What is Breast Cancer

What is Breast Cancer?

A woman's breasts are made of specialised glandular tissues, which are drained by lymph glands under the arm (axilla).

Breast cancer is the unregulated growth of malignant cells in the breast.

This mass of abnormal tissue is called a tumour. 
A woman with a breast cancer

Who are at Risk of Breast Cancer?

Breast Cancer commonly affects women, but it can develop in men. One in eight women develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

How will Breast Cancer Affect Me ?

Breast cancer is not just one disease – it comprises many varied and different types, some of which may never cause you any harm, but others which will need significant and intensive treatments to cure. 

Your breast team at the Melbourne Breast Unit will use the latest technological advances to advise you of the success rates for your treatment. We often describe breast cancer in terms of ‘stage’, however there are more modern technologies, such as ‘genomic testing’ – which can fine tune whether treatment such as chemotherapy is needed. 

Causes of Breast Cancer

Most breast cancers are thought to arise in a ‘sporadic’ fashion, that is, not related to a particular family history. However some genetic mutations can predispose to breast cancer, a well known example is BRCA1 and BRCA 2. We will pay particular attention to your family history, if present, of breast and ovarian cancer, amongst others.

Hormones also play a major role in the development of breast cancer. Other risk factors for breast cancer include:
  • Increasing age
  • Being a woman
  • Dense breast tissue
  • Early menstruation (before age 12) and late menopause (after age 55)
  • Use of birth control pills
  • Heavy smoking and alcohol consumption
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Not breastfeeding after childbirth

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Initially, breast cancer may or may not cause any symptoms.

The 1st sign of cancer is a lump or mass in the breast. The lump is usually painless and hard, with an uneven edge, but may be tender and soft at times.

Breast cancer may be indicated by any unusual changes including: 
  • swelling of the breast, 
  • skin irritation, 
  • pain in the breast or nipple, 
  • nipple turning inward, 
  • redness or thickening of nipple or breast skin, 
  • nipple discharge, or 
  • lump in the underarm area

How is Breast Cancer Diagnosed

If any of the above symptoms arise you should see your Melbourne Breast Unit specialist who will perform a breast examination as part of the diagnostic workup – please refer to our Patient Journey page

If You are Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

When you have been diagnosed your doctor will arrange "Staging Scans". These normally include a CT Scan and a Bone Scan.

You will then have another appointment with your doctor to discuss these results, and the different treatment options available to you.

Once a confirmed diagnosis is made and the nature and stage of the Breast Cancer are better understood your doctor will plan your treatment.

How is Breast Cancer Treated?

The aim of Breast Cancer treatment is to 
  • remove cancer (surgery) and 
  • decrease the risk of it recurring (radiotherapy and systemic therapy – hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy).
Your doctor may follow a sequence of treatments including:

Surgery for Breast Cancer 

Your doctor may choose between many types of surgeries. These include the removal of a tumour and a small margin of healthy tissue, the entire breast tissue and sometimes, even the neighbouring lymph nodes.
 
After the removal, your breast can also be reconstructed in an immediate or later procedure.

Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer 

Radiotherapy is a highly targeted and effective way to destroy breast cancer cells.

Radiotherapy can be used to treat primary cancer or advanced cancer. It may be used as the only treatment, or used in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy.

The type of radiotherapy used in breast cancer management is called External Beam Radiotherapy. In this therapy, high-energy x-rays are used to: 
  • reduce the size of cancer and 
  • relieve pain, discomfort and 
  • relive other symptoms.

Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

This treatment includes the administration of medicine through the bloodstream to weaken and destroy the cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy may be given after surgery, to kill any cancer cells that have been left behind in the body or before surgery, to shrink cancer.

Hormonal Therapy for Breast Cancer 

This therapy includes treating breast cancer with hormones. These medications help to shrink or slow the growth of cancer cells by lowering the levels or blocking the action of the oestrogen hormone on the cancer cells.

Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer

Targeted Therapy is used for patients with a breast cancer and involves the use of pharmaceuticals to promote the expression of the gene, HER2 receptor. This therapy is given as an injection.

For any further information feel free to contact us on (03) 9419 1166 or via email breastunit@breastunit.com.au
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