast cancer.
Signs And Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
In its early stages, breast cancer may not cause any symptoms. In many cases, a tumor may be too small to be felt, but an abnormality can still be seen on a mammogram.
If a tumor can be felt, the first sign is usually a new lump in the breast that was not there before. However, not all lumps are cancer.
Each type of breast cancer can cause a variety of symptoms. Many of these symptoms are similar, but some can be different. Symptoms for the most common breast cancers include:
- a breast lump or tissue thickening that feels different than surrounding tissue and has developed recently
- breast pain
- changes to the appearance of the skin on your breasts
- a lump or swelling under your arm
If you have any of these symptoms, it doesnt necessarily mean you have breast cancer. For instance, pain in your breast or a breast lump can be caused by a benign cyst.
Still, if you find a lump in your breast or have other symptoms, you should see your doctor for further examination and testing.
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How A Breast Cancers Stage Is Determined
Your pathology report will include information that is used to calculate the stage of the breast cancer that is, whether it is limited to one area in the breast, or it has spread to healthy tissues inside the breast or to other parts of the body. Your doctor will begin to determine this during surgery to remove the cancer and look at one or more of the underarm lymph nodes, which is where breast cancer tends to travel first. He or she also may order additional blood tests or imaging tests if there is reason to believe the cancer might have spread beyond the breast.
The breast cancer staging system, called the TNM system, is overseen by the American Joint Committee on Cancer . The AJCC is a group of cancer experts who oversee how cancer is classified and communicated. This is to ensure that all doctors and treatment facilities are describing cancer in a uniform way so that the treatment results of all people can be compared and understood.
In the past, stage number was calculated based on just three clinical characteristics, T, N, and M:
- the size of the cancer tumor and whether or not it has grown into nearby tissue
- whether cancer is in the lymph nodes
- whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body beyond the breast
Numbers or letters after T, N, and M give more details about each characteristic. Higher numbers mean the cancer is more advanced. Jump to more detailed information about the TNM system.
Jump to a specific breast cancer stage to learn more:
Special Forms Of Breast Cancer And Carcinoma In Situ
Though they are not specific types of tumors, some special forms of breast cancer are discussed below.
Inflammatory breast cancer is an aggressive form of locally advanced breast cancer.
The main symptoms of IBC are swelling and redness in the breast. Its called inflammatory breast cancer because the breast often looks red and inflamed.
About 1-5 percent of breast cancers are IBC .
Learn more about IBC.
Paget disease of the breast is a rare carcinoma in situ in the skin of the nipple or in the skin closely surrounding the nipple. Its usually found with an underlying breast cancer.
About 1-4 percent of breast cancers also involve Paget disease of the breast .
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Types Based On The Cancer’s Genes Or Hormones
When you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, your doctor will test your cancer cells to see whether they grow in response to hormones like estrogen or progesterone, or if they contain certain genes. These tests help your doctor find the treatment that works best against your cancer.
HER2-positive. About 1 out of every 5 breast cancers tests positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 . This protein helps cancer cells grow. HER2-positive breast cancers are often more aggressive than other types. A group of drugs that include pertuzumab and trastuzumab are effective against these cancers.
Hormone receptor-positive or negative. Some breast cancer cells have areas on their surface that attach to the hormones estrogen or progesterone . These hormones help the breast cancer cells grow:
- ER-positive breast cancers have estrogen receptors.
- PR-positive breast cancers have progesterone receptors.
- Hormone receptor-positive means the cancer has one or both of these hormone receptors.
- Hormone-receptor negative means the cancer doesn’t have ER or PR receptors.
Triple negative. Around 15% of breast cancers are this type. Triple-negative breast cancer doesn’t have receptors for estrogen, progesterone, or HER2. This makes it harder to treat.
Once you learn your breast cancer type, ask your doctor what it means for your outlook and what medicines are available to treat it.
CDC: “How is Breast Cancer Treated?” “Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.”
StatPearls: “Tubular Breast Carcinoma.”
What Are The Different Stages Of Breast Cancer
In addition to breast cancer type, breast cancers are also characterized by their stage. The stage helps describe where the breast cancer has spread in the body, what treatment might be needed, and what the prognosis may be.
There are five stages of breast cancer, from Stage 0-IV. Stage 0 is the earliest stage of breast cancer and means it hasnt spread. Stage IV is the most advanced stage and means the breast cancer is invasive and has spread to other parts of the body.
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What Is Metaplastic Carcinoma
Also known as metaplastic breast cancer, metaplastic carcinoma is a rare type of invasive breast cancer with a unique characteristic: It contains a mix of two or more types of breast cancer cells, usually carcinoma combined with sarcoma. Metaplastic means that one form is turning into another. Various leading-edge techniques are used to analyze the exact genetics and biology of these confused cancers to find out if the tumor is more similar to carcinoma or sarcoma, since these two types of cancer have very different treatments.
Hormone Receptors And Her2 Expression
We reviewed how breast cancer is defined by cell type and whether the cancer is localized or invasive. The hormone receptors that some cancer cells express also play a role in defining breast cancers. These help determine what treatments may be most effective. Breast cancer cells are tested for:
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Estrogen receptors
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Progesterone receptors
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Hormone epidermal growth factor receptor 2
Breast cancers may be positive for any or all of these receptors, or they may be negative for all of these receptors.
Triple-negative breast cancers are negative for ER, PR, and HER2. This occurs in 10 to 20% of breast cancers. Triple-negative breast cancers can be more aggressive and challenging to treat. But chemotherapy can still be an effective treatment option.
