Breast cancer. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is so widespread today that it has become almost habitual. And women do not treat breast cancer with the necessary attention. They believe that they will never touch it. And very vain. Unsatisfactory medical statistics say that this disease affects every twentieth woman on the planet. This type of cancer takes a leading place among its "fellow". It is commonly believed that breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women over 50 years of age. However, recently, alas, a new trend has appeared - breast cancer is noticeably "younger" and affects women after 30 years. As you can see, the prospect is not at all iridescent. What to do? Sit, folded and hoping that you will be struck by this attack? And if not? That's why doctors advise a woman to learn as much information as possible about breast cancer. It's not for nothing that there is a proverb that says so. That who is forewarned is armed. Knowing the reasons for the development of breast cancer, its symptoms, you will be able to notice the problem in time. And this is very, very important - after all, the earlier treatment is started, the more chances for complete recovery. 
What causes breast cancer?
Despite the high level of modern medicine,doctors can not reliably establish what exactly causes the development of a malignant tumor of the breast. However, a number of prerequisites have been established that significantly increase the likelihood of breast cancer:
- Bad habits
How many times they repeated the world ... And the Health Ministrywarned ... Smoking and the use of alcoholic drinks influence a status of an organism in the most negative image. Including provoke breast cancer. Therefore, try to get rid of these bad habits as soon as possible.
- Chest trauma
The mammary gland is a very tender substance. And trauma can well lead to the development of malignant education. Therefore, the breast should be protected. As, however, and all other parts of the body.
- Abortion
Doctors trace a clear link between thea woman abortion and the subsequent development of breast cancer. The more abortions - the higher this risk. Especially in the event that the very first pregnancy was artificially interrupted.
- Lactation
It is impossible to overlook the fact of feedingthe chest. Those women who fed their baby are much less likely to develop malignant breast tumors. And the longer breastfeeding lasts, the less this risk.
- Deodorants - antiperspirants
To date, doctors have anothera hypothesis stating that the development of malignant tumors of the mammary glands can develop as a consequence of the systematic use of antiperspirant deodorants.
- Mastopathy
In the event that a woman suffers frommastopathy, she should be especially attentive to her health. With this disease, small nodules begin to form in the mammary gland, reaching their maximum in size before menstruation. However, they can disappear on their own immediately after menstruation. And it is these cells that form nodules that can be transformed into malignant ones. Therefore, the treatment of mastopathy is simply necessary. Do not expect to "maybe" and wait until everything goes by itself. Otherwise, there is a high risk that you will need another treatment - treatment of such an insidious disease as breast cancer. 
Symptoms of breast cancer
Of course, breast cancer, like any otherdisease, does not leak asymptomatically. And it is very important to know these very signs of breast cancer. Knowing the symptoms, you can find the problem in time and seek help from a mammologian.
- Seal in the breast
One of the earliest expressed symptoms of cancerof the breast - compaction. These seals are easy enough to probe even independently. Of course, fortunately, most of all tumors found are benign. Of course, fortunately, this is not cancer. However, in any case, you need to seek medical help as soon as possible. In some cases, benign tumors must be removed. And the sooner this is done, the less damage to the body.
- Allocations
Shortly after the appearance of the tumor, a sick womanmarks allocation from nipples. At first they are very small, but as the tumor progresses, they become more abundant and abundant. It is necessary to resort to special pads for the chest. The color of the discharge can be very different - transparent, purulent, bloody, yellow-green. Soon after the appearance of excretions on the nipples begin to form sores and wounds. If the problem is not noticed in time and breast cancer has become a neglected form, the abrasions turn into extensive ulcerative lesions not only of the nipples, but of the rest of the skin of the breast.
- Change in the breast
The third sign of breast cancer is theirmodification. It changes not only the color of the skin, but also its structure. When you raise your hands over your head, you'll see a kind of "dimple" on your chest. In especially neglected cases, the skin looks like an orange peel, like strongly pronounced cellulite. And sometimes there are no yasochki on the skin, but the skin itself wrinkles. Changing and outlines of the breast - it can become flattened, elongated, or acquire any other shape.
- Nipple Retraction
In a number of cases, the nipple can also strongly change - it is drawn into the mammary gland. And the stronger the defeat, the more it gets drawn.
- Changing the color of the skin
Breast cancer can lead to a discoloration of the skin. It can acquire a wide variety of shades - from light pink to purple. Pay attention - a change in skin color on the breast can occur not only as a result of a malignant neoplasm, but also under the influence of other factors. For example, against the background of taking a pharmacological drug. But in any case, a woman should seek medical help as soon as possible.
