Tag: signs of breast cancer

Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody of the world’s first and only drug approved by the FDA for the indication of breast cancer with HER2 over-expression or HER2 positive status.

Is HER2?

* HER2 is a protein produced by a gene that potentially cause cancer. These proteins act as antennas that receive signals to cancer cells spread is quick and deadly.

* Approximately 20-30% of women with breast cancer are HER2.

* The presence of HER2 associated with the course of the disease that gets worse and the time of recurrence is much faster at all stages of breast cancer development, thus becomes an important thing for patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to check their HER2 status .

Herceptin can be used by using several different ways:

* Part of the treatment regimen including doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and either paclitaxel or docetaxel
* With docetaxel and carboplatin
* As a single agent with multi-modality anthracycline-based therapy

Herceptin in combination with paclitaxel is approved for first-line treatment of HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. Herceptin as a single agent is approved for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer in patients who have received one or more chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease.

HER2 test – Newest Recommendations for Breast Cancer Therapy

New types of tests also include tests for tumor HER2 gene. HER2 positive patients say if the tumor is found in large amounts of HER2. Cancer with HER2-positive is known as an aggressive form of breast cancer and has an estimated course of the disease is worse than patients with HER2-negative. An estimated one in four to five patients with late stage breast cancer have HER2-positive.

Medical Therapy

* Trastuzumab is an antibody designed to target and inhibit the function of HER2, a protein found in large numbers on the surface of some breast cancer cells. Trastuzumab also stimulates the immune system to destroy cancer cells. This is the first antibody-based drugs used to treat breast cancer, a cancer most often diagnosed in women.

* Treatment with Trastuzumab has led to improved response, Life Expectancy is higher and the quality of life better among women with late stage breast cancer. Clinical studies have evaluated women who received Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy and as a single drug to those who have been resistant to treatment.

* Trastuzumab provides lighter side effects than standard chemotherapy, where patients experienced mild to moderate symptoms such as chills and fever, especially happens with the first infusion. Trastuzumab is only interfere with the growth of breast cancer cells specifically, and does not interfere with healthy cells including blood cells and immune cells.

Herceptin treatment can lead to heart problems, including that no symptoms or a decline in cardiac function and people with symptoms of congestive heart failure. The risk of heart problems and all of this is highest in those who received Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy such as anthracycline. Doctors can stop the use of Herceptin in the event of a significant decline in cardiac function.
Before the first dose should be given Herceptin Monitored decline in cardiac function, it is often done while receiving Herceptin and after your last dose received Herceptin. If you have permanently or temporarily stop Herceptin due to a heart problem, you should be Monitored more frequently. In a study with Herceptin and certain types of chemotherapy, an inadequate blood supply to the heart occurs.

In some patients have a serious infusion reactions and lung problems; fatal infusion reactions have been reported. In most cases, these reactions occurred during or within 24 hours after receiving Herceptin. You Herceptin infusion should be temporarily stopped if you have shortness of breath or very low blood pressure. Your doctor will monitor you until these symptoms go. If you have a severe allergic reaction, swollen Lungs, pneumonia, or severe shortness of breath, your doctor may have to actually stop the Herceptin treatment.

Low deterioration can occur in white blood cell counts associated with chemotherapy also occurs.

Herceptin can cause low amniotic fluid levels and harm the fetus when taken by a pregnant woman.

The most common side effects associated with Herceptin were fever, nausea, vomiting, infusion reactions, diarrhea, infections, increased cough, headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, rashes, low white-cell and red blood cells, and muscle aches.

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– Weight loss:
is the first sign of cancer, especially cancer of the pancreas, stomach, esophagus, or Lungs. Weight loss will come down drastically due to unclear reasons, loss of appetite, or easily tired.

– Fever or night sweats

– Change the skin:
certain cancers can produce visible skin signs such as hyperpigmentation, jaundice, erythema, itching, or excessive hair growth.

– The wound that never Healed in the mouth.

– It’s hard to swallow.
constant pain in the mouth can become cancerous mouth and must be dealt with promptly, especially in patients who smoke, chew tobacco, or frequently drink alcohol.
Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) may indicate cancer of the esophagus, stomach, or throat.

– Swelling, abnormal swelling in the neck, under arms, or in any part of the body.

– Swelling in the breast, an abnormal fluid coming out of the nipple, a lump in the breast or testes.

– Cough-cough long enough even with blood.
Hoarseness / cough: A persistent cough may be a sign of lung cancer. Husky may indicate cancer of the larynx.

– Abdominal bloating or bleeding in the anus.

– Excessive bleeding during menstruation was normal.

– Abnormal fluid out through the vagina or bleeding after having sex.

