S2 - Breast Cancer Flashcards
What is the most common killer among cancers?
Lung cancer
What is the most common cancer in women?
Breast cancer
What is the most common cancer in men?
Prostate cancer
Do most women diagnosed with breast cancer have a previous family history?
No, 85% have no family history of the disease
What percentage of breast lumps are non-cancerous?
80%
What are some of the possible signs and symptoms of breast cancer besides finding a lump?
- nipple or another part of breast pulling inwards
- dimpling or puckering
- sudden discharge from a nipple
- itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
- localized pain that doesn’t go away
- thickening, redness or darkening of the skin on the breast or underarm area
- “peau d’orange” orange peel effect
- unusual swelling and warmth, or a change in breast size or shape.
True/False. Self-breast exams are the gold standard for breast cancer detection.
False. They are not even recommended.
What percentage of women have dense breasts?
What causes a breast to be considered dense?
In what age group is the breast typically denser?
~40%
A larger presence of fibroglandular tissue (lactiferous lobules and ducts); as opposed to adipose tissue
Younger women (as their breasts are preparing for lactation)
What is the best breast cancer detection tool we have?
Mammography (x-ray of the breast)
Is it more difficult to detect breast cancer via mammography in a dense or non-dense breast?
Is breast density related to breast size?
Dense breast tissue ‘shields’ the tumor from detection.
No, there is no relation.
What are some risk factors for breast cancer?
(Gender? Age? Genetics? Estrogen exposure?)
Gender - much more common in females
Age - more common as age increases
Genetics - BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer genes) genes
Any increase in estrogen exposure - Nulliparous, no breastfeeding, early menarche, late menopause (Estrogen stimulates breast growth)
A woman finds a lump in her breast. What are some possible causes of this lump?
A cyst - fluid-filled space
Fat necrosis - usually due to trauma
A benign tumor - fibroadenoma
A malignant tumor (cancer) - adenocarcinomas (much more common) and fibrosarcomas
Where is breast cancer more commonly found in the breast (by quadrant)?
Where in the anatomical structures of the breast is it more common (the milk lobes, the ducts, the supporting tissues)?
Upper outer quadrant (armpit area)
The ducts
Which race is most commonly diagnosed with breast cancer?
Which race most commonly dies of breast cancer?
Caucasian women
African-American women
When is breast cancer awareness month?
October
The BRCA 1 gene is associated with which types of cancer?
Breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers
The BRCA 2 gene is associated with which type of cancer?
Mainly breast cancer
What does it mean for a breast cancer to be triple-negative?
Is this a more or less dangerous form of cancer?
The breast cancer cells have no receptors for estrogen (E), progesterone (P), or human epidermal growth factor (HER-2)
This type of cancer is not responsive to hormone therapy and thus more dangerous
How much earlier can mammogram detect breast cancer than self- or clinical breast examination?
2 years
Which lymph nodes drain the breast?
The axillary lymph nodes
What is the name of the first lymph node to drain the fluid surrounding a tumor?
The Sentinel node
What are the ACS guidelines for mammography?
Annual screening for women from 45-54 years of age
Biennial screening for women ≥ 55 years of age
What are the USPSTF recommendations for mammography?
Biennial screening after 50 years of age
When should a woman begin breast cancer screening earlier than the average recommended guidelines?
When she has a higher risk
- Personal or family history
- Genetic susceptibility
- History of chest radiation (e.g. past TB patients)
Describe fibrocystic disease in the breast.
What age group does it typically present in?
Most frequent breast lesion.
Painful, multiple bilateral masses that worsen in pain and increase in size during premenstrual cycle
Most common in women aged 30-50
How can breast cancer be treated?
Depends on the extent of the disease growth.
Lymph node dissection
Lumpectomy
Mastectomy
- Simple
- Partial
- Total
- Radical Halsted
- Modified-radical
