Breast Cancer - Hereditary Breast Cancer

Cancer involves mutations, or changes, in genes. In most people affected by cancer, these genetic changes happen after birth later in life. In Hereditary Cancer, the cancer is caused by a genetic mutation that the person was born with. Some cancers, such as breast, ovary and colon tend to be hereditary, but that doesn't mean that you will develop a cancer in one of these areas if you have an immediate family member that has experienced the disease. Not all genetic mutations will develop into cancer, however, the mutation will increase the chance that the person will have a higher risk of developing cancer.

Only 10% of all breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary. Some of the factors that increase the occurrence of hereditary breast cancer are breast cancer before age 45, male breast cancer, cancer in both breasts and many cases of breast and/or ovarian cancer on one side of the family. If you have two relatives from the same side of your family with breast cancer, your risk of getting the disease can be increased. However it does not mean that you will definitely get breast cancer. You also must keep in mind that the risk for hereditary cancer can be passed on from your mother or your father. You must look at both sides of the family.

The two hereditary mutations that are looked at for breast cancer are BRCA1 and BRCA2. The test for these two genetic factors are done by taking a blood sample. Both of these BRCA mutations (BReast CAncer 1 and 2) are associated with breast and ovarian cancers.

So what factors should you consider when thinking about genetic testing? The age and onset of breast cancer. What other types of cancer are present. What other family members have/had cancer and their relationship to you. When you meet with a genetic counselor, they will go over your family's medical history and information. This will include first-degree relatives, such as your parents, siblings and children. second-degree relatives like grandparents, aunts and uncles and your third-degree relatives or cousins.

Genetic testing can help a breast cancer patient make decisions about types of treatment and follow-care. A woman with the one of the BRCA mutations may decide to have both breasts removed completely to help reduce the risk of reoccurrence. Having your healthy breasts or ovaries removed to prevent cancer is called a "prophylactic surgery" and many women who test positive for the genetic mutations decide to go that route. They may just decide to take Tamoxifen to lower their risk.

Not only can women take advantage of risk reduction techniques based on the results of their genetic testing, there are also increased surveillance tools that can help high risk individuals with early detection. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and ultrasound are two tools that can be combined with a mammogram to detect breast cancer in its most treatable stage.

Not every person who carries a genetic mutation will develop cancer. You must remember that genetic testing does not detect breast cancer and it will not tell you if you will get breast cancer in your lifetime. The decision to participate in genetic testing is very personal and there is no right or wrong choice in making the decision to have it done.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Breast Cancer

Breast Surgery for People with Breast Cancer

In this article we will look at the different types of breast surgery that you may be offered if you have breast cancer.

However before any operation takes place the surgeon will talk to you and discuss with you the most appropriate type of surgery for your particular case of breast cancer.

It should also be remembered that no surgery will take place prior to you consenting to it.

Where breast surgery is concerned the type of surgery that will be performed depends on the size of the cancer in your breast, whether it has spread to any other parts of your body and also personal preference.

However, if your cancer has already been diagnosed then your surgeon will talk to you about the type of surgery that you will need. Although there may be times when the surgeon can not make a decision on what type of surgery he carries out as they do not have a definite diagnosis on the type of cancer that you have. Therefore they may need to carry out a small operation to remove some of the lump in order to examine under a microscope before taking the rest out.

The types of breast surgery that you may have are as follows:

1. Mastectomy - Removal of the whole breast.
2. Lumpectomy or Wide Local Excision - Where only the lump is removed from the breast.*
3. Segmentectomy - This where just part of the breast is removed.*

*These second two options are also known as conservative surgery.

In some cases a patient who has had breast surgery for cancer may need to under go radiotherapy afterwards and this is particular true for those who have either a lumpectomy or Segmentectomy surgery. This lowers the risk of that patient having their cancer returning as it will hopefully kill off the rest of cancer cells if any left after the surgery has taken place. Whilst in other cases patients who have had a mastectomy may find that they are having radiotherapy to the lymph nodes above the collar bone to make sure that all cancerous cells have been removed. Normally the surgeon will discuss what kind of treatment you will have with the radiotherapist once the results from the surgery are back. Unfortunately not radiotherapy treatment can be planned until after the operation has been carried out.

