Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Comprehensive Guide
How Is Breast Cancer Diagnosed?
MRI, Mammogram and Ultrasound are usually used to screen for breast cancer.
If these tests are positive women would be referred to a breast specialists, who are experts in diagnosing breast problems or a surgeon. This does not mean that she has cancer or that she needs surgery.
Breast ultrasound equipment that uses sound waves to make pictures, called sonograms, of areas inside the breast.
Mammogram. If you have lumps in the breast tissue or if an area of the breast looks abnormal on a screening mammogram, doctors may have you get a diagnostic mammogram. This is a more detailed X-ray of the breast.
Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a kind of body scan that uses a magnet linked to a computer. The MRI scan will make detailed pictures of areas inside the breast.
Biopsy. For this test doctor removes tissue or fluid from the breast to be looked at under a microscope and do more testing. There are different kinds of biopsies (for example, fine-needle aspiration, core biopsy, or open biopsy).
Thermography
Thermography is a screening procedure in which a special infrared camera that senses heat is used to record the temperature of the skin that covers the breasts. Higher blood supply to the tumors can cause temperature changes that may show up on the thermogram.
Source: cancer.gov
Source: cdc.gov
Staging
If breast cancer is diagnosed, other tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread only within the breast or to other parts of the body. This process is called staging. Whether the cancer is only in the breast, is found in lymph nodes under your arm, or has spread outside the breast determines your stage of breast cancer. The type and stage of breast cancer will help doctors to determine what kind of treatment you need. For more information, visit Stages of Breast Cancer.
Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for Women (National Cancer Institute)
Understanding a Breast Cancer Diagnosis (American Cancer Society)
Source: cdc.gov
Breast Cancer Early Detection and Diagnosis
Breast cancer is often found after symptoms appear. Regular breast cancer screening is so important because many women with breast cancer have no symptoms.
Source: cancer.org
What Is Breast Cancer Screening?
Breast cancer screening means checking a woman's breasts for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the disease. All women must to be informed by their health care provider about the best screening options for them and about the benefits and risks of screening and decide with their health care provider whether screening is right for them—and if so, when to have it—this is called informed and shared decision-making.
Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it can help find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat. Talk to your doctor about which breast cancer screening tests are right for you, and when you should have them.
Source: cdc.gov
Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is an organization of doctors and disease experts who research the best way to prevent diseases and make recommendations on how to avoid diseases or find them early.
The USPSTF recommends that women ages 50 to 74 and are at average risk for breast cancer get a mammogram every two years. Women who are 40 to 49 years old should talk to their doctor or other health care provider about when to start and how often to get a mammogram. Women should weigh the benefits and risks of screening tests when deciding whether to begin getting mammograms before age 50.
Source: cdc.gov
General Information About Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American women.
Different factors may increase or decrease the risk of breast cancer.
Source: cancer.gov
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.
The breast is made up of lobes and ducts. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes, which have many smaller sections called lobules. Lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can produce milk. The lobes, lobules, and bulbs are linked by thin tubes called ducts.
Each breast also has blood and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels carry a watery fluid called lymph between lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that filter lymph and store white blood cells, helping to fight infection and disease. Groups of lymph nodes are found near the breast in the armpit, above the collarbone, and in the chest.
See the following PDQ summaries for more information about breast cancer:
Source: cancer.gov
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in American women.
Women in the United States get breast cancer more than any other type of cancer except for skin cancer.
Breast cancer is more likely to occur as a woman ages. It occurs more often in White women than in Black women, but Black women die from breast cancer more often than White women.
Breast cancer rarely occurs in men. Because men with breast cancer usually have a lump that can be felt, screening tests are not likely to be helpful.
Source: cancer.gov
Adverse Effects of Breast Cancer Screening
The adverse effects of mammography include the following:
False-positive test results can occur. False-positive results can lead to unnecessary extra testing and cause anxiety.
False-negative test results can delayed diagnosis and treatment.
Finding breast cancer may lead to breast cancer treatment and side effects, but it may not improve a woman's health or help her live longer.
Mammography exposes the breast to radiation. Pain or discomfort is present during a mammogram.
Talk to your doctor about your risk of breast cancer and your need for screening tests.
Source: cancer.gov
The Adverse Effects of mammography include the following:
False-positive test results can occur.
Screening test results may appear to be abnormal even though no cancer is present. A false-positive test result (one that shows there is cancer when there really isn't) is usually followed by more tests (such as biopsy), which also have risks.
When a breast biopsy result is abnormal, getting a second opinion from a different pathologist may confirm a correct breast cancer diagnosis.
Most abnormal test results turn out not to be cancer. False-positive results are more common in the following:
For every ten women who have a single mammogram, one will have a false-positive result. The chance of having a false-positive result goes up the more mammograms a woman has. Comparing a current mammogram with a past mammogram lowers the risk of a false-positive result.
The skill of the radiologist also can affect the chance of a false-positive result.
Source: cancer.gov
False-positive results can lead to extra testing and cause anxiety.
If a mammogram is abnormal, more tests may be done to diagnose cancer. Women can become anxious during the diagnostic testing. Even if it is a false-positive test and cancer is not diagnosed, the result can lead to anxiety anywhere from a few days to years later.
Source: cancer.gov
False-negative test results can delay diagnosis and treatment.
Screening test results may appear to be normal even though breast cancer is present. This is called a false-negative test result. A woman who has a false-negative test result may delay seeking medical care even if she has symptoms. About one in 5 cancers are missed by mammography.
The chance of a false-negative test result is more common in women who:
· Are younger.
· Have dense breast tissue.
· Have cancer that is not dependent on hormones (estrogen and progesterone).
· Have cancer that is fast growing.
Source: cancer.gov
Finding breast cancer may lead to breast cancer treatment and side effects, but it may not improve a woman's health or help her live longer.
Some breast cancers found only by mammography screening may never cause health problems or become life-threatening. Finding these cancers is called overdiagnosis. When these cancers are found, having treatment may cause serious side effects and may not lead to a longer, healthier life.
Source: cancer.gov
Pain or discomfort during a mammogram.
During a mammogram, the breast is placed between two plates that are pressed together. Pressing the breast helps to get a better x-ray of the breast. Many women have pain and discomfort during a mammogram. The amount of pain may also depend on the following:
· The phase of the woman's menstrual cycle.
· The woman's anxiety level.
· How much pain the woman expected.
Source: cancer.gov
Why is early diagnosis important?
• Finding the cancer early increases the chances of survival
• Diagnosing cancer before metastasizing too far means that treatment is more likely to be successful
• You know your body best, so talk to your doctor if something doesn't seem right.
Source: cancerresearchuk.org
How early diagnosis can improve survival
Cancer that's diagnosed at an early stage, when it isn't too large and hasn't spread, is more likely to be treated successfully. Below are some examples of how spotting cancer early can make a real difference.
Source: cancerresearchuk.org
Conclusions
In developing countries, only few centers provide early, multimodality protocol-based treatments for breast cancer; thus, most patients with breast cancer receive inadequate treatment due to scarcity of high-quality infrastructure or because of the lack of financial resources. This review highlights that there is a need to emphasize on breast cancer education, promoting early diagnosis of breast cancer, and the provision of more public facilities for breast cancer treatment, which can be expected to bring about the much-needed improvement in breast cancer care in low- and middle-income areas. Research on delay should aim to identify factors in developing countries that can be locally modified to create public policy programs directed to improve breast cancer medical attention to reduce mortality rates.
Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov