Every year some 58,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, which is the equivalent of one person every 10 minutes. The disease isn’t limited to just women, either, as one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and one in 870 men. However, breast cancer is now a disease that most women (and men) survive, thanks to early detection and treatment.
Breast cancer is divided into non-invasive and invasive types. Non-invasive breast cancer, also known as carcinoma in situ (CIS), is found in the ducts of the breast, where it hasn’t developed the ability to spread outside of the breast. This form of cancer rarely shows up as a lump in the breast, and is usually found on a mammogram. The most common type of non-invasive cancer is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
Invasive breast cancer has the ability to spread outside the breast (although, this does not necessarily mean that it will). The most common form of breast cancer is invasive ductal breast cancer, which develops in the cells that line the breast ducts. Invasive ductal cancer accounts for about 80 percent of all breast cancer cases.
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The fight for Herceptin: A decade on
Herceptin, which is also used to treat stomach cancer, is used to help control the growth of cancerous cells that contain high amounts of HER2 (a type of protein found in all human cells, with the levels of HER2 being unusually high in certain types of cancer). Herceptin works by blocking the effects of the protein and encouraging the immune system to attack these abnormal cells.
Herceptin is used in early HER2 positive breast cancer, following surgery and/or radiotherapy and chemotherapy to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. It’s also used for advanced HER2 positive breast cancer that has spread from the breast (metastatic breast cancer). Herceptin can’t cure metastatic breast cancer, but it can slow the growth and increase survival time.
When the drug was first introduced in 2005, it was only available on the NHS to patients with advanced cancer, despite being proven in global clinical trials to halve the risk of aggressive cancers coming back in early stage breast cancer treatments. However, the drug had yet to be approved by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and approval would take at least a year—meaning that cancer patients would die waiting for this approval. A group of women (who met in oncology departments when battling the cancer themselves) started The Women Fighting for Herceptin campaign, taking on the government to have the drug licensed. They succeeded, and in 2006, all women who needed the drug could be treated with Herceptin.
Since then, the use of Herceptin is being considered for use without chemotherapy. A current study by the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology is evaluating the effectiveness of Herceptin-only treatment in women over 70 years of age. As chemotherapy is a tough and invasive treatment, many women are seeking alternatives especially if they’re in their later years. The trial is conducted to investigate the benefit of Herceptin alone in comparison to Herceptin and chemotherapy combined. This trial is expected to complete in October 2016. [Sources: NHS, Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK]
Symptoms of breast cancer
The most notorious symptom of breast cancer that most women notice is a lump in their breast. However, most breast lumps (90 percent) aren’t cancerous, but should still be checked out by your GP. Other symptoms of breast cancer are:
· An area of thickened tissue in either breast
· A change in the size and shape of one or both breasts
· Discharge from either nipple (which may be streaked with blood)
· A lump or swelling in either of your armpits
· A rash on or around your nipple
· A change in the appearance of your nipple, such as it becoming sunken into your breast
Causes
The causes of breast cancer aren’t fully understood, and it’s difficult to establish why some women develop breast cancer and others may not. There are risk factors, however, that are known to affect your likelihood of developing breast cancer, including:
Age: The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. At the age of 29, the risk of breast cancer is one in 2,000. At age 49, it’s one in 50, and over 70 years of age it’s one in eight. This is why breast cancer screening begins at 50 years of age.
Family history: If you have close relatives who have had breast or ovarian cancer, you may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. It’s not necessarily hereditary, but particular genes (known as BRCA1 and BRCA2) can increase your risk of developing both cancers, and these genes can be passed on from parent to child.
Obesity: If you’ve experienced the menopause and are overweight, you may be at risk of developing breast cancer as it’s thought to be linked to the amount of oestrogen in your body, as being overweight after the menopause causes more oestrogen to be produced.
Alcohol: The risk of developing breast cancer increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Research shows that for every 200 women who regularly have two alcoholic drinks a day, there are three more women with breast cancer, compared to women who don’t drink at all.
OPERA
OPERA, or Online Personal Education and Risk Assessment, enables you to assess your risk of developing cancer based on your family history of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. OPERA is based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, and can be found at macmillan.org.uk
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