There are many reasons as to why a surgeon will recommend a particular kind of breast surgery, but they will try their utmost to follow a patient’s wishes. In some cases some women would like to keep their breast at all costs, whilst others may prefer to have a mastectomy (because they feel that once the breast is gone the cancer will be gone also) or it is because the do not wish to have radiotherapy. In fact a great deal of research has been carried out and has proved that there is no difference in the outcome whether a patient has a mastectomy or conservative surgery with radiotherapy instead. In fact it has been found that both forms of treatment work equally well in treating breast cancer.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://surgery.health-g8way.com where you can find out more basic information on different types of surgery including other types of breast surgery.

Breast Implant Dangers And Natural Breast Enlargement

Some women who want bigger breasts opt for breast implant surgery. Often women decide it is right for them without looking at the unsettling facts about breast implant surgery. They also do not realize that there are all natural treatments to achieve the same effect they want, without having surgery.

Did you know that about 3% of all breast implant surgery patients experience at least one of their implants being deflated within three years of the surgery?

The main problem with breast implants (gel implants or the newest saline implants) is that they can break, or leak. Now this is not a problem with the newer saline implant because the salt water will just be absorbed by the body. It will still need to be replaced however.

Older gel implant breakage can cause one of two problems. If enough time has passed since the surgery for a contracture scar to develop around the implant (a normal healing process) then there won’t seem to be any problems. However if the contracture scar is not completely developed, or not in the right area, then the gel from the implant can seep into other parts of the body.

In this case, the woman will feel as if her breast implant is actually leaking. If the gel has leaked to other areas of the body, it may be impossible to remove all of the leaked gel. This leakage can stay in the body for years and is thought to be the cause of joint problems later in life. Again, in either case here, the implant must be removed permanently or replaced.

What causes a breast implant to break or leak?

Many things can cause a sensitive gel or saline breast implant to break or leak. These include overfilling or underfilling the implant with saline solution (only for saline implants), capsular contracture (tightening of the implant from body’s natural healing process), the doctor squeezing too hard in a mammography exam, normal aging of the implant (normally it will have to be replaced at some future time), injury to the breast, and other unknown or unexplainable reasons.

Women interested in breast enlargement should consider all natural options before choosing surgery. Some women may not be able to afford a $5,000 surgery.

There are now herbal breat enhancement supplements and exercise programs to enlarge, enhance, and lift up a woman’s breasts to the desired effect.

All natural herbal ingredients in products like Breast Gain Plus have been used for centuries to give women the necessary nutrients for healthy lactaction and breast milk, a more attractive and satisfying bustline.

The dangers of breast implant surgery are becoming the number one reason why more and more women are turning to natural breast enhancement products to achieve the same or even better results.

Sandra Richardson is a nutritionist who writes about women's health issues. You can read more about natural breast enhancement by visiting her women's health website at http://www.BreastEnhancementNow.com

Prevent Ductal Breast Cancer By Regularly "Draining" Or "Pumping" A Women's Breast Ducts

My wife's bout with ductal breast cancer led me to theorize that this epidemic may have a simple common denominator and that some simple oversight in the general population could be a contributing factor.

A plastic surgeon had removed fluid buildup from her ducts months AFTER her surgery. I wondered if its possible that this accumulation of fluid is the cause of many of these types of cancers and if a plan to regularly DRAIN these ducts could prevent ductal cancer. It is the same idea as toxic materials in the colon being a possible cause for colon cancer and another application of the addage that "CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS". It is easy to grasp that just keeping all of our "plumbing" clean could contribute to avoiding many illnesses.

I also found out that this is not such a far fetched proposition. I had read that Dr. Susan Love was an advocate of giving chemotherapy right into a women's ducts as a treatment for ductal cancer. But this is again after the fact and I believe that the PRIORITY should be prevention. I also learned that there is a procedure called "LAVAGE" where fluid from the ducts is tested for early signes of cancer but that this is a rarely used procedure and is not yet suggested as a possible part of a system of regular maintenance.

