Cancer is basically uncontrolled multiplication of cells. Once the cells multiply, they also spread to other areas by means of blood or lymph. Breast is one of the common organs affected by cancer and has gained attention. In breast cancer, there is uncontrolled multiplication of the cells within the breast and this usually manifests as a lump.

1. Breast Cancer Detection

2. Breast Cancer Detection
What is breast cancer?
Cancer is basically uncontrolled multiplication of cells. Once the cells multiply, they also
spread to other areas by means of blood or lymph. Breast is one of the common organs
affected by cancer and has gained attention. In breast cancer, there is uncontrolled
multiplication of the cells within the breast and this usually manifests as a lump.
Signs and Symptoms
The commonest mode of presentation of breast cancer is an asymptomatic lump. Most
often, the lump is painless but this is not a deciding factor. Some lumps may be so small
that they may not be felt by the hand and can be seen only on mammogram. On the
other hand, some lumps when ignored, can grow to such an extent that they present
with skin involvement and ulceration.
Screening Tests
In recent years, there has been a lot of emphasis on early detection of breast cancer.
Screening of normal women without any complaints is recommended by way of
mammography. Mammograms can detect lumps that are 1/16th the size of lumps
detected by clinical examination. Annual mammograms are recommended for all
women who have crossed the age of 40.
In younger women, breast ultrasound is preferred as the information given by
mammogram will be less because of the dense breasts.
Early detection of breast cancer in women can increase chances of survival by 98%.
Early screening can be done at Apollo Clinics & Apollo Cradle and this should be
followed up with a visit to our experienced doctors, who can then guide you correctly.
Treatment Options
The treatments available for breast cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
Depending on the stage of the disease any one or combined treatment modalities may
be required. Earlier, the only surgery that was performed for breast cancer was a
mastectomy in which the entire breast was removed. But now, more and more attempts
are being made to preserve the breast in suitable patients. There are many options
available within chemotherapy and radiation also.

3. Risk Factors
We cannot pinpoint specific factors in most women who develop this disease. There are
certain instances of breast cancer running in families, but this does not mean that just
because a close relative has breast cancer, one is likely to get it too. Most women who
have breast cancer do not have a family history of it. If there is an unusually high
incidence of breast cancer within the family then certain genetic tests may have to be
done to look for mutations.
Similarly, there are other risk factors like use of oestrogen replacement pills after
menopause, early menarche, late menopause and not having breastfed children. These
factors too are known to predispose women to breast cancer, but need not be present in
each and every one suffering from this disease.
The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise. Awareness will help women detect the
disease early and reduce the burden of treatment and improve the treatment results.

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