Breast Cancer By: Christen Scott

Outline What is Breast Cancer Risk Factors Types of Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Genes Detection Treatment New Ideas

What is Breast Cancer A disease in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer can invade nearby tissues and spread through the bloodstream to lymphatic system and to other parts of the body.

Statistics of Breast Cancer One in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. Over 150,000 will be diagnosed and nearly 40,000 will die a year. Breast cancer accounts for 29% of all cancers in women. Less than 1% of all breast cancer cases occur in men.

Risk Factors: Everyone is at risk of breast cancer; even men. Strong family history or a personal history of breast cancer. Early menarche or late menopause First full pregnancy after the age 30. Long-term estrogen therapy Other factors that can be included are high fat diet and alcohol use. The extent of their relationship to the onset of breast cancer remains unclear.

Types of Breast Cancer Two most common types of breast cancer are: Ductal Carcinoma Lobular Carcinoma

Picture of the Breast Carcinoma in situ Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma Infiltrating Lobular Carcinoma

Breast Cancer Genes Breast Cancer Gene 1 (BRCA1), is located on chromosome 17. The function of BRCA1 is to suppress tumor growth, so women with a mutation have about 80-85% chance of developing cancer

Breast Cancer Genes BRCA2 is located on chromosome 13, more closely linked to cancer in men. Men who have a mutated BRCA1 aren’t more likely to get breast cancer but can pass it on to his daughter.

Ways to Detect Breast Cancer Early Detection is the key for cure. Visible changes Self Breast Exams Mammograms Visible Changes: lump, thickening, swelling, skin irritation, scaliness, pain, tenderness of the nipple of discharge. Breast Self-examination: This can be done at home. And if anything is found it should immediately be reported to your physician. Mammograms is a special X-ray technique that us used to visualize soft titissures of the breast as a means for screening women for breast cancer. n x-ray technician positions your breast between two plastic plates which compress(squeeze) it. Compression is not dangerous, but it is necessary to get a good picture of the breast. This may cause discomfort in some women, but it does not damage the breast tissue in any way, neither does it produce any lasting discomfort. Two x-rays are taken of each breast during the mammogram--one from above and one from the side. A specially trained doctor, a radiologist, reads the mammogram to see if any suspicious areas exist.

Picture of Mammogram

Treatments Type of treatment used varies on the type and stage of the disease at diagnosis Chemotherapy Surgery Radiation Herceptin

Chemotherapy Usually used for patients with the risk of metastases. Acts like an antibiotic; prevents cells from replicating DNA. Can destroy cancer cells but also kill many normal healthy cells; this brings upon side effects. Some tumors are able to survive chemotherapy, similar to bacterial resistance Chemotherapy drugs are most Commonly administered are are alkylating agents, antimetabolites, antitumor antibiotics,or vinca alkaloids. Side effects of the drugs may include: fatigue, weight gain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bone marrow suppression, or menopausal sysmptoms.

Surgery Partial Mastectomy Modified Radical Mastectomy Excision of the tumor and part of the lymph node. Modified Radical Mastectomy is the removal of the whole breast plus the lymph node

Radiation Radiation is given for local tumor control; usually after surgery. Can be applied before surgery to try and shrink the tumor and make it easier to operate. Side effects- skin reactions, changes in sensation,color and texture of the skin, and breast swelling. Conformal radiation- allows for surgeons to direct radiation beam so thy can target the tumor more directly, avoiding any harm to neighboring tissue. It conforms to the shape fo the tumor. The plan maximizes the amount radiation applied to the tumor and minimizing the amount of radiation to surrounding tissue.

Herceptin Used for those that are predisposed to breast cancer genetically May be able to help one out of three women with breast cancer Designed to treat those who are affected with too many copies of HER-2/neu gene. (most likely to relapse) The herceptin antibody targets the receptor. It is a monoclonal antibody.. The blocking of the HER-2/neu receptor prevents the activation of growth hormones. Physicians have found combining these therapies work the best to fight cancer. With using surger, radiation and chemchemotherapy it improved the cure rated and has made radical mastectomies unnecessary.

New Ideas Conformal Radiation Regional gene therapy using a radiation-inducible gene A new drug called immunoliposomes Tamoxifen-type of treatment and being used for preventive measure

Any Questions?