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| − | '''Under construction'''
| + | Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, striking 1 in 7.5 women during their lifetime in America, where the rate is among the highest in the world. Breast cancer is the most fatal cancer for women after lung cancer. The number of cases has significantly increased in America since the early 1970s, when [[abortion]] was legalized. Although it is far less common in men, breast cancer can also affect them.<ref> http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/malebreast/healthprofessional</ref> |
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| | + | A controversial [[Harvard abortion study]] concluded that childbearing before the age of 35 reduces a woman's breast cancer risk. <ref>"... childbearing before the age of 35 reduces a woman's breast cancer risk and breast-feeding also helps, said the new study's lead author Karin Michels of Harvard Medical School" [http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Abortion-Cancer.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin] </ref> |
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| − | ==Introduction==
| + | Another study in 1996: |
| | + | *Animal studies have suggested that [[estrogen]] secreted early in pregnancy stimulates the multiplication of immature cells in the breast and that these cells do not mature fully until the end of pregnancy. Theoretically, then, when a woman's pregnancy is cut short through induced abortion, a lot of immature cells remain in the breast that are vulnerable to cancer-causing influences. [http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/FivePrecepts/AbortionBreastCancer.html] |
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| − | ==Risk factors== | + | ==Risk factors== |
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| − | ==Ways of reducing the risk==
| + | Many factors affect the incidence of breast cancer in any given population of women including: |
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| − | Maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy diet reduces the risk.<ref> http://society.guardian.co.uk/cancer/story/0,,686105,00.html </ref> <ref> http://unisci.com/stories/20021/0104023.htm </ref>
| + | * lack of having children, or postponing having children until later in life |
| | + | * diet <ref> http://unisci.com/stories/20021/0104023.htm </ref> |
| | + | * obesity <ref> http://society.guardian.co.uk/cancer/story/0,,686105,00.html </ref> |
| | + | * [[abortion]]<ref>The increase in risk of breast cancer due to abortion is explained and supported with numerous citations in our [[abortion|abortion entry]].</ref> |
| | + | * family history if such a history involves having several generations affected by breast cancer or having many relatives diagnosed with breast cancer at less than 50 years old <ref> http://www.breastcancer.org/cmn_who_indrisk.html </ref> |
| | + | * prolonged uninterrupted exposure to estrogen (e.g. by having an early [[menarche]] and late [[menopause]] or by having no full-term pregnancies).<ref> http://www.breastcancer.org/cmn_who_indrisk.html </ref> |
| | + | * age: increasing age increases the risk that at some point in her life a woman will contract breast cancer, rising from 1 in 231 (0.5% risk) aged under 40 to 1 in 7 at age 90. <ref> http://www.breastcancer.org/cmn_who_indrisk.html </ref> |
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| − | Breast self-examination carried out every month, ideally one week after beginning a [[menstrual period]], is a common-sense preventive measure, but current research shows that it may not actually reduce mortality. It is still recommended.<ref> http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/girls/bse.html </ref> For women over the age of 40, [[mammogram]] screenings are another preventive measure that can detect cancer earlier, when it is easier to treat. However, not all medical authorities agree on whether there is any benefit from having annual mammograms below the age of 50. <ref> http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/women/9909/27/bcam.mammography/</ref>
| + | ==Ways of reducing the risk== |
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| − | Breast-feeding may lower risk. <ref>http://society.guardian.co.uk/cancer/story/0,8150,757869,00.html</ref> Term pregnancies may reduce risk, as an interruption to estrogen exposure decreases risk compared to women with no pregnancies.
| + | Having children reduces the risk of breast cancer. If a woman breastfeeds her babies she greatly reduces her risk of breast cancer. <ref> http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2570</ref> <ref>http://society.guardian.co.uk/cancer/story/0,8150,757869,00.html</ref> |
| − | <ref>http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2570 </ref> However, no one has studied getting pregnant as a method of risk-reduction.
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| − | ==Diagnosis==
| + | Maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy diet reduces the risk.<ref> http://society.guardian.co.uk/cancer/story/0,,686105,00.html </ref> <ref> http://unisci.com/stories/20021/0104023.htm </ref> |
| − | In the modern era, the majority of breast cancers are diagnosed as a result of an abnormal mammogram and subsequent biopsy. Up to 20 percent of new breast cancers are not detected or visible on a mammogram. MRI is becoming an important diagnostic test in certain situations.<ref>Kriege, M. "Efficacy Of MRI and Mammography for Breast-Cancer Screening in Women With a Familial or Genetic Predisposition." New England Journal of Medicine. July 29, 2004, Vol. 351, No. 5, pp. 427-437.</ref>
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| − | ==Staging==
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| − | There are a few different staging schemes. Staging is primarily accomplished surgically. A common current method is "sentinel node biopsy" which identifies the nearest lymph node draining the tumor, avoiding the need for more invasive lymph node dissection. One common staging system follows:
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| − | :Early stage
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| − | :*Stage I: this is defined as tumor <2cm with no positive lymph nodes
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| − | :*Stage II: <2cm tumor with lymph nodes involved on the same side, or tumor >2cm without positive nodes.
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| − | :*Stage III: Locally advanced: extensive lymph node involvement, direct extension of tumor outside of the breast | |
| − | :*Stage IV, metastatic disease. Breast cancer cells found outside of the immediate area of the original tumor.
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| − | ==Treatment==
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| − | '''under construction'''
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| − | Treatment is based on several factors, including the stage of the disease, age and menopausal status of the patient, and the hormone-receptor status of the tumor. Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy are used alone or in combination.
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| − | *Surgery: There are many surgical options, depending on tumor size and lymph node status. For small, localized tumors, lumpectomy followed by radiation is as effective as mastectomy.
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| − | *Hormone therapy: really, a subset of chemotherapy, hormone therapy cuts the tumor off from chemicals it needs to grow.
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| − | *Chemotherapy: this therapy will kill tumor cells throughout the body.
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| − | ==Prognosis==
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| − | '''Under construction'''
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| − | | + | Breast self-examination carried out every month, ideally one week after beginning a [[menstrual period]], is a common-sense measure to aid early detection of suspicious changes. <ref> http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/girls/bse.html </ref> For women over the age of 40, mammogram screenings are another measure that can detect cancer earlier, when it is easier to treat. However, not all medical authorities agree on whether there is any benefit from having annual mammograms below the age of 50. <ref> http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/women/9909/27/bcam.mammography/</ref> |
| − | Outcomes in breast cancer depend on the stage of the disease at diagnosis, the hormone receptor status, and a variety of other factors.
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| | ==References== | | ==References== |
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| | <references/> | | <references/> |
| − | [[category:Diseases]]
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| − | ==See also== | + | ==See Also== |
| | + | *[[Mystery:Young Hollywood Breast Cancer Victims]] |
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| | + | ==External links== |
| | + | *[http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/FivePrecepts/AbortionBreastCancer.html Analysis of Studies Suggests Abortion Can Raise Breast Cancer Risk] - New York Times - October 12, 1996 |
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| − | *[[skin cancer]]
| + | [[Category:Diseases]] |