Pagets disease of the breast

January 19, 2018

Pagets disease of the breast: Underlying ductal breast cancer

Pagets disease of the breast. Paget’s (PAJ-its) disease of the breast is a rare form of breast cancer.

Paget’s (PAJ-its) disease of the breast is a rare form of breast cancer. Normally, Pagets disease of the breast starts on the nipple and extends to the dark circle of skin (areola) around the nipple. Even as we discus about this disease, it is important to understand that, there is no relationship between the Paget’s disease of the breast and the Paget’s disease of the bone, a metabolic bone disease. This disease is more common with aging women of age 50. Majority of the patients struggling with Paget’s disease of the breast have underlying ductal breast cancer, either in situ meaning in its original place or, less commonly, invasive breast cancer. Only in rare cases is Paget’s disease of the breast confined to the nipple itself.

Pagets disease of the breast: Symptoms

Paget’s disease of the breast is known to affects the nipple and the skin (areola) surrounding the nipple. Because of the similarities of the symptoms, it’s always easy to mistake the signs and symptoms of Paget’s disease of the breast for skin irritation (dermatitis) or another noncancerous (benign) skin condition. The following are some of the signs and symptoms of Paget’s disease of the breast:

Thickening skin on the breast
Straw-colored or bloody nipple discharge
Redness
Peeling or rough skin on the nipple
Itching
Crusty, discharge or hardened skin resembling eczema on the nipple, areola or both
A stinging or burning sensation
A lump in the breast
A flattened or turned-in (inverted) nipple

The signs and symptoms are usually characterized with just a single breast. As already mention, the disease begins from the nipple and may spread to the areola and other areas of the breast. The skin changes may come and go early on, or respond to topical treatment, making it appear as if your skin is healing. On average, women experience signs and symptoms for several months before getting a diagnosis. Everyone has a duty of being observant about the changes that takes place in the body. in the event that you notice some irritating changes on your breast, like for instance if you experience itching or skin irritation that persists for more than a month, it could be a communication of the formation of this disease. At that very moment, you must act immediately by scheduling an appointment with your doctor.

But for those patient already on treatment for a skin injury on the breast, if the condition doesn’t improves over time, you will need to make a follow-up appointment with your doctor for further professional direction. And depending on the doctor’s examination, a biopsy which is a procedure where a small tissue sample for a microscopic analysis to evaluate the affected area may be recommended.

Pagets disease of the breast: Causes

Finally, the causes of this disease is not very clear scientifically. Nonetheless, the most widely accepted theory is that the disease results from an underlying ductal breast cancer. The cancer cells starts from the original tumor then spread through milk ducts to the nipple and the surrounding skin. And besides that theory is that the disease can develop independently in the nipple.

Pagets disease of the breast: Underlying ductal breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer

January 17, 2018

Inflammatory breast cancer: Blocking the lymphatic vessels

Inflammatory breast cancer causes may not be known, but the risk factors are evident

Like it is with many other cancer, it’s not clear what causes inflammatory breast cancer. Experts across the globe are aware that the genesis of inflammatory breast cancer comes with the formation of an abnormal cell in one of the breast’s ducts. Mutations within the abnormal cell’s DNA facilitates its rapid growth and multiplying into several cells uncontrollably. Scientifically, doctor Akoury MD, President and founder of AWAREmed health and wellness resource center adds that, the numerous abnormal cells penetrate and obstruct the lymphatic vessels in the skin of the breast. The obstruction or blockage in the lymphatic vessels causes red, swollen and dimpled skin which is a classic sign of inflammatory breast cancer. So what are the risks factors?

Inflammatory breast cancer: Risk factors

Factors that increase the risk of inflammatory breast cancer include:

Being a woman – Women are more vulnerable and are likely to be diagnosed with this type of cancer than men nevertheless, this doesn’t exempt men from develop inflammatory breast cancer.

Black skin – Black women have a higher risk of this disease than do white women.

Being obese – Weight management is important as it reduces the risks. Obese and overweight people have higher risk of contracting this disease compared with those of normal weight.

Inflammatory breast cancer: Diagnosis

Tests and procedures used to diagnose inflammatory breast cancer include:

Physical exam – during your regular checkups, your doctor examines the breast to ascertain signs like decolonization of the breast to redness.
Imaging tests – the doctor may recommend a breast X-ray (mammogram) or a breast ultrasound primarily to look for signs of cancer in your breast like thickened skin. Additional imaging tests like MRI, may be recommended in certain situations.
Removing a sample of tissue for testing – a small sample of the affected area of the breast is removed for testing through a procedure known as biopsy. The tissue is analyzed in a laboratory to look for signs of cancer. A skin biopsy may also be helpful, and this can be done at the same time as a breast biopsy.

