Chapter 3:
Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer is one of the most common Cancer that affect women. It happens when cancerous cells in the breast multiply and become tumors. About 80% of breast cancer cases are invasive, meaning the tumor may spread from the area (the breast) into other parts of the body. Women 50 years and older are usually affected by breast cancer, although it also affects women younger than 50.
I got my inspiration do write about this from my stepmom
Types of Breast Cancer include:
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC):
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma is typically diagnosed in women who are 55 and older. It’s the most common form of breast cancer in women. Most times, healthcare givers can cure it if tests detect cancerous tumors before they spread to other areas of your body.
Signs & Symptoms of IDC:
In most cases, these symptoms are visible to the naked eye and are usually spotted under a monogram. Although some are visible
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Swelling of the Breast
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Skin Irritation
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Breast or nipple pain
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Nipple retraction (Turning inward)
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Redness, scaliness, or thickening of nipple or breast skin.
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A lump or swelling in the underarm or breast area
Diagnoses Of IDC:
Diagnosing IDC involves a lot of procedures, including:
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A Physical Breast Scan- Usually, doctors will do more of the deeper checking in the area, because yes, everyone can feel for a lump. Still, doctors have more experience and will understand the situation better. And sometimes they do an ultrasound to show where the tumour is.
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Mammogram- these detect cancer early and make it easier to treat. It’s a low-dose X-ray of the breast, used for early detection and diagnosis of cancer.
Common Types of IDC:
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Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
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HER2+ Breast Cancer
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PR+ Breast Cancer
Triple Negative Breast Cancer:
Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) will be the focus of this chapter, because my stepmother has TNBC so I was inspired to go into more depth with this type of IDC. It is the most aggressive type of invasive cancer. It tends to grow and spread faster, and it won’t only grow in the breast; It will move to the closest lymph node or closest organ. Most TNBC cases are 10-15% of all breast cancer cases. They are more common in women younger than 40, who are Black or have the BRCA1 mutation.
Signs and Symptoms Include:
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A new lump or mass (Most common sign)
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Breast or Nipple Pain
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Breast skin is red, tender, dry, or flaking.
What makes it difficult to treat?
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With normal cases, doctors will look at oestrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and the HER2 protein. For women with TNBC, the process of treatment is usually harder because the cells have already weakened some of the body's tissues.
In my mom’s case, she has TNBC Metastatic (Stage 4 Breast Cancer) is Cancer that has spread (metastasized) from your breast to other parts of the body. It is also not so easy to target because of the rate at which is moves and the host cell is then changed from the transportation to a new location within the body. Unfortunately, there is no cure, but certain treatments allow for recovery. When we found out my mothers cancer came back as metastatic we where all obviously shocked and sad, In the beginning however the doctors said they could start with “Targeted Radiation Therapy”, this type of therapy specifically targets the Cancer Cell, with high radiation waves hitting it. Unfortunately the Radiation did not work because the Cancer had already spread to her Lung, so my mom had to undergo Chemotherapy yet again, but the doctors couldn’t put her on the same Chemo she had done in 2022-2023 because so many problems had arrised during that time, like her having to get a port in her chest because her vein collapsed, and if we did the same treatment which was “The Red Devil” her heart would stop, or collapse, so my mom started a different type of chemotherapy, but unfortunately her body was not fully recovered, so there has been lots of complications with this 2nd round of chemo.
Metastatic Cancer is not very fun, It’s a stressful time for the person diagnosed with said Cancer, and their family which surround them, the last 3 years have been tough for everyone but we are all pushing through.
Thanks for taking the time to read my book, and I hope it gave you an idea of how these diseases work.