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Stage 3 Breast Cancer
- Stage 3A:
- The cancer has spread to 49 axillary lymph nodes or has enlarged the internal mammary lymph nodes, and the primary tumor can be any size.
- Tumors are greater than 5 cm, and the cancer has spread to 13 axillary lymph nodes or any breastbone nodes.
Types Of Invasive Breast Cancer
Figure 4.6 lists the types of invasive breast cancer.
- Invasive ductal carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer . It may also be called infiltrating ductal carcinoma, invasive carcinoma of no special type or invasive carcinoma not otherwise specified.
- Invasive lobular carcinoma is the next most common type .
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Also Check: Anne Hathaway Breast
Life Style And Dietary Cause
Sedentary life style, high dietary intake of fat obesity particularly in postmenopausal women may cause breast cancer. The use of alcohol is also another one cause of breast cancer. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Women who consume two to five alcoholic beverages per day have a risk about one and a half times that of nondrinkers for the development of breast cancer.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Triple negative breast cancer is 3 times negative: the tumor does not grow under the influence of the hormone estrogen the tumor does not grow under the influence of the hormone progesterone the tumor is not HER2-positive
About 15% of breast cancers are triple negative. This species is more common in women of reproductive age.Treatment often consists of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation.
Hormone therapy and most targeted therapies do not work in triple negative breast cancer.A triple negative tumor often grows rapidly and is aggressive.
It also spreads more often and faster than other types of breast cancer. The chance that this breast cancer will come back is also greater. Has the tumor not come back or metastasized after 7 years? Then there is a very good chance that it will not come back or metastasize.
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How Is Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Diagnosed
Same Day Results
At the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, we know how quickly patients want results from a biopsy or scan if there is a suspicion of breast cancer. We follow strict guidelines for biopsies and pathology reports. Most of our patients will receive the probability of cancer immediately following their biopsy procedure and a pathology confirmation within 24 hours.
Learn more about the steps of diagnosis, including:
- Digital mammography
- Biologic targeted therapy
Genetic Variation In Stromal Proteins Decorin And Lumican With Breast Cancer: Investigations In Two Case
The stroma is the supportive framework of biologic tissue in the breast, consisting of various proteins such as the proteoglycans, decorin and lumican. Altered expression of decorin and lumican is associated with breast tumors. We hypothesized that genetic variation in the decorin and lumican genes may contribute to breast cancer.
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What To Know About Breast Cancer Symptoms
The symptoms of breast cancer can vary widely and some types of breast cancer may not have any noticeable symptoms.
Sometimes a lump may be too small to be felt or to cause any changes to your breast or surrounding area. In these cases, cancerous cells are often first detected through screening techniques like a mammogram.
When there are symptoms, they can include:
- a lump or thickening of breast tissue that you can feel with your fingers
- breast swelling or changes to your breast size or shape
- changes to the skin on your breast, such as dimpling, redness, or skin irritation
- the nipple turning inward or nipple pain
- a lump in your underarm area
- nipple discharge other than breast milk
Its important to be familiar with how your breasts usually look and feel. This will help you notice any changes and to follow up with your healthcare professional promptly if anything looks or feels different.
Noninvasive breast cancer develops in the cells of a duct or lobule and remains in that location. Its also referred to as in situ which means in the original place.
There are two types of noninvasive breast cancer:
- ductal carcinoma in situ
- lobular carcinoma in situ
Lets take a closer look at each type.
Nanotechnology In Breast Cancer
The field of nanotechnology has rapidly evolved as evidenced by the fact that there are more than 150 ongoing clinical trials investigating the efficacy of nanotechnology based drug delivery carriers targeting cancer. Various liposomal doxorubicin formulations were developed in an effort to improve the therapeutic index of the conventional doxorubicin chemotherapy while maintaining its anti-tumor activity. For example, the efficacy of three liposomal doxorubicins are currently being used: liposomal daunorubicin , liposomal doxorubicin , and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin . Generally, these agents exhibit efficacies comparable to those of conventional doxorubicin, except with better safety profiles and less cardio toxicity. In addition to liposomal doxorubicin, albumin-bound paclitaxel is another example of an E PR based nanovector application for breast cancer chemotherapy. Paclitaxel is highly hydrophobic and dissolved in cremophor to prevent paclitaxel precipitation. However, cremophor-associated toxicities are severe and challenge the application of paclitaxel. Albumin-bound paclitaxel was developed to improve the solubility of paclitaxel
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Types Of Breast Carcinomas
Within the large group of carcinomas, there are many different types of breast cancer. The first major division is between in situ and invasive carcinoma. In situ carcinoma is “pre-invasive” carcinoma that has not yet invaded the breast tissue. These in situ cancer cells grow inside of the pre-exisiting normal lobules or ducts. In situ carcinoma has significant potential to become invasive cancer, and that is why it must be adequately treated to prevent the patient from developing invasive cancer. Invasive cancers have cancer cells that infiltrate outside of the normal breast lobules and ducts to grow into the breast connective tissue. Invasive carcinomas have the potential to spread to other sites of the body, such as lymph nodes or other organs, in the form of metastases.
Approximately 80% of breast carcinomas are invasive ductal carcinoma, followed by invasive lobular carcinomas which account for approximately 10-15% of cases. Invasive ductal carcinomas and invasive lobular carcinomas have distinct pathologic features. Specifically, lobular carcinomas grow as single cells arranged individually, in single file, or in sheets, and they have different molecular and genetic aberrations that distinguish them from ductal carcinomas. Ductal and lobular carcinomas may have different prognoses and treatment options, depending upon all of the other features of the particular cancer.
Benign hyperplasia of the breast epithelial cells lining the ducts and lobules.
A mass.