Inflammatory breast cancer: Determining the extent of the cancer

To ascertain this, more tests becomes necessary. Knowing the extent of the cancer spreading to the lymph nodes or to other areas of your body is essential for treatment. Such tests may include a CT scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan and bone scan. Nonetheless, some tests may not be necessary and therefore, your doctor will identify the most relevant for each patient. Finally, it is out of these tests results that your doctor will determine the stage of cancer and with such information, he/she will be able to put you in the right treatment. And whichever treatment your doctor settles on, you will need all the support from your loved ones and friends. A good health facility to make the treatment friendly. In your quest of looking for the right facility, you can talk to us at AWAREmed health and wellness resource center for real time solutions.

Inflammatory breast cancer: Blocking the lymphatic vessels

Breast cancer types

January 16, 2018

Breast cancer types: Where does breast cancer come from?

Breast cancer types. In fact experts reports that breast cancer occurs when some breast cells grows abnormally

We have several breast cancer types and each of them is a threat to life. There are many types of breast cancer. Some are more common than others, and there are also combinations of cancers. We will look at several types of breast cancer but for now let’s look at where the disease come from. Experts have established that breast cancer occurs when some breast cells grows abnormally. Such cells multiplies very fast than healthy ones and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass. Speaking to doctor Dalal Akoury MD, President of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, she adds that, the growth of such cells in the milk-producing ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma). This can also begin in the glandular tissue called lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) as well as in other cells or tissue within the breast.

Breast cancer types: Inherited breast cancer

It is estimated that up to 10% of breast cancer linked to gene mutations passed through generations of a family. The inherited mutated genes like gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which significantly increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. Therefore, if you have breast cancer history in your family, it may be necessary that you take a blood test to help identify specific mutations in BRCA or other genes that are being passed through your family. The following are some common types of cancer:

Ductal carcinoma in situ: The most common type of noninvasive breast cancer is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). This type of cancer has not spread and therefore usually has a very high cure rate.

Invasive ductal carcinoma: This cancer starts in a duct of the breast and grows into the surrounding tissue. It is the most common form of breast cancer at about 80%.

Invasive lobular carcinoma: This starts in the glands of the breast that produce milk. Approximately 10% of invasive breast cancers are invasive lobular carcinoma. The rest of breast cancers aren’t common and may include:

Mucinous carcinoma are formed from mucus-producing cancer cells. Mixed tumors contain a variety of cell types.
Medullary carcinoma is an infiltrating breast cancer that presents with well-defined boundaries between the cancerous and noncancerous tissue.
Inflammatory breast cancer: This cancer makes the skin of the breast appear red and feel warm (giving it the appearance of an infection). These changes are due to the blockage of lymph vessels by cancer cells.
Triple-negative breast cancers: This is a subtype of invasive cancer with cells that lack estrogen and progesterone receptors and have no excess of a specific protein (HER2) on their surface. It tends to appear more often in younger women and African-American women.
Paget’s disease of the nipple: This cancer starts in the ducts of the breast and spreads to the nipple and the area surrounding the nipple. It usually presents with crusting and redness around the nipple.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma: These cancers have both glandular and cystic features. They tend not to spread aggressively and have a good prognosis.
Lobular carcinoma in situ: This is not a cancer but an area of abnormal cell growth that can lead to invasive breast cancer later in life.

Breast cancer types: Where does breast cancer come from?

Ductal carcinoma in situ

January 16, 2018

Ductal carcinoma in situ: The earliest form of breast cancer

Ductal carcinoma in situ is the presence of abnormal cells inside a milk duct in the breast.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the presence of abnormal cells inside a milk duct in the breast. It is believed to be the earliest form of breast cancer in history of the disease. DCIS is noninvasive, meaning it hasn’t spread out of the milk duct to invade other parts of the breast. Doctor Akoury MD and President of AWAREmed health and wellness resource center explains that, this problem becomes evident during a mammogram done as part of breast cancer screening in women. Today the much awareness of the need to have screening done regularly, the rate at which DCIS is diagnosed has increased dramatically in recent years. DCIS is not life-threatening and therefore, treatment has been very effective using breast conserving surgery and radiation.

