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MelissaHardy
Biology1010
April13,2017
BreastCancer:biologicalcomponentsandmore
CanceraswelearnedinBiology1010withMelissaHardy,isthemutationofcellsthat
dividewithoutcontrol.Therearemanydifferenttypesofcancerstodayhowever,becauseof
technologyandmedicationnowadayswecantakeacloserlookateachindividualtypeofcancer
andseethecomponentsbehindthedisease,findcuresortreatmentandgetabetterunderstanding
ofthedisease.Thispaperfocusesonbreastcancer,referstoamalignanttumorthathas
developedfromcellsinthebreast(Breastcancer.org)itisatypeofcancerthataffectsmany
womeneachyear,About1in8U.S.womenwilldevelopinvasivebreastcanceroverthecourse
ofherlifetime.(Breastcancer.org)Breastcancerlikementionedaboveareuncontrolledmutated
cells.Usuallyalumpisfeltoratumorisseenonanxray(cancer.org).Itisimportanttonote
thatlumpsappearonthebreastandmostofthemarenotcancerous.Thereforeyoushouldseea
physicianifyouhaveanyconcernsaboutanylumpsthatyoufeelnearoronyourbreast.
Biologicalcomponents:Breastcancerismainlyduetogeneticabnormalitiesthatresult
withaging.(Breastcancer.org)Therearebasically9stagesofbreastcancer.Fromhavingthe
tumoronlymeasureafewcentimetersindiameter,tohavingitspreadtoothersmallpartsnear
thebreast,uptohavingthetumorexpandgreatlyinsizeandhaveitmovetootherpartsofthe
body.Breastcancercanspreadwhenthecancercellsgetintothebloodorlymphsystemand
arecarriedtootherpartsofthebody(cancer.org,2016
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Havingbreastcancerisnotsomethingyouchoose,likeitmentionsinBreastcancer.org,
somerisksarejustthere,havingapersonalfamilyfemalemember(suchasasister,mother,or
daughter)getbreastcancerincreasesyourriskofdevelopingit,ageisalsoabigfactor,andthere
aremanymorethatcomeintoplaywiththistypeofcancer,however,youcantakepreventative
measuressuchasdoingabreastselfexamination,eatingahealthydiet,doingphysicalactivity
andkeepingahealthyweight.
Treatmentandsideeffects:Likementionedatthebeginning,becauseoftodays
technologyandadvancementinmedicinewearenowabletoofferalotmoretreatmentforbreast
cancerthaneverbefore.Someofthetreatmentsincludesurgery,radiation,hormonaltherapy,
andchemotherapy.(Breastcancer.org)However,justlikeanythingelsethingsalwayscomewith
consequencesorsideeffects.Someofthesideeffectsassociatedwithgettingthesetreatments
includebutarenotlimitedtoadnominalpain,armpitdiscomfort,bruisingandbleeding,delayed
woundhealing,fatigueandfever.Mostofthesethingscanalsobetreatedbutdiscussingwitha
doctoraboutyourspecificsideeffectsisthebestthingtodo.Afterall,everysinglebodyis
different.
Statistics:Accordingto(cancer.net,2016)Itisestimatedthat40,980people(40,450
womenand440men)willdiefrombreastcancerthisyear.Thisisthesecondmostdeath
causingcancerbesideslungcancer.Morbidityratefollowingbreastcancersurgeryislow
accordingto(ncbi.gov).Mastectomycarriedahighercomplicationrateduetoinfectionafter
surgery,whichusuallyafteranysurgerythesusceptibilityforinfectionishigh.
Personalexperience:Mygrandmotherisabreastcancersurvivor.Shehadamastectomy
donefollowedbychemotherapyandnopostoperativeinfectionandtodaysheislivingahappy
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andnormallife.Becauseofbreastcancerhistorythatrunsinourfamilywehavealldecidedto
takethepreventativemeasuresanddoselfexams,visitthedoctorregularlytohave
mammogramsdone,wehavealsoincreasedourexerciseandmaintainedahealthylifestyle.With
thiswehopethatourchancesdecreaseofgettingbreastcancerbutthenagain,wecannotavoid
genetics.
Ithinkitisextremelyimportanttokeepupwithmedicalinformationregardingthistype
ofcancer.Therearemanywomenwhoexperiencethisintheirlifetimeandknowingwhatbreast
cancerisandknowingthetreatmentsarewillhelpushelpthesewomenwiththedifficultjourney
theyarefacingaheadofthem.Notonlywithbreastcancerbutanyothertypeofcancers,people
shouldstayinformedanduptodatewithwhatisgoingon.Maybeonedaywewillfindacureto
suchacomplexityofdiseases.
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Works Cited
U.S. Breast Cancer Statistics." Breastcancer.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017
"Breast Cancer: Statistics." Cancer.Net. N.p., 14 Mar. 2016. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.
"What Is Breast Cancer?" American Cancer Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.