Mohd Azwan Bin Mohd Askar D20131063450(Group B)

Lecture Note 3: Cancer (Breast)

Breast cancer starts in the tissue of the breast. There are two main types of breast cancer,
Ductal carcinoma that starts in the tubes and move milk from the breast to the nipple. Lobular
carcinoma starts in the parts of the breast, called lobules which produce milk. Breast cancer is
often first detected as an abnormality on a mammogram before it is felt by the patient or health
care provider. Evaluation can be done through clinical examination, imaging and needle
biopsy. In physical examination, changes in physical findings should be concerned for example
lump or contour change, dilated veins, Paget disease and nipple inversion. Early detection is
the primary defense in preventing breast cancer or known as screening. Screening includes
breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, mammography, ultrasonography and
magnetic resonance imaging.

Cancer can be spread in three ways which through tissue, the lymph system and blood.
For tissue factor, the cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas. Lymph
system is when cancer spreads through the lymph vessels to other parts of body. Blood is when
it spreads through blood vessels to other parts of the body. The grade of cancerous cells can be
divided into three grades. First grade is the cancer cells tend to be slow-glowing and less
aggressive. Second grade is a middle grade and third grade is the cancer cells tend to be fast-
growing and more aggressive.

The treatment for breast cancer can be include surgery, chemotherapy, Radiotherapy
and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used. The
treatments depends on the cancer of size and stage. After that the woman with cancer of
possible age in getting cancer, with or without menopause, ones general health and personal
preferences for treatment. Types of surgery include breast-conserving surgery is an operation
to remove the cancer and some normal tissue around it, but not the breast itself. This type of
surgery may also be called lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, segmental mastectomy,
quadrantectomy or breast-sparing surgery. Radiotherapy uses high-energy beams of radiation
witch focus on cancerous tissue. Hormone treatments works best in women as it include
oestrogen blockers, aromatase inhibitors and Gonadotrophin. Chemotherapy treats cancer by
using anti-cancer medicines which kill cancer cells or stop from multiplying.