It seems logical to extend these protocols to their next level and investigate a program of maintenance involving the REGULAR draining and pumping of the fluid from a women's breast ducts could help to prevent ductal breast cancer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leon_Maliniak

 

Hypnosis Complements Breast Cancer Treatment and Breast Surgery

If you are scheduled for breast surgery (biopsy, lumpectomy or mastectomy) or you are undergoing post-surgical breast cancer treatment, hypnosis is an excellent complementary therapy that can enhance the positive effects of various therapies.* Using hypnotherapy in combination with your medical breast cancer treatment will make you feel more empowered and in control of your care, and it will help you maximize your overall wellness.

The power of the subconscious mind can be a potent ally in healing from surgery and recovering from breast cancer, for it is the subconscious mind that controls automatic body processes, including immune function and pain perception. Additionally, the subconscious mind is the source of all emotions, which also makes hypnosis a logical choice for dealing with the emotional aspects of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Hypnosis for breast cancer treatment can help with the following issues:

Pre-Surgical Preparation: Numerous studies in medical journals have shown that people who prepare for surgery using hypnosis generally have fewer complications, heal faster and have less post-operative pain. Hypnosis will help you feel calm, relaxed and positive before, during and after surgery. Usually, the hypnosis therapy is geared toward making positive suggestions to your subconscious regarding your surgery and its outcome, as well as teaching you how to effectively manage pre-surgery stress.

When we see pre-surgical clients in our hypnosis practice, we give them a CD to play before and immediately after surgery (and with headphones during surgery, if their surgeon permits). The CD contains soothing music, relaxing imagery and positive suggestions to reassure the client's subconscious mind that the surgery will go smoothly and that their body will heal quickly, with as little discomfort as possible.

The results of pre-surgical hypnosis can be quite amazing. Patients frequently report that they needed very little pain medication and that they were back on their feet very quickly after surgery. I recently spoke with a client with whom I had worked before her major abdominal surgery. After her surgery, her surgeon told her he would order a narcotic pain killer. She told him to hold off on the narcotics because she was not in much pain. In fact, she required only ibuprofen and she was up and walking around just two hours after her surgery! Needless to say, her doctor was amazed.

Any surgery can be stressful, but breast surgery that may indicate a need for follow-up breast cancer treatment can be extremely stressful for any woman. In our practice, hypnosis for breast cancer surgery focuses specifically on this extreme stress. The calmer you stay before the surgery, the more resources your body has to heal itself as quickly as possible.

Follow-Up Treatment If Cancer Is Detected: If you require follow-up radiation and/or chemotherapy as part of your breast cancer treatment, hypnosis can teach you how to feel more relaxed and manage your stress. A growing body of evidence suggests that chronic stress and the cascade of stress hormones it produces can interfere with the proper functioning of the immune system. An immune system which is as healthy as it can be (given the specific treatment) is critically important during breast cancer treatment.

When we work with breast cancer clients in our practice, we teach them relaxation, self-hypnosis and stress management techniques. We also teach our clients how to use mental imagery to encourage their immune system to work together with their medical therapies in order to maximize the benefits of their breast cancer treatment. For example, we may teach a client to visualize her immune system attacking and killing the cancer cells, or surrounding and transforming the cancer cells into something harmless. The visualization work for each client's breast cancer treatment is always tailored to her needs and the way her imagination works.

If your breast cancer treatment creates side effects, including nausea, hypnosis can help you minimize those side effects. And if your breast cancer treatment creates body image issues, hypnosis can also help you feel good about your body again. Each woman is different, both in her needs and in her physical and emotional reactions to the breast cancer treatment and its side effects. Accordingly, each woman's hypnosis sessions will need to be tailored specifically to her requirements and goals.

Whether you are scheduled to undergo breast surgery to determine if you need follow-up breast cancer treatment, or you are already undergoing breast cancer treatment, hypnosis can complement your medical treatment in multiple ways.

*Hypnosis is not a substitute for medical breast cancer treatment. Rather, it is an excellent complement to standard medical breast cancer treatment. Hypnosis works with doctors, not against them. Do not discontinue medical breast cancer treatment when you begin hypnotherapy.

Loretta Sernekos, Ph.D., is a Certified Hypnotherapist in private practice in Cherry Hill, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. You can visit her hypnosis practice website at http://sghypnosis.com for more information and audio podcasts. For additional hypnosis information and articles, both modern and antiquarian, visit http://hypnosisgateway.com.