Ductal carcinoma in situ: Symptoms

In most cases, you will not see any sign or symptoms with DCIS nevertheless, it can sometimes cause signs and symptoms like a breast lump or bloody nipple discharge. And though signs may not be there, regular cancer screening is still very important. You can visit your doctor from time to time or when you notice any change in your breasts like a lump, an area of puckered or otherwise unusual skin, a thickened region under the skin, or nipple discharge.

Ductal carcinoma in situ: Causes and risk factors

It’s not clear what causes DCIS, but normally it forms when genetic mutations occur in the DNA of breast duct cells. This causes the cells to appear abnormal, though not able to break out of the breast duct. Factors that may increase DCIS risk may include:

Using a combination of estrogen-progestin hormone replacement therapy for more than three to five years after menopause
Personal history of benign breast disease, such as atypical hyperplasia
Obesity
Old age
Genetic mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer, such as in the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2
First pregnancy after age 30
Family history of breast cancer

Diagnosis

Breast imaging – DCIS is most often discovered during a mammogram used to screen for breast cancer. If suspicious areas such as bright white specks (microcalcifications) that are in a cluster and have irregular shapes or sizes are identified on your mammogram, your radiologist likely will recommend additional breast imaging.
Removing breast tissue samples for testing – To do this, you may undergo one or more types of breast biopsy procedures like:
Core needle biopsy – A radiologist or surgeon uses a hollow needle to remove tissue samples from the suspicious area, sometimes guided by ultrasound. The tissue samples are sent to a lab for analysis.

Stereotactic biopsy – This type of biopsy also involves removing tissue samples with a hollow needle, but with the help of stereo images, mammogram images of the same area obtained from different angles to find the area of concern.

Surgical biopsy (wide local excision or lumpectomy) – If results from a core needle biopsy or stereotactic biopsy show areas of DCIS, you’ll likely be referred to a surgeon to discuss your options for surgically removing a wider area of breast tissue for analysis.

A pathologist will analyze the breast tissue from your biopsy to determine whether abnormal cells are present and how aggressive those abnormal cells appear. If your mammogram showed microcalcifications, the pathologist will examine the biopsy sample for those abnormalities and give an opinion.

Ductal carcinoma in situ: The earliest form of breast cancer

Alcoholism threats

January 15, 2018

Alcoholism threats: How long does alcohol effects last?

Alcoholism threats are not just threats to be taken lightly.

It may be true that people responds differently to alcohol, but that does not reduce the level of alcoholism threats in any way. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center agrees that the dangers increases with the consumption speed. How fast one get drunk, and how long it will take them to get sober is very key. Besides that, the variance will depend on:

The quantity one consumes
The consumption speed. That is how fast one swallows the drinks.
Gender is another factor. Both genders are affected differently.
How tired you are at the point of consumption
Drinking on an empty stomach. This is a death trap as it affects negatively.
The kind of drugs you are using at the time of consumption.
Your body type, the effects of alcohol in your body may be different from that person struggling with his or her weight.

The bottom line of all these alcoholism threats lies on the quantity you consume. It may not matter the type or brand of alcohol you prefer. So long as there is alcohol content in it, if you take it consistently and excessively, you are most likely to suffer the bigger consequences in the long run.

Alcoholism threats: The dangers and the law

Though there are some negligible benefits of alcohol use, I do not want to encourage you to look into that direction. Excess consumption of alcohol has serious repercussions. Some of the short term experiences may include hangover, headache, feeling sick generally, vomiting and shakiness. But the real dangers are life threatening. The alcoholism threats are majorly on the following areas:

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: It is advisable that any woman who is planning to get pregnant or is already pregnant, should talk to her doctor about alcohol and other drugs promptly. This will help the upcoming mothers make the right decisions and prepare for the baby well. One fact that we should register in our minds about alcohol consumption is that there is no known safe level of drinking for a pregnant. A woman who drinks during pregnancy is more likely to have:

A miscarriage
To have the baby born prematurely
To have the baby born dead
To have other problems.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy may cause the baby to be born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). It simply means, the baby may have physical abnormalities, behavior problems and other difficulties. Breast feeding mothers who are alcoholic can also passed alcohol contents to their innocent babies through the mammary gland milk. This is dangerous and will adversely effects the baby’s feeding, its sleep and the general development of the baby.

Finally, alcohol being very dangerous and addictive. And because of this, prompt action must be taken to correct any harms generated immediately. To give you a helping hand, we urge you to get in touch with us at AWAREmed health and wellness resource center today for the commencement of your recovery process.

Category Archives: addiction