Beast cancer is not a joke! The moment you suspect something is wrong with your body, go see a doctor before it is too late. If you don’t fight to prevent cancer, consequences might be devastating. You can lose your breast or even die. First signs: your breasts change their dimension and form; your breasts’ skin takes a different aspect and loses its softness.
It is recommended you palpate your breast daily and see whether suspect changes occurred. Breast cancer usually affects women over 35 years old, but cancer cases were registered in even younger women. Thus, irrespective of how young you are you should be cautious and not let the disease take you by surprise.
How does breast cancer spread?
Breast cancer stages:
- Stage I – the tumor is over 2 cm and is not jutting out (that is why it is recommended that you should palpate your breasts daily); as you don’t deal with a protruding nodule you cannot discover it unless you palpate your breasts.
- Stage II includes three cases:
* the tumor has 2 cm and touches the lymphatic nodule in your armpit.
* the tumor has between 2 and 5 cm and touches the lymphatic nodule in your armpit.
* the tumor has between 2 and 5 cm, but does not touch the lymphatic nodule in your armpit.
- Stage III the tumor becomes bigger and bigger but has not touched the lymphatic nodules yet
This stage has three subdivisions:
* Stage III A the tumor has less than 5 cm and touches the lymphatic nodules in you armpit; it has over 5 cm and extended to the lymphatic nodules.
* Stage III B the tumor reaches your chest and the breasts’ skin.
* Stage III C the tumor becomes very big and extended to the lymphatic nodules in your armpit and your chest.
- Stage IV the tumor spreads allover your body.
It is recommended you discover the disease when it is still in its first stage. Moreover, you should see a doctor at least once every six months. American researchers discovered the genes that accelerate the evolution of the breast cancer making it resilient to chemotherapy. They discovered that women who confronted with a very resilient form of breast cancer have in common certain dysfunctions of the MDTH gene. Medicines that stop this gene’s activity could prevent breast tumors to reach final stages and increase the patient’s chances to survive, says Reuters.
“We haven’t just identified the gene, but we managed to discover and fully understand the way it works,” said Dr. Michael Reiss from the New Jersey Cancer Institute in New Brunswick, who also conducted the research. “Our discovery gives us hope we will be able to create medicines to fight against metastasis,” Reiss added. Impeding cancer from spreading is an essential step towards healing. Over 98% of the women whose breast cancer did not spread, prolong their lives by over 5 years, while only 27% of those who confront with a spread of the disease manage to fight against it and do away with it.