Breast Cancer
Can Progesterone Protect
Us Against It ?
"Your mammogram looks suspicious for breast cancer".
" These are indeed some of the most terrifying and upsetting words a woman can hear coming from the lips of her physician.
Those words elicits many fears including those relating to surgery, loss of body image and the loss of her sexuality. It is only by doing some thorough research on the subject that she will be able to make the best decision about her care.
The most common cause of all cancer in women is breast cancer, and it is the 2nd most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women here in the United States. It is a fact that most new cases among women are diagnosed due to the result of some abnormality on the mammogram.
Another warning sign can be a change in the consistency of breast tissue. That is why it is so important to do a monthly self-exam. How many of us women take the time to do that? I will be the first to point a finger to myself.
In the past decades, there has been a heightened awareness of the risk of getting this type of cancer so many more women are getting mammograms.
However, these type of cancer are the leading causes of death in women from the ages of 45 - 55.
Different Stages of Breast Cancer
Research about the causes of has yielded new information that genetic and/or hormonal factors are the main risk for this disease.
They have different stages in order to ascertain just how far the cancer has spread. These are the different stages of breast cancer:
Stage 0 - carcinoma in situ which means it is only in one spot.
Lobular carcinoma in situ. This means that abnormal cells have been found in the lining of one of the lobules. LCIS usually does not become an invasive cancer. However, it may be common to have LCIS in both breasts.
Ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS. This means that abnormal cells have been found in one of the duct linings. This is also known as intraductal carcinoma. If not treated, this type of cancer can become invasive.
Stage I- This is an early stage of breast cancer that is invasive. The tumor is only about ¾" across. This means that cancer cells have stayed within the breast.
Stage II - The tumor is only about ¾" but has spread to underarm lymph nodes. The tumor measures ¾" to 2", and may have spread to underarm lymph nodes. The tumor is larger than 2" and may have spread to underarm lymph nodes.
Stage III- This is advanced cancer that has been localized. It is divided into Stage IIIA, IIIB and IIIC.
Stage IV- This is known as distant metastatic cancer. This means that it has spread to other body parts.
The most common symptoms of breas cancer:
Common symptoms of this type of cancer include, a change in how the nipple or breast feels, a thickening or lump in the underarm area or in or near the breast, nipple tenderness, a change in how the nipple or breast looks, a change in the shape or size of the breast, a nipple that is turned inward into the breast, the areola, skin of the breast or the nipple may be red, scaly or swollen, it may resemble an orange's skin, nipple discharge
Usually early breast cancer does not cause any pain. However, a woman should see her physician if she has any of the above symptoms that do not go away.
How is it diagnosed?
There are a variety of ways in which this disease may be diagnosed.
They are as follows: Medical history--Physical exam--Mammogram--Clinical breast exam--Ultrasound--MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging--Biopsy - Fine-needle or surgical which may be excisional or incisional.
Hormone receptor test
With such advances in diagnosis for breast cancer, screening and treatment of breast cancer the death rate for this type of cancer has decreased by approximately 20% over the last ten years.
Research is ongoing to develop more effective methods of screening as well as treatment programs.
Hormone receptors are just like the antennae or ears on a cell. Estrogen is what tells the cancer cells to begin growing. When the estrogen attaches to the receptors, then the cells begin growing.
After the cancer is taken out, the cancer cells are then tested to see if the hormone receptors are present. If either progesterone or estrogen is present, then it is possible to be treated using hormonal therapy.
The more progesterone or estrogen that is present on those cells, it is more likely that hormonal therapy will be successful against this particular type of cancer.
"Anti-Estrogen Therapy"
If high levels of progesterone and estrogen receptors are present, there is a greater likelihood that this hormonal therapy will be successful. Another name for this type of hormonal therapy is known as "anti-estrogen therapy". The goal of this type of therapy is to starve the cancer cells of the hormone that they live on which is estrogen. Progesterone as well as estrogen travel through the bloodstream and find their receptor sites on both the cancer as well as the healthy cells.
Many beast cancers are dependent upon hormones. This means that the progesterone and the estrogen stimulate their growth by switching on hormone receptors in the cancerous cells. When these hormones are not present, the cancer cells will wither and will usually end up dying.
Progesterone and estrogen play roles in the formation of certain types of this cancer in women.
Estrogen is an extremely important key for any estrogen-receptor (ER) sites in the whole human body and on some cancer cells. The progesterone receptors (PR) can also be involved in switching on the growth of breast cancer cells.
When a cancer only shows a few estrogen receptors or none at all, hormonal therapy is not that effective. However, if there ARE progesterone receptors then hormonal therapy may be helpful.
This article has attempted to discuss the sign and symptoms of this type of cancer, what tests may be involved and how hormonal therapy may be able to reduce some types of this dreaded disease.
Copyright © 2000-2010 Womens Health First All rights reserved
Don't you wish that cancer treatments could be pain free? And that you'd get well and be cancer free? You can have all that and more. Dr. Revici even makes the bones eaten away by cancer grow back. Yes, bones eaten away by cancer return to normal on x-rays. This is the true story of a physician who found himself in trouble for curing his patients of cancer and inventing a new kind of chemotherapy that works without making you sick. Yes, this is a true story....non-fiction that's sometimes wilder than fiction. Amazon.com
Curing Cancer From The Inside Out
deals with the failings of conventional cancer treatments . Amazon.com
