1. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
BREAST CANCER:FACTS

2. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
• Commonest cancer affecting women
• 1.5 million new cases diagnosed every year
• 30 % of cancers in women attending RCC
• 1200 new patients/year
• 14% of all cancer deaths annually

3. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
But there is hope……
……breast cancer is
curable
when detected in EARLY stages!

4. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC

5. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
How can you detect breast cancer in an early stage..?
Awareness
Screening for detection in early stages
Prompt diagnosis

6. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Breast Cancer : Risk Factors
• Sex
• Age
• Personal History
• Family History
• The Breast Cancer Genes
• Early menarche (first period or menstrual bleeding).
• Having no children
• Having a first full term pregnancy after age 25
• Lack of breast feeding
• Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy
• Increased daily fat intake - especially saturated or hydrogenated
fats.

7. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Can breast cancer be prevented…?
No breast cancer cannot be prevented, but the risk of
developing breast cancer can be reduced by…..
• Having first child before 25 yrs and breast feeding the child
for more than 2 yrs
• Increasing fiber in your diet
• Eating fresh fruits and vegetables
• Avoiding alcohol
• Staying active
• Not smoking

8. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Screening for breast cancer
Why is it required?
• Method to detect breast cancer in early stages
• Success of treatment directly depends on the stage at
which a woman reports for treatment
• Helps conserve the breast if detected in early stage

9. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Breast Cancer Screening
• Breast Self Examination (BSE)
• Clinical Breast Examination (CBE)
• Mammography and Ultrasound scan of breasts

10. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Breast Self Examination
 Systematic examination of one’s breasts
 Once a month on a particular day of the menstrual cycle
 Should be started at the age of 20yrs
 Seek medical advice for suspicious symptoms

11. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC

12. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC

13. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Clinical Breast Examination
• Performed by a trained breast doctor once a year
• Starting at the age of 35 years
• OP procedure
• Takes 10-15 minutes
Doctor may or may not ask for scans after the clinical
examination

14. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Mammogram
• A type of x ray of the breast
• OP procedure
• Takes 10-15 mts
• Helps detect cancers that are not
palpable
• Should start at the age of 40 years
• Done every year

15. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Breast Cancer : Symptoms
• Painless lump or swelling
• Ill-defined thickening
• Thickening of skin
• Nipple retraction (pulled inward)
• Nipple discharge
• Swelling in the armpit

16. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Breast Cancer Screening
All women >20 years
Breast Self Examination every month
Clinical Breast Examination every 2 to 3 years
All women > 40 years
Clinical Breast Examination yearly
Mammography yearly

17. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Fine needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC): A needle and
syringe is used to remove a few cells from the suspected
area and they are examined under the microscope
Biopsy: A small bit of tissue is removed and examined to
detect presence of cancer

18. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Treatment of breast cancer
Surgery
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Hormonal therapy
Biological therapy (Targeted therapy)

19. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Surgery: Mastectomy
The entire breast is removed

20. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Surgery: Conservation
Only the tumour bearing area and axillary nodes are removed

21. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Radiation
x-rays used to destroy cancer cells

22. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
• Chemotherapy
– Chemicals / drugs used to kill cancer cells
• Hormonal therapy
– Drugs that change the hormonal environment and thus inhibit
tumor growth
• Biological therapy
– Targets a protein expressed in the tumor cells.

23. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
Treatment Outcome
Survival of women with breast cancer according to stage (at
10 years)
stage I 90%
stage II 70%
stage III 30%
stage IV <10%

24. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC
 Breast cancer is a potentially curable cancer when detected
in early stages.
 Regular BSE, CBE and mammographic screening help in
early detection.
 In addition to outcome benefit, early stage disease require
only less complicated and cheaper forms of therapy and
most important -- helps in preserving the breast

25. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC

26. Early detection and early treatment cures breast cancer
Breast cancer awareness month 2010 – Breast Unit .RCC