Estimated Reading Time: 2 min
DEFINING BREAST CANCER
Breast cancer begins in the breast and starts with cells in the breast grow out of control. It usually forms a tumour, detectable by an x-ray or felt as a lump in the breast. While it is common in women—men can get breast cancer too. Breast cancer cells may spread to other parts of the body and grow there, too—when a cancer cell does this, it is called metastasis. The starting location of cancer determines its name—for example, even if breast cancer spreads to the bones or any other place of the body, the diagnosis is still breast cancer.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREAST CANCER
There are a variety of breast cancers, and some are extremely rare. Ask your doctor about the kind you have when you are diagnosed with breast cancer. Another name for cancer is Carcinoma.
HOW DOES A DOCTOR KNOW YOU HAVE BREAST CANCER?
A doctor will notice changes in your mammogram. These changes may indicate the first sign of breast cancer. Perhaps you may have found a lump or other changes in your breasts. Your doctor will ask you questions and complete a physical exam to examine lymph nodes under your arm and above your collar bone.
BREAST CANCER STAGING
If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, the doctor will explore how far it has spread. This step in the diagnosis is, staging. Your doctor will want to examine the stage of your cancer to set up the best treatment for you. Stages in breast cancer indicate the spread of cancer throughout the breast, and it also shows whether cancer metastasized to other organs of your body that are close or further away.
Cancer can be in stages 1, 2, 3 or 4—the lower the stage number shows that cancer has not spread too far from its starting point. A higher stage number indicates a more serious cancer that has spread beyond the breast.
Downloadable PDF of Article: Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021
