Posted by sara | Posted in Others | Posted on 20-11-2008
A study of 84,285 women seeking care in Dutch 
family physician offices between 1985 and 2003 revealed that breast symptoms were reported in about 3 percent of all visits.
Of the women complaining of breast symptoms, 3 percent of those women were subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer. Notably, those patients reporting a breast mass had a markedly elevated likelihood of breast cancer (15.04 likelihood ratio), suggesting that clinicians should aggressively work up such complaints regardless of patient age.
BY : Angela Sharma
Opting for less damaging treatments, staying active and learning about the warning signs of lymphedema: that’s how women with breast cancer can avoid developing chronic lymphedema, according to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).
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BARCELONA, Spain — All types of alcohol — wine, beer and liquor — add equally to the risk of women developing breast cancer, U.S. researchers said Thursday.
Previous studies have shown a link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, but there have been conflicting messages about whether some kinds of alcohol were more dangerous than others.
The researchers, led by Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, Calif., revealed their findings at a conference in Barcelona.
Researchers analyzed the drinking habits of 70,033 women of various races from 1978 to 1985. By 2004, 2,829 had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Klatsky and his colleagues looked at which types of alcohol the women drank and their total alcohol intake. They compared it with that of women who had less than one drink a day.
They found no difference in the risk of developing breast cancer among women who drank wine, beer or liquor. Compared with light drinkers — those who had less than one drink a day — women who had one or two drinks a day increased their risk by 10 percent. Women who had more than three drinks a day raised their risk by 30 percent.
It is not clear how alcohol contributes to breast cancer, but some think it raises hormone levels in the blood to levels that could cause cancer.
Posted by david | Posted in Article, Breast Cancer, Cancer | Posted on 03-12-2006
Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Breast cancer mostly occurs in women over the age of 50, and the risk is especially high for women over age 60. Breast cancer is also found to occur more often in white women than African American or Asian women.
Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes. Within each lobe are many smaller lobules (milk producing glands). Lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can produce milk. The lobes, lobules and bulbs are all linked by thin tubes called ducts (milk passages that connect the lobules and the nipple). Fat surrounds the lobules and ducts. These ducts lead to the nipple in the center of a dark area of skin called the areola. There are no muscles in the breast, but muscles lie under each breast and cover the ribs.
Each breast also contains blood vessels and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels carry colorless fluid called lymph, and lead to small bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes. Clusters of lymph nodes are found near the breast in the axilla (under the arm), above the collarbone, and in the chest. Lymph nodes are also found in many other parts of the body.
Posted by david | Posted in Article | Posted on 17-10-2006
Mastitis (inflammation of breast tissue) is a common benign cause of a breast mass. It is commonly seen in women after childbirth while breastfeeding. These masses are often quite painful. Women who are not breastfeeding can also develop mastitis. In healthy women, mastitis is rare. However, women with diabetes, chronic illness, AIDS, or an impaired immune system may be more susceptible.
- Bacteria normally found in a baby’s mouth or on the nipple can enter the milk ducts through small cracks in the skin of the nipple and can multiply rapidly in the breast milk. This can lead to a superficial small area of inflammation (frequently from a streptococcal germ) or a deeper walled-off infection or abscess (frequently from a staphylococcal germ).
- Mild temperature elevations (previously termed milk fever) accompanied by some breast or nipple soreness is usually secondary to engorgement and dehydration immediately (48-72 hours) after delivery and is treated by improved breastfeeding technique. This condition may also occur in women who are not breastfeeding and have not completely suppressed lactation yet.
- About 1-3% of breastfeeding mothers develop mastitis, usually within the first few weeks after delivery. Most breast infections occur within the first or second month after delivery or at the time of weaning. Engorgement and incomplete breast emptying can contribute to the problem and make the symptoms worse.
- Chronic mastitis occurs in women who are not breastfeeding. In postmenopausal women, breast infections may be associated with chronic inflammation of the ducts below the nipple. Hormonal changes in the body cause the milk ducts to become clogged with dead skin cells and debris. These clogged ducts make the breast more open to bacterial infection. Infection tends to come back after treatment with antibiotics.
