Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissue through the blood and lymph systems. There are more than 100 types of cancer that are named for the organ or the type of the cell in which they start. Among all these types breast cancer is the common one. Lump in the breast and Swelling in the armpit are the initial symptoms of breast cancer. Breast cancer forms 22.9% of all cancers and it is about 100 times more common among women compared with men. Cancer, particularly breast cancer was mentioned for the first time by an oldest cursive of cancer called “ The Edwin Smith Papyrus ”, which was discovered in Egypt in a book about trauma surgery around 3000 BC. The cursive describes 8 cases of tumors of the breast that were treated by cauterization. The cursive says about the disease, “There is no treatment”. In the 15th century, with the greater development in understanding of the human body, scientists started spending a great efforts in an attempt to find the final treatment for this disease. Nowadays, breast cancer disease has become have several ways to treat. Three different ways to treat breast cancer are: chemotherapy, mastectomy, and radiation therapy.
The first way to treat breast cancer is by using Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the procedure of using drugs to destroy and kill cancer cells. It is the common treatment option for most types of breast cancer. That is due the fact that chemotherapy is a systemic therapy which targets both cancer tumors and cancerous cells that may be transmitted from the primary tumor to another part of the body. There are more than 100 chemotherapy drugs, among which Taxol is the most commonly used to treat breast cancer. Taxol can be taken by mouth or by injection. Taxol intercepts the life cycle of cells at specific steps and prevents chromosomes from separating. Thus, it prevents the cancer cells from dividing and destroys them. Despite this advantage, the chemicals used in chemotherapy have side effects on women's body. Unfortunately, pregnant women and their fetuses are the people most vulnerable to the side effects of chemotherapy. This is because the fetus is sensitive for any material entering the mothers' body when she undergoes treatment. Thus, chemotherapy effects pregnant women and their fetuses. Surbone et al. (2012) stated that during the first trimester of pregnancy, birth defects occurred in up to 10% of fetuses exposed to some chemotherapy drugs. Consequently, pregnant women should avoid chemotherapy during pregnancy to ensure their healing as well as the safety of their fetuses. In addition, chemotherapy cannot differentiate between normal and abnormal cells and it damages both. Because normal cells are affected, hair loss, pain at the injection site, inflamed veins, and vomiting are the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Salazar and Garcia (2013) explained that there are some anti-chemical materials that can be injected into patients' bodies before they undergo to chemotherapy, targeting the normal cells and prevent them from being affected by chemotherapy drugs. As a result, women with breast cancer will be able to be treated by chemotherapy at the while ensuring their general health. Thus, if this way to prevent chemotherapy side effects on normal cells is applied widely, chemotherapy will be a suitable treatment for breast cancer.
The second way to treat breast cancer is by undergoing mastectomy. Mastectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of a breast. Mastectomy is the first choice of treatment for pregnant women because most chemical substances are harmful for the fetus, especially during the first trimester, and can cause a miscarriage or congenital deformities. This fact limits the treatment options for breast cancer when the patient is pregnant, and mastectomy provides the best treatment without using any chemical substances. Russo and Russo (2013) showed that unlike chemotherapy, mastectomy is a local therapy for breast cancer, targeting only the area of the tumor. Consequently, mastectomy is the suitable treatment for pregnant women which ensures their healing as well as the safety of their fetuses. In addition, mastectomy offers the greatest chance for a full recovery due to the fact that it works on removing the abnormal cells from the body completely, as opposed to the other ways that work on treating the abnormal cells without removing them. Therefore, this minimizes the possibility of breast cancer recurrence and maximizes the chance of a complete recovery. Despite the advantages of mastectomy, there are some disadvantages among which psychological effects are the most common. Most women try to avoid mastectomy because they fear losing one or both of their breasts which leads to disfigurement and draws the attention of people. Mazouni et al. (2013) stated that after mastectomy women can be depressed about the changes, and people around them need to be sensitive. As a result, patients’ relatives and psychologists should play an important role after the treatment by providing good support for the patient and restoring her confidence in her womanhood. Thus, if women are able to cope with these psychological effects, mastectomy will be the most suitable treatment.
The last way to treat breast cancer is exposure to radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high energy waves to damage cancer cells, so they cannot grow or spread. The two types of radiation therapy are external radiation, sending radiation toward the breast by external device, or internal radiation, injecting radioactive substance directly into the cancer cells in breast. Radiation therapy is considered as a fundamental treatment for breast cancer. This is due to the fact that radiation therapy may be used as a main treatment for breast cancer or as adjuvant treatment for mastectomy or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy uses certain types of rays, like x-ray, target cancer cells and rupture their DNA to kill them. Also, radiation therapy can be used after mastectomy or chemotherapy as an assistance to prevent the return of cancer. Radiation therapy is characterized by little side effects. These side effects vary depending mainly on the type and the amount of radiation. If radiation therapy is used in an inaccurate way, it will affect organs (heart) that are lying under the targeted cells and the efficiency of their work. Vrieling (2013) explained that when applying radiation therapy on the left sided cancer, it is essential to use reduced doses of radiation to avoid the negative effect on the heart. Consequently, if radiation therapy is used in an accurate way, patients will avoid most of its side effects, ensuring their general health.
In conclusion, breast cancer is a common disease that have several treatments. Current treatments for breast cancer include chemotherapy, mastectomy, and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy can treat breast cancer when chemotherapy drugs damage and kill cancer cells. Also, mastectomy can be a suitable treatment especially for pregnant women without using any chemical substances that harm fetuses. In addition, radiation therapy can help in treatment whether it is used as a main treatment for breast cancer or as adjuvant treatment for mastectomy or chemotherapy. In the future, scientists hope to find ways to treat breast cancer that is more effective and have fewer side effects.
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References
Garza-Salazar, J. G., Meneses-Garcia, A., & Salinas, C. ( 2013). Inflammatory breast cancer. London: Springer.
Mazouni, C., Naveaua, A., Kanea, A., Dunantb, A., Garbaya, J., Leymariea, N., Sarfatia, B., Delalogec, S., & Rimareixa, F. (2013, December). The role of oncoplastic breast surgery in the management of breast cancer treated with primary chemotherapy. The Breast, 22, 1189-1193. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2013.07.055
Russo, J., & Russo, I. H. (2013). Role of the transcriptome in breast cancer prevention. New York: Springer.
Surbone, A., Peccatori, F., & Pavlidis, N. (2008). Cancer and pregnancy. New York: Springer.
Vrieling, C. (2013, November). In11 radiotherapy: best timing and techniques. The Breast, 22, S21-S22. Retrieved from http://www.thebreastonline.com/
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