Trace Breast Cancer Before it’s Too Late.

The second-most frequent malignancy in women is breast cancer (after skin cancer). It’s the most common noncutaneous cancer in women in the United States, with 61,000 in situ cases, 246,660 invasive cases, and 40,450 fatalities projected in 2016. In reality, nearly 100% of women diagnosed with stage 0 and 1 breast cancer had a 5-year survival rate of nearly 100%.

If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, the steps below can help you better understand how to proceed with your treatment.

To obtain a copy of your pathology report, please follow these instructions: Your pathology report, which will detail your diagnosis and guide the course of your therapy, is available.

Understand your diagnosis: Resources like the CAP’s Understanding Your Pathology Report can teach non-medical professionals how to interpret the report, which includes crucial information, including whether a tumor is benign or cancerous, as well as the type, grade, and extent of cancer if it is cancerous. If you have any questions about your report or diagnosis, you can speak with your pathologist.

Investigate your condition: Most breast cancers are easy to diagnose, but some non-invasive tumors (such as ductal carcinoma in situ) might be difficult to detect, particularly in a core biopsy specimen that only samples a tiny portion of the aberrant area. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the difficulty in diagnosing these borderline lesions consistently has been highlighted in the lay press.

Recognize the possibilities: Breast cancer patients should not rush towards therapy. They have time to think about options based on their care team’s experience, such as additional tests and even second opinions. To ensure accuracy in their diagnoses, pathologists go through a series of steps. This includes integrating clinical data from patients, such as imaging results.

How can I lower my chances of developing breast cancer?

Gender, age, family history, genetics, personal history of breast cancer, past chest radiation, menstruation and pregnancy history, race/ethnicity, and certain breast alterations are only a few of the unavoidable risk factors for breast cancer. Women should focus on various modifiable breast cancer risk factors to reduce their chance of breast cancer and live a better life.

How Does Diet Affect the Spread of a Deadly Type of Breast Cancer? 

According to a new multicenter study published today in the medical journal Nature, a single protein building blocks often present in food may hold the key to preventing the spread of an often-deadly type of breast cancer. Researchers discovered that reducing an amino acid called asparagine in laboratory mice with triple-negative breast cancer reduced cancer’s capacity to spread to distant places in the body substantially. To minimize asparagine, the researchers tried a variety of measures, including dietary restrictions.

Dairy, whey, cattle, chicken, eggs, fish, seafood, asparagus, potatoes, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy, and whole grains are all high in asparagine. The majority of fruits and vegetables are low in asparagine.

Birth control drugs influence a woman’s hormones, which can affect her risk of breast cancer. The effects of different forms of estrogen and other hormones used in birth control on breast cancer have been studied, but the results have been mixed. Oral contraception use hasn’t been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer later in life, according to epidemiologic studies. 

While it’s vital to check your breasts weekly for lumps and changes, mammograms are crucial in detecting breast cancer early. A yearly mammogram is recommended for women over the age of 40. Other screening modalities, such as breast MRI and ultrasound, can help women who are at a high risk of getting breast cancer. To find out if you’re at a high risk of having breast cancer, talk to your doctor.