- Skin peeling
In some cases, a cancerous tumor can lead to the development of peeling of the skin. Therefore, this phenomenon should also not be ignored - be sure to ask your doctor for help.
- Increased axillary lymph nodes
Practically in all cases of developmentmalignant tumors leads to an increase in lymph nodes in the armpit, from the affected side. Moreover - maybe even a strong swelling of the shoulder. In fairness, it should be noted that these symptoms are very common with the most common lymphadenitis.
- Painful sensations
Sooner or later, but the woman begins to appearpain in the affected thoracic gland. And these painful sensations can be very, very intense. If a woman finds at least one of the above signs, she should contact the doctor as soon as possible. To date, doctors very quickly and reliably establish an accurate diagnosis. In most cases, anxiety is false, and the neoplasm is benign. But in this case, treatment will also be needed. But in the event that it turns out that you have breast cancer, you should not panic. If the disease is detected at an early stage, a safe outcome is almost guaranteed. But in the event that the patient calls for help too late, treatment will be ineffective and avoiding a fatal outcome will be very difficult.
Breast self-examination
As mentioned above, sooner or later signsbreast cancer will make itself felt. But do not wait until the symptoms become too obvious - in this case, every day. The earlier treatment begins, the better for a woman. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt simple methods of self-examination, which every woman can cope with.
- The first stage of the survey
With your hands down, stand in front of the mirror, completelyrelax. Carefully see if there are any changes in the size or shape of the breast. As a rule, they are visible to the naked eye even at the earliest stages of the disease - it is almost impossible to miss them. Then raise your hands above your head and see if the outline of the breast has changed, if there are any bulges or depressions, or wrinkled skin. Check for vaginal discharge. To do this, gently squeeze them. Beware of sharp and rough movements to avoid injuring your nipples.
- The second stage of the audit
After you do a visual inspectionmammary glands, go to the next stage - manual inspection. Raising your hands up one by one, gently probe your chest glands with your fingers. They should have a uniform structure, no seals should be defined. Pay attention to the pain - in the norm they should not be.
- The third stage of the audit
This stage for some reason is oftenundeservedly forgotten - and very vain. Raising her hands, the woman should carefully examine the axillary cavities and mammary glands in the direction from the edge to the nipple. There should be no seals. And probing should be painless. In the event that you find the above symptoms - at least one - immediately consult a doctor, do not "play with fire." After all, at stake is not only your health, but life.
Stages of cancers
It has already been repeatedly mentioned above that thebefore the disease is revealed, the more chances for complete recovery. And when is this the "before"? Let's see what stages of breast cancer have:
- Zero Step
The zero stage is a noninvasive stage of cancer. Malignant tumor is localized exclusively in the mammary gland, without going beyond it. The disease diagnosed at this stage, in all cases, can be successfully cured. However, unfortunately, due to negligent attitude to one's own health at this stage of the disease, a woman rarely seeks a doctor. Although signs of breast cancer can be detected right now.
- The first stage
At this stage, cancer cells begin to affectadjacent to the mammary gland tissue. The size of the malignant tumor at this stage is approximately 2 centimeters. The lymph nodes are not yet affected. Most of all cases of the disease are detected at this stage. The treatment is also quite effective.
- The second stage
Cancer cells in addition to the breast andThe nearby tissues begin to affect those lymph nodes that are located on the side of the same side. The size of the tumor is from 2 to 5 centimeters. Lymph nodes are not welded together by neighboring tissues.
- The third stage
The third stage of the cancer affects the mammary gland itself, nearby tissues, the lymph nodes are welded together. The size of the tumor is more than 5 centimeters.
- Fourth stage
This stage is the most difficult. The tumor begins to spread far beyond the chest - supraclavicular lymph nodes, internal thoracic lymph nodes, axillary region, into the lungs, liver, brain, bone tissue. Unfortunately, treatment at this stage is almost not effective. Of course, treatment can extend the life of a sick woman a little, but it is simply impossible to completely cure breast cancer. 
Diagnosis of the disease
Even if you know all the symptoms of breast cancerglands, it is not necessary to diagnose the disease on your own - immediately consult a doctor. The doctor carefully listens to the complaints of the woman, learns about the family predisposition to various oncological diseases, conducts a manual (manual) examination of the mammary glands and lymph nodes. If necessary, one of the following survey methods will be assigned:
- Mammography
This X-ray examination allowsto detect breast cancer for another 1.5-2 years before a woman and even her doctor can do it. It is safe to say that it is mammography that is currently the most reliable way of early diagnosis of breast cancer. The principle of diagnosing the disease is extremely simple and 100% unmistakable. Virtually all malignant tumors of the breast contain a large accumulation of calcium salts. These salts are formed as a result of the process of cell decay. In the photo, these same clusters are visualized as white dashes. However, mammography can be prescribed not only for the diagnosis of breast cancer, but also for clarifying the stage of the disease. With the help of X-ray study, the size of the tumor is established. Incidentally, the malignancy of the tumor is also easy to establish with the help of mammography.
