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BREAST CANCER Screening
Due to the high incidence of breast
cancer among older women, screening is now recommended in many countries,
the same also applies to men. Screening methods suggested include breast
self-examination and mammography. Mammography has been shown to reduce
breast cancer-related mortality by 20-30%. Routine (annual) mammography of
women older than 50 is encouraged as a screening method to diagnose early
breast cancer and has demonstrated a protective effect in multiple
clinical trials.
Normal versus cancerous mammography image.Mammography is still the
modality of choice for screening of early breast cancer, and breast
cancers detected by mammography are usually smaller than those detected
clinically.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to detect cancers that are
not visible on mammograms, but it has several disadvantages. For example,
although it is 27-36% more sensitive, it is less specific than
mammography. As a result, MRI studies will have more false positives (up
to 5%), which may have undesirable financial and psychological costs. It
is also a relatively expensive procedure, and one which requires the
intravenous injection of a chemical agent to be effective. Proposed
Indications for using MRI for screening include:[35]
Strong family history of breast cancer
Patients with BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 oncogene mutations
Evaluation of women with breast implants
History of previous lumpectomy or breast biopsy surgeries
Axillary metastasis with an unknown primary tumor
Very dense or scarred breast tissue
Ultrasound alone is not adequate as a screening tool but it is a useful
additional for the characterization of palpable tumours and directing
image-guided biopsies.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute recommends screening mammography with a
baseline mammogram at age 35, mammograms every two years beginning at age
40, and then annual mammograms beginning at age 50. In the UK, women are
invited to attend for screening once every three years beginning at age
50. Women with one or more first degree relatives (mother, sister,
daughter) with premenopausal breast cancer should begin screening at an
earlier age. It is usually suggested to start screening at an age that is
10 years less than the age at which the relative was diagnosed with breast
cancer. More and more men are being propted to undertake breast screening
due to the rise of Breast Cancer in Men.
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History of breast cancer
Types of breast cancer
Risk factors and etiology
Age
Alcohol
Environmental causes
Genes
Hormones
Light levels
Obesity
Unproven
Prevention in high-risk
individuals
Prevention of
Environmental Causes
Symptoms
Screening
Diagnosis
Treatment
Surgery
Radiation therapy
Indications for radiation
Types of radiotherapy
Side effects of
radiation
Systemic therapy
Chemotherapy
Hormonal treatment
Targeted therapy
Preclinical
Flax seeds
Alternative medicine
Prognosis
Breast cancer in males
Spreading elsewhere
Breast cancer awareness
References |
