(Breast) Cancer Flashcards
What is the burden of disease of cancer?
- 1/6 deaths from cancer =10 mil deaths in 2020
What are the most common cancers (name 5, in order) and what is the most deadly one?
- Most common = breast, lung, colon, rectum, prostate (in order). Most deadly = lung
1/3 of cancers is due to …
- 1/3 due to smoking, high BMI, alcohol, low fruit & veg, sedentary lifestyle
What is responsible for 30% of cancers in low and lower-middle income countries?
Cancer-causing infections, such as HPV
Breast cancer is the 2nd most…
Common cancer in women, common cause of cancer-related deaths
Breast cancer is …x more common in women vs men
100
What age is most common for breast cancer patients?
50-70
Breast tissue can roughly be devided into two structures:
- Secretory lobules (structures that have glands that produce breast milk: the ‘clouds’)
- Ducts (passageways that collect milk made in the lobules and channel it to the nipple)
What are the two main types of breast cancer?
- non-invasive breast cancer
- invasive breast cancer
What is non-invasive breast cancer? How treatable is this?
= a carcinoma in situ. Has not spread beyond the basement membrane
–> earliest and most treatable form of cancer
What does invasive breast cancer mean? Where can it spread to?
= one that has spread beyond this basement, into membrane wall to surrounding tissues in the breast
Can then spread to nearby lymph nodes and other organs in the body, most commonly to: lungs, liver, bone, brain, skin
Why can breast cancer spread out easily?
because right outside the basement membrane there are blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Cancer cells use these vessels to move around the body.
The correct terms for a carcinoma in a duct/lobule = ?
invasive ductal carcinoma
ductal carcinoma in situ
invasive lobular carcinoma
lobular carcinoma in situ
What kind of carcinoma is the most common form of breast cancer = ?
invasive ductal carcinoma
Most common TYPE of non-invasive breast cancer =
ductal carcinoma in situ
What is called pre- or early cancer?
Carcinoma in situ
What type of breast cancer does not seem to become invasive, but is an important warning sign ?
- Lobular carcinoma in situ
What are two more rare types of invasive breast cancer?
- Paget’s disease of the nipple
- Inflammatory breast cancer (fast-growing, fatal)
Study the veins, arteries and lymph nodes of page 27
ok
In which breast is breast cancer more commonly found?
Left
What are symptoms of breast cancer?
- Hard masses
- painless (benign = often painful)
- fixed, immobile lumps
- irregular margins
- bloody discharge nipple from one side
- dimpling of the skin, changes skin color
- inverted nipple
What are risk factors for breast cancer?
- being a woman (over 50)
- family history (4x higher chance with mother/sister having breast cancer)
- relatives with ovarian cancer
- inheriting mutations in BRCA1 + 2 genes (5% increased risk)
- Starting period <12 or menopause >55
- Never having a child, or having your first child after 30-35
- Obesity
- Drinking alcohol
- Lack of consistent exercise
- Postmenopausal hormone therapy + oral contraceptives (estrogen exposure)
What are risk factors for breast cancer?
- being a woman (over 50)
- family history (4x higher chance with mother/sister having breast cancer)
- relatives with ovarian cancer
- inheriting mutations in BRCA1 + 2 genes (5% increased risk)
- Starting period <12 or menopause >55
- Never having a child, or having your first child after 30-35
- Obesity
- Drinking alcohol
- Lack of consistent exercise
- Postmenopausal hormone therapy + oral contraceptives (estrogen exposure)
How does estrogen increase the chance of breast cancer?
- Plays a major role in promoting the proliferation of the breast epithelium
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- image guided (US, mammogram)
- biopsy of lymphe node
- bone scans, CT scan, .. for metastisis