- Ultrasound examination of mammary glands
Ultrasound examination will allow the doctor to determine the structure of the neoplasm in the breast, the size of the tumor.
- Biopsy
If necessary, after all the abovethe doctor appoints a biopsy. A biopsy is a fence of a small area of the tumor for later laboratory testing. The cells themselves are being examined - they are malignant or benign, from where they come from the lobes of the breast or the milk ducts. In addition, it is determined whether there is an invasion of adjacent tissues. In addition, it is through laboratory testing that it is possible to determine whether the neoplastic cells are sensitive to the influence of hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. In the event that the sensitivity is confirmed, it is possible that the doctor will decide on the appointment of hormone therapy.
Treatment of breast cancer
Once a doctor diagnoses breast cancerhe will select the most suitable treatment for a woman. In the arsenal of modern medicine, there are many different ways to defeat cancer. Which kind of treatment will be chosen depends on many factors, for example, the stage of cancer, the type of cancer cells and other. However, all treatment can be divided into three main types: Surgical treatment Surgical intervention is most often used to treat breast cancer. Although almost always the operation is combined with chemotherapy and / or irradiation. However, surgical intervention is also different. The most sparing is an organ-preserving method, when only the part of the breast that is affected by the tumor is removed. And at the advanced stages of the disease, a mastectomy is performed - complete removal of the breast cancer affected by a cancerous tumor. If the doctors perform complete removal of the breast, then, as a rule, they remove the lymph nodes in the armpits. After all, these nodes in most cases are also affected by a malignant tumor. Pay attention - the removal of these lymph nodes almost always leads to the development of strong swelling of the hand. In order to eliminate this phenomenon, it is necessary to perform special exercises that remove puffiness and restore the mobility of the hand. Very many women panic when they learn about the need to remove the breast. And this is understandable, because the aesthetic side is very much suffering. But for today this defect is very easy to correct - doctors perform a reconstructive operation. For example, the introduction of silicone implants. And the appearance of a woman does not suffer. Radiation therapy In most cases, after surgical removal of a malignant tumor, doctors prescribe a course of radiotherapy to a woman. During this therapy, X-rays are irradiated from tissue sites and lymph nodes, along with which there was a malignant tumor. This measure is necessary in order to destroy the remnants of cancer cells that could remain there and after the operation. Of course, radiation therapy is a serious strain on an already weakened woman's body. Often there are such side effects as swelling of the mammary glands, redness and flaking of the skin, the appearance of blisters in the place of irradiation. In more rare cases, the appearance of symptoms of general malaise - cough, weakness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting. Chemotherapy Do not do without taking medications - mandatory chemotherapy and medications that neutralize the negative effect of hormones. Medicinal preparations should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor - that is why we will not give the names of drugs. Self-treatment can lead to irreversible consequences. Chemotherapy is called drug therapy for malignant tumors. Treatment is carried out with the help of cytostatics - antitumoral pharmacological drugs that negatively affect cancer cells. In the event that a woman has breast cancer, it will be impossible to do without chemotherapy. To date, doctors have used two types of chemotherapy:
- Adjuvant chemotherapy
Such additional drug therapy is prescribed for operable breast cancer. In some cases, chemotherapy may be prescribed before and after surgery.
- Therapeutic chemotherapy
This type of chemotherapy is assigned to thestage of breast cancer, when metastases begin to spread far beyond the breast. The main goal of such chemotherapy is to reduce the size of the tumor. Typically, this therapy is prescribed to reduce the size of the tumor, so that it can be surgically removed. It is very difficult to predict the effectiveness of such treatment - in some cases it is not effective enough. But in most cases, of course, such treatment allows, if not completely to defeat cancer, then to greatly improve the quality of life of a sick person. Although, of course, such treatment has a number of side effects. A sick person is affected by blood cell damage, severe nausea and vomiting, hair loss, weakness. This is due to the fact that drugs in addition to malignant cells affect healthy cells of the body. In conclusion, I would like to remind women again of the need for attentive to themselves. Regularly conduct self-examination of the mammary glands. Do not ignore and visit a mammalogist. A woman under the age of 35 must visit a doctor and do a mammogram once a year. And older women should undergo a full examination once every six months. Be healthy! We advise you to read:
