DRUGS FOR BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
TAMOXIFEN
Tamoxifen is a drug used to treat breast cancer. It was approved by the United States food and drug administration (FDA) in 1998 for the treatment of breast cancer. For years tamoxifen has being used to treat women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, However, tamoxifen carries with it life threaten side effects, including risk of uterine cancer and blood clots. As reported by the United States national cancer institute (NCI) on April 6, 1998.
Tamoxifen is a drug that can prevent breast cancer from reoccurring in women who have suffered from breast cancer in the past. tamoxifen has also be shown to reduced the risk of breast cancer in women caring a mutation in the BRCA2 gene which produces tumors that require estrogen to grow (estrogen is a hormone found in women)
Although tamoxifen does not reduce risk of breast cancer in women caring the BRCA1 gene which producing tumors that is not affected by estrogen.
Tamoxifen may also prevent new cancer from forming in the other breast of the patient. Though tamoxifen is valuable to some patients, doctors are advised by FDA to weigh the benefits and the risk of tamoxifen before the patient can use the drug.
More to come.
RALOXIFEN
Raloxifen is another breast cancer preventive drug; it’s very effective because on like tamoxifen, raloxifen reduces the risk of breast cancer. Interestingly raloxifen is not only effective in the treatment of breast cancer but also in other diseases such as osteoporosis (osteoporosis is the a bone degenerative condition)
Both tamoxifen and ramoxifen belong to new class of drug know as selective estrogen receptors modulators (SERMs). This drug imitates the effects of estrogen. Estrogen which has being linked to breast cancer growth.
Ultimately the use of these drugs depends on the type of breast cancer and the current staging period.
FACTORS THAT COULD INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF BREAST CANCER
1) Advancing age
2) A family history of the diseases
3) A personal history of noncancerous lumps.
4) Giving birth for the first time after 30 years.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
SURGRY AND BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AND BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
There are various forms of breast cancer surgery, treatment, and prevention methods. A few of them are listed below.
1) Simple mastectomy
2) Radical mastectomy or halted radical mastectomy
3) Lumpectomy
4) Prophylactic mastectomy
5) Modified radical mastectomy
SIMPLE MASTECTOMY
Simple mastectomy is a surgery that only the breast cancer is removed.
HALTED RADICAL MASTECTOMY
Radical mastectomy is a surgery that involves the removal of the breast tissue and the muscles surrounding the breast and nearby lymph nodes.
LUMPECTOMY
This surgery removes only the cancerous regions of the breast. This surgery is usually accompanied by radiation therapy. Lumpectomy helps the patient avoid the physical and emotional trauma of removing the complete breast. But this surgery carries with it a risk that all the cancerous cells may not have being removed.
PROPHYLACTIC MASTECTOMY
In this surgery surgeons remove both breasts before any sign of breast cancer is detected. This is done to remove the vulnerable tissue before cancer can emerge.
MODIFIED RADICAL MASTECTOMY
This surgery removes major parts of the cancerous cells and the complete breast affected by cancer along with certain lymph nodes under the arm and the chest muscle lining is also removed by this surgery.
After breast cancer surgery, to kill any cancer cell that remains treatments such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy of radiation therapy. This treatment helps to prevent the re-occurrence of breast cancer in the patient.
CHEMOTHERAPY
Chemotherapy treatment is accomplished by using chemical agents to treat diseases, infections or order disorders especially cancer. Chemotherapy alone or in the combination with other forms of therapy, has achieved significant results against breast cancer ovary and bladder cancer.
More to come.
There are various forms of breast cancer surgery, treatment, and prevention methods. A few of them are listed below.
1) Simple mastectomy
2) Radical mastectomy or halted radical mastectomy
3) Lumpectomy
4) Prophylactic mastectomy
5) Modified radical mastectomy
SIMPLE MASTECTOMY
Simple mastectomy is a surgery that only the breast cancer is removed.
HALTED RADICAL MASTECTOMY
Radical mastectomy is a surgery that involves the removal of the breast tissue and the muscles surrounding the breast and nearby lymph nodes.
LUMPECTOMY
This surgery removes only the cancerous regions of the breast. This surgery is usually accompanied by radiation therapy. Lumpectomy helps the patient avoid the physical and emotional trauma of removing the complete breast. But this surgery carries with it a risk that all the cancerous cells may not have being removed.
PROPHYLACTIC MASTECTOMY
In this surgery surgeons remove both breasts before any sign of breast cancer is detected. This is done to remove the vulnerable tissue before cancer can emerge.
MODIFIED RADICAL MASTECTOMY
This surgery removes major parts of the cancerous cells and the complete breast affected by cancer along with certain lymph nodes under the arm and the chest muscle lining is also removed by this surgery.
After breast cancer surgery, to kill any cancer cell that remains treatments such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy of radiation therapy. This treatment helps to prevent the re-occurrence of breast cancer in the patient.
CHEMOTHERAPY
Chemotherapy treatment is accomplished by using chemical agents to treat diseases, infections or order disorders especially cancer. Chemotherapy alone or in the combination with other forms of therapy, has achieved significant results against breast cancer ovary and bladder cancer.
