Breast Cancer, Will There Ever Be a Cure? Essay Example

Breast cancer is a common and feared type of cancer by many women. While the effects are not as devastating as in previous years, it is still a prominent medical topic for many.  Awareness and support for breast cancer continues, as does methods for treating the feared cancer.

Description

Breast cancer is a type of cancer which develops in the breasts of men and women, though it is much more common in women.  After skin cancer, it is the most common type of cancer that is diagnosed in women in the United States.  Improved methods and support for fighting breast cancer has led to better survival rates.

Causes

It is not clear as to the cause of breast cancer.  For some genetics plays a factor in the risk of breast cancer, yet this is not a major factor in most cases.  Other than the abnormal growth of breast cells, there is not clear indication of the major causes of breast cancer.

While there are no known causes of breast cancer, there are a number of risk factors that can increase one’s chances of developing breast cancer.  The primary risk factors for breast cancer include: obesity, consumption of alcohol, increasing age, being a female, family history of breast cancer, personal history of breast cancer, radiation exposure of the breast, inherited genes that become mutated (such as BRCA1 and BRCA2), beginning your period at a younger age, beginning menopause at an older age, having your first child at an older age, and postmenopausal hormone therapy.  Those that are at an increased risk should consult with their doctor appropriately.

Treatment

There are a number of different methods used to treat breast cancer.  Often those diagnosed will find a combination of certain treatments, along with other guidelines that will help in the battle.  In most cases, surgery and an additional treatment is used, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or radiation.

Primary

Breast cancer surgery is used to remove the tumor, tissue, or lymph nodes in the breast. A lumpectomy removes the tumor and a small area of healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor.  A mastectomy removes all of the breast tissue, where there are variations as to what exactly is removed.  Sentinel node biopsy refers to the removal of one lymph node, which targets the lymph node where lymph drainage is received from the cancer.  Axillary lymph node dissection targets several lymph nodes where the cancer has spread.  Complications exist for these types of surgery, and vary accordingly.

There are three main types of therapies used to treat breast cancer.  Radiation therapy refers to the use of beams of energy to kill cancer cells.  This can be performed externally or internally.  Chemotherapy utilizes drugs to destroy cancer cells; it is used often before surgery in women with larger breast tumors, and in those where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.  Hormone therapy treats breast cancers that are sensitive to hormones.  It is often used following surgery or other treatments in order to decrease the chance that breast cancer may return.

Uncommon Methods

Two more uncommon methods of treating breast cancer exist in targeted drugs and clinical trials. Targeted drugs are used to focus on specific abnormalities within the cancer cells. Clinical trials are used to study newer methods of treatment, which may or may not be as effective as current methods of treatment.

Alternative medicine can be used to help with the side effects of breast cancer.  This is especially the case in respect to cancer-related fatigue. Gentle exercise, methods to managing stress, and relaxation techniques are all examples of such alternative methods.  They are used to complement the primary treatments given for breast cancer.

Prevention

There are a number of things that an individual can do in order to reduce the risk of breast cancer.  These acts span both those directly related to breast cancer issues, such as screening and exams to a healthier lifestyle and hormone therapy.  Women, especially those at high-risk, are advised to take some of these precautions.

General Precautions

One of the most direct ways to reducing the risk is through screenings and exams.  Clinical breast exams and mammograms should be discussed with one’s doctor in order to develop a strategy.  Additionally, individuals should ask their doctor how to perform a breast exam, so that one may understand anything unusual that may occur.

Physical methods can also help prevent breast cancer.  Exercise can be effective, as will be covered in this paper. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important.  Those who need to lose weight should work to do so, as this is a documented risk factor in developing breast cancer.  Additionally, limiting the consumption of alcohol can help.  Less than one drink a day is recommended.

Limiting postmenopausal hormone therapy can also be effective in helping to prevent breast cancer.  As this may increase the risk of breast cancer, the benefits and risks of this should be discussed with a doctor.  Some are willing to accept an increased risk of breast cancer in order to obtain relief from the symptoms of menopause.  The lowest dose of therapy should be used.

Precautions for Those Who Are High Risk

Women who are at a high risk should consider additional precautions.  A woman can be determined as such due to an assessment of family history and other factors.  A doctor can make this determination and recommend appropriate precautions.

One option is the use of chemoprevention, which are preventive medications.  These medications block estrogen to reduce the risk of breast cancer.  There are risk of side effects, which makes this a choice for those who have a very high risk of breast cancer.