– Urine or stools with blood. (LUC):
Changes in bowel habits / bladder function: Chronic constipation or diarrhea may be a sign of colon cancer.

Article Source: http://breast-cancersymptoms.com/

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It’s like rowing two islands exceeded, so efficacy of bone tonic which was also useful to prevent breast cancer.

This preliminary conclusion resulting from the study of 151,592 female participants, in which 2216 participants taking bisphosphonates or amplifier bones to prevent osteoporosis, at the beginning of the study.

Checked during the seven years later it was discovered only 31 percent of the participants who drank bone supplements with breast cancer. Positive benefits of this supplement to dominate, even after the researchers put a variety of factors, such as age, smoking habits, weight, hormones, and other factors that affect bone density and breast cancer.

Although this is not enough research to prove the benefits of these supplements for cancer prevention, but enough to give hope. Moreover, many women who consume these tablets bone amplifier.

However, experts still do not understand how these tablets work, whether because the bones become more resilient against the spread of cancer, or because the drug has side benefits as anti tumor capable of preventing the emergence of cancer.

Other studies confirm the benefits of a tablet for the prevention of cancer is a study conducted in Israel experts. In a 2000 study comparing postmenopausal women with breast cancer in 2000 who did not have breast cancer, known from 29 percent of patients taking bisphosphonates first group.

However, these bone tablets is known to have side effects of pain in muscles and joints. Until now the recommended drugs to prevent breast cancer in healthy women is inhibiting hormone called tamoxifen and raloxifene.

Article Source: http://breast-cancersymptoms.com/

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Inflammation of the breast, or mastitis is an inflammation of the breast caused by infection in the breast tissue or due to blockages. Mastitis is divided into 3 namely periductal mastitis, pueperalis mastitis, and mastitis supurativa. The third type of mastitis is the result of different causes and conditions are also different.
Unlike breast cancer, this type of cancer may not cause a lump in the breast. Checking the breast with mammograms often fail to learn at an early stage breast cancer. Because growing so rapidly, usually has spread at the time of diagnosis.

Cause.

Puerperalis mastitis caused by infection in the breast tissue. Mastitis occurs in women who are breastfeeding because of the transfer of Germs from your baby’s mouth or the mouth of her husband. That’s because low oral health such as the mouth of someone who likes to smoke. Germs that cause most puerperalis mastitis is Staphylococcus aureus. Germs can also enter the penis because of injecting silicone or collagen injections, causing inflammation.

Supurativa mastitis. This type of mastitis is the most common. Similar to the previous type, this type of mastitis caused by staphylococcus bacteria. Can also be caused by the fungus, the TB Germs, and even syphilis.

Periductal mastitis usually occurs in women of menopausal age (above 45 years), the main cause is not known Clearly. On the expected result of hormonal changes and nursing activities in the past. At the time of menopause estrogen hormone decrease occurs that causes the dead tissue. Piles of dead tissue and breast milk causes blockage in the channels in the breast. Blockage causes the closing of the channel and eventually widen the channel in the rear, which is usually located behind the nipple. The result is the inflammatory reaction called periductal mastitis.

Symptoms – Symptoms

Inflammatory breast cancer can cause one or more of these symptoms:

– A breast is swollen, red, and warm
– A tender or painful breast
– Itching in the breast
– Sometimes the nipple into the breast instead of pointing out. This is called a retracted nipple.
– Changes in the skin, especially areas that looked thick and pitted like orange peel. Sometimes there are mountains in the skin and small bumps that looked like a rash or itching.
– Breasts are visible bruises on certain parts.
– Swollen lymph nodes in the armpit
– There are one or more lumps in the breast.
– There Fever
Mastitis is caused by bacteria, which caused the abscess, or collection of pus in a cavity in the breast glandular tissue. Pus which spread to other parts of the body can cause high fever and chills, sweating a lot, the decline in immune system, even to the decrease in consciousness.

These tests include:

* Estrogen and progesterone receptor status. Hormones estrogen and progesterone stimulate the growth of breast cells to normal, and some breast cancers. Hormone receptor status is an important piece of information that will help you and your doctor’s treatment plan.
* HER-2 receptor status. HER-2/neu is a protein that regulates the growth of some breast cancer cells. Approximately 25% of women with breast cancer have too many, of these will promote the growth of proteins.

Treatment of inflammatory breast

Treatment of mastitis tailored to the cause, if the blockage is usually given analgesic (pain relief), if the bacteria cause infections should be given antibiotics, but if it happens then abscess drainage should be done (the distribution of the pus).

Drug treatment is usually followed by surgery to remove the breast and lymph nodes. After surgery, radiation therapy is used to try to kill remaining cancer cells.

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