More to come.
ESTROGEN AND BREAST CANCER
ESTROGEN AND BREAST CANCER
Female secondary sex characteristic in girls at puberty is stimulated by the hormones called estrogen.
Among the better know estrogen estrone, ethnyl, estriol, two synthetic estrogen are respectively five and ten times as potent as estrone, their activities are similar to natural estrogen.
Estrogen in hormone replacement therapy carries risks which include breast or uterine cancer or cardiovascular disease. To be frank scientist are not able to understand at present what causes breast cancer. Studies suggest that several categories of women are at risk of having the disease The categories include.
1) Women with a long menstrual history. That is a menstrual period that started before age 12 after ages 50.
2) Those who never gave birth or who had their first child at 30 years.
Cancer researchers have found that about 5 percent of all breast cancer cases are associated with inherited mutations in genes. These genes include the BRCA2 and p53.
The protein HER – 2 (Also called HER2/ neu) produced by oncogenes is present in about one third of all breast cancer patients.
ESTROGEN AND ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
Women who develop endometrial cancer seem to relate to the estrogen hormone. Early or later menopause increases a women risk of having endometrial cancer probably by increasing the number of years during which the endometrial is exposed to estrogen.
Other things that can increase the risk of women having endometrial cancer include.
1) OBESITY
Obesity also increases the risk of endometrial cancer, probably because excess fat can increase the production of estrogen in a woman’s body.
2) DRUGS:
Drugs used to remedy other cancer related diseases may help increase the risk of women having endometrial cancer. Drugs such as tamoxifene used in preventing breast cancer, acts like an estrogen on cells of the endometrial cancer and raises the risk of endometrial cancer.
More to come
Female secondary sex characteristic in girls at puberty is stimulated by the hormones called estrogen.
Among the better know estrogen estrone, ethnyl, estriol, two synthetic estrogen are respectively five and ten times as potent as estrone, their activities are similar to natural estrogen.
Estrogen in hormone replacement therapy carries risks which include breast or uterine cancer or cardiovascular disease. To be frank scientist are not able to understand at present what causes breast cancer. Studies suggest that several categories of women are at risk of having the disease The categories include.
1) Women with a long menstrual history. That is a menstrual period that started before age 12 after ages 50.
2) Those who never gave birth or who had their first child at 30 years.
Cancer researchers have found that about 5 percent of all breast cancer cases are associated with inherited mutations in genes. These genes include the BRCA2 and p53.
The protein HER – 2 (Also called HER2/ neu) produced by oncogenes is present in about one third of all breast cancer patients.
ESTROGEN AND ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
Women who develop endometrial cancer seem to relate to the estrogen hormone. Early or later menopause increases a women risk of having endometrial cancer probably by increasing the number of years during which the endometrial is exposed to estrogen.
Other things that can increase the risk of women having endometrial cancer include.
1) OBESITY
Obesity also increases the risk of endometrial cancer, probably because excess fat can increase the production of estrogen in a woman’s body.
2) DRUGS:
Drugs used to remedy other cancer related diseases may help increase the risk of women having endometrial cancer. Drugs such as tamoxifene used in preventing breast cancer, acts like an estrogen on cells of the endometrial cancer and raises the risk of endometrial cancer.
More to come
MAMMOGRAM
MA
MA
MAMMOGRAM
In recent times physicians use mammogram to detect and evaluate breast abnormalities mammography is performed on women who do not have symptoms of breast cancer. Mammogram can detect breast cancer in its early stages, and that is when treatment is very effective. The procedure can spot a breast abnormity when it is very small as 0.5 cm (0.2in) the mammogram is beneficial because doctors would not be able to detect a very small emergence of breast cancer which the mammogram can detect.
HOW ACCURATE IS THE MAMMOGRAM
It’s sad to note that mammograms do not always find indications of breast cancer when it is present. Scientist estimate that mammogram miss about 25 percent of breast cancer in women who are 40 to 49 years old and approximately 10 percent of breast cancer in older women. Further, an abnormal mammogram may not necessarily indicate the presence of breast cancer. In fact, only about 3 percent of women aged 40 to 49 years and about 13 percent of women aged 50 to 69 years who have an abnormal mammogram actually may have breast cancer. And in other cases of abnormal mammogram is later identified as a normal tissue.
The inaccuracy of mammogram raises concerns in experts, who wonder about the potential of harmful misleading results the mammogram, gives. As stated earlier a normal mammogram result may show that a patient does not have breast cancer, falsely assuring the patient and which could cause the patient to be less vigilant about any further breast cancer screening. And an abnormal mammogram may result in a woman who may turn out not have breast cancer, but may cause her to undergo unnecessary biopsies and other diagnostic tests. The inaccuracy of the mammogram may cause the patient to experience great anxiety about a mammogram result.
The United States preventive task force and independent panel co-ordinate by the department of health and human services recommends that women have a screening mammogram every one or two years beginning at age 40. Also the American cancer society also recommends that women over age 40 have a mammogram every year.
Doctors advise that, if there is a family history of breast cancer for the patient, she should begin mammography early.
MORE TO COME ON THIS RESEARCH
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)