Understanding cancer
Breast cancer
Grateful thanks for your ever cheerful and friendly welcome every time I came for treatment. It has made the whole experience so much better.
One in twelve British women develop breast cancer, making it the most common cancer affecting women in the UK. If left untreated, breast cancer can spread to form secondary tumours in other parts of the body, such as in the bone, liver, lung and sometimes the brain.
Breast cancer grows very slowly, with most tumours taking up to five years to reach one centimetre. Early diagnosis often means the cancer can be cured completely and any spread to other parts of the body prevented. It is therefore important to watch out for the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Signs and symptoms
Most types of breast cancer appear as lumps in the breast, but you should see your doctor if you find any of the following symptoms:
- lump in the breast
- change in shape or size of the breast
- change in the appearance or feel of the skin on the breast
- rash on the nipple
- discharge from the nipple
- inverted nipple (turned in nipple)
- lump or swelling in your armpit
Most lumps in the breast are non-cancerous (benign), but you should not wait before you see your doctor if you notice any unusual changes in your breasts.
Diagnosis
Breast cancer is often discovered while bathing, as a painless lump in the breast, or during routine mammography screening.
If you are suspected of having breast cancer, an initial assessment includes careful examination of the breast to assess the size and location of the tumour. The lymph nodes in your armpit and other areas around your breasts will also be examined to see if the cancer has spread.
Following the initial assessment further tests are likely to include:
- mammography - a low dose x-ray of the breast, usually used for women over 40
- ultrasound – to check if the lump is a solid tumour or acyst filled with fluid
- biopsy - taking a sample of the tumour for testing
- blood tests
Other tests may include liver function tests, chest x-rays and bone scans.
Breast cancer treatment
The main breast cancer treatment for most women is surgery. In previous years this frequently meant a mastectomy, which is complete removal of the breast and sometimes surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. Now surgery for breast cancer treatment is more often used to remove only the tumour and a small margin around it.
Radiotherapy for breast cancer is given after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells and prevent the cancer returning. The dose and area targeted will depend on the size and nature of the tumour. If it is small just the breast tissue may be targeted. If it is larger or has spread, the chest and/or lymph nodes may also be treated.
Breasts can be more difficult to treat with radiotherapy than other tissues in the body due to their unusual shape in three dimensions and the variation between women. It is important that radiotherapy is delivered accurately, to avoid later side effects including fibrosis. The latest advancements in radiotherapy including intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) enable extremely accurate targeting of treatment areas.
Chemotherapy may also be given after surgery to treat any remaining cancer. It may be used to treat a known secondary tumour or to ensure that any cells that may have been left behind after surgery are destroyed. This second type of chemotherapy, where there are no known cancer cells remaining, is called adjuvant therapy. It is extremely effective at ensuring the cancer does not return.
For some types of breast cancer, hormone treatment may also be given for a number of years following surgery.
Cancer Partners UK offers breast cancer treatment using external beam radiotherapy. We use the latest advancements in radiotherapy technology to increase the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment and reduce side effects.
Find out more about the cancers we can treat using intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image guided radiotherapy (IGRT).