Another option is the use of preventative surgery.  This is also for women who are at a very high risk of breast cancer.  It involves having the healthy breasts surgically removed, which is called a prophylactic mastectomy.  Additionally, prophylactic oophorectomy may be considered in order to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer as well.

Effects of Diet

The effects of diet on breast cancer are not unanimously clear.  However, there is evidence that diet can improve breast cancer reoccurrence.  There is no evidence that diet can reduce or alter breast cancer risk (Miller, 2008, p. 64).

One study produced by Dr. Rowan Chlebowski in 2005 at the ASO national cancer meetings expresses the relationship between diet and improved breast cancer reoccurrence.  In 2,500 new breast cancer patients, half were counseled on lower dietary fat and were monitored against a group without counseling.  The average decrease in dietary fat was 40 percent, and all other factors stayed the same, such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy.  At the five-year mark there was a significant decrease in breast cancer recurrence for the group who had a lower fat diet.  Additionally, other studies have reproduced this same conclusion (Chan, 2006, p. 201).

Effects of Activity/Exercise

The role of exercise in the subject of breast cancer is well conceived.  It remains an important component of preventing, treating, and recovering from treatments, in relationship to breast cancer.  Research has demonstrating a number of important and lasting effects on the condition in these varying aspects.

Research has demonstrated the effects of exercise in search of preventing breast cancer.  While it is certainly not a cure for breast cancer, it can drastically change an individual’s risk factors.  Dr. Arnott has referenced two important studies in this area.  A study of 25,000 Norwegian women who exercise for at least four hours a week revealed a 37% lower risk.  Another study examined 1,000 women who exercise for 3.8 hours a week or more had less than half the breast cancer of those who were inactive, according to the study conducted by the University of Southern California.  Arnott notes that the researchers in the former study agreed that “The more women exercised, the less likely they were to get breast cancer” (1998, p. 160).  From these sets of evidence and others, exercise has been linked to preventative efforts for that of breast cancer.

Exercise can also play a pivotal role in improving chances of success against breast cancer.  One study, which was conducted in 2005 by Dr. Michelle Holmes from Harvard, observed 3,000 patients following their diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.  Higher levels of activity had higher survival rates.  Dr. Holmes found that 3 hours per week was beneficial; 9 hours per week was the peak of improved benefits of more exercise (Chan, 2006, p. 206).  David Chan cites other studies as well, which leads to the conclusion that exercise can play an important part in the treatment process.

In survivors of breast cancer, exercise can reduce reoccurrence, as well as other benefits.  Carolyn Kaelin cites a 2005 report from the Nurses’ Health Study, where 3,000 breast cancer survivors where studied.  The study found that those engaged in modest physical activity (walking for three to five hours per week) lessened the chance of reoccurrence and improved survival than those who were not as active, or not active at all (2006, p. 2-3).  From this and other evidence, exercise can additionally be beneficial for survivors, relative to factors in breast cancer.

Conclusion

Breast cancer will inevitably continue to affect many women around the world.  However with awareness and support for breast cancer still rising, many will be able to play an active role in preventing and responding to signs of breast cancer.  Techniques and treatments will also hopefully improve.

Studies have revealed the interesting effect of diet and exercise on breast cancer.  The role of diet for those who have had breast cancer is quite staggering, as it is able to drastically reduce the risk of recurrence of breast cancer.  Exercise is perhaps the most surprising, at least to those who have not studied breast cancer previously, as it plays a pivotal role in preventing, treating, and in recovering from breast cancer, in respect to recurrence of the latter.  Exercise can help in the prevention of breast cancer as the public is better informed on the subject.

References

Arnott, Bob.  (1998).  The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet: The Powerful Foods, Supplements, and Drugs That Can Save Your Life.  Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.

Chan, David.  (2006).  Breast Cancer: Real Questions, Real Answers.  New York, NY: Marlowe & Company.

Derry, David.  (2001).  Breast Cancer and Iodine: How to Prevent and How to Survive Breast Cancer.  Victoria, B.C.: Trafford Publishing.

Kaelin, Carolyn.  (2006). The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan: A Doctor-Approved Workout Plan For a Strong Body and Lifesaving Results.  New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Miller, Kenneth D.  (2008).  Choices in Breast Cancer Treatment: Medical Specialists and Cancer Survivors Tell You What You Need to Know.  Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.