Breast Cancer : Cancer And Cancer

“Cancer” is the name for a group of diseases that start in the body at the cellular level. Even though there are many different kinds of cancer, they all begin with abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These abnormal cells lump together to form a mass of tissue or “malignant tumor”. Malignant means that it can spread to other parts of the body or Metastasize . If the breast is the original location of the cancer growth or malignant tumor, the tumor is called breast cancer. (American Cancer Society, 2014, as cited in cbcf.org)

Inherited genetic mutations play a major role in about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers.

When I was given this ancestry project I automatically knew I wanted to figure out my family genetics and why I got cancer in the first place. I am the only child out of four in my family to get cancer. After digging into some history I found out that my mom, grandma, and uncle had cancer. It's weird how genetics work but I was basically doomed from the beginning. My grandma had breast cancer and had both her breasts removed. My uncle had stage four lung cancer and passed away shortly after diagnosis. And my mom had thyroid cancer only a few years ago and is a survivor. Since there is history of breast cancer in my family I had to get tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene, which is a mutated gene that is inherited from your family. This gene increases your risk of developing breast cancer to 50%, a one in two

Over the past decade breast cancer has become one of the most predominant diseases in the United States. Breast cancer starts out as a malignant tumor in the tissues of the breast which is formed from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal breast cells. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. (Stephan, 2010)

We have all seen the pink ribbons. They have become a national, if not international symbol for breast cancer support and awareness. Breast cancer knows neither racial boundaries nor age restrictions. Females of all ages and ethnicities can develop breast cancer and it is the leading most common cancer among women. Calling attention to this often fatal disease is important by supporting its victims, families and friends of victims, as well as raising funds for breast cancer research. Though males are not immune from developing a breast cancer, for the purposes of this paper, this paper will be limited to information relating breast cancer in females.

Familial melanoma is a genetic or inherited condition. This means that the risk of having a melanoma can be passed from generation to generation in a family. Ordinarily, each cell has two copies of each gene: one inherited from the mother and one inherited from the father. Familial melanoma follows a dominant inheritance pattern, in which case a mutation happens in only one copy of the gene. As every cell has two copies of each gene, it means that a parent can potentially pass along a copy of his or her normal gene or a copy of the mutated gene. Therefore, a child who has a parent with a mutation has a 50% chance of inheriting that mutation. A related person such as a brother or a parent of the person who has a mutation also has a 50% chance of having the same mutation.

     Breast cancer, a very painful disease emotionally and physically for women, can also be detected with genetic testing. The majority of cases of breast cancer are not the result of known inherited mutations, but rather from two breast cancer susceptibility genes: BRCA1 and BRCA2. Although the two genes are similar, BRCA1 mutations lead to estrogen receptor negative

The second similarity is that both BRCA1 and BRCA2 bind to Rad5 protein that is involved in maintain the integrity of the genome (Kinzler et al, 1997).

into cancer. The doctors have no way of determining which altered gene will cause cancer or do

This is why BRCA-positive people have a higher risk for cancers. It also explains why they get them earlier in life. They were born already having one mutated BRCA allele ready to fuel cancer cells.

Wilbert zwart, Huub Terra et al (2015) conducted study on cognitive effects of endocrine therapy for breast cancer. The number of breast cancer survivors is gradually increasing and subset of these patients experience long term adverse effects of adjuvant systemic therapy, including cognitive decline surprisingly, relatively little is known about the long term adverse effective of endocrine treatment on cognition. A 75% of all patients with breast cancer are eligible to receive hormonal treatment, understanding the potential Neuro cognitive effect of such therapy is of utmost importance. The decline of cognitive functions can have a detrimental impact on quality of life and might interfere with independent living. This Review discusses the

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer identified in women, and in spite of substantial developments in cancer treatment, it is still the second most important cause of cancer-related deaths. In general, up to 25% of breast cancer patients overexpress HER2 gene. Recently, the mAbs that identify antigens on cancer cells are being used for the targeted therapy of cancer. The antibodies can be used alone or as conjugates for the transport of radioisotopes, toxins, or drugs. Immunotoxins are manufactured by the connection of an antibody to a toxin produced by a plant or a bacteria. In this study, Pseudomonas endotoxin A (PE) and Shiga toxin (STX) and Fv fragments of the anti-ErbB2 mAb herceptin was used to create a single-chain variable

A family history of breast cancer may increase your risk of getting breast cancer. Although someone in your family has breast cancer does not mean you will have it too. About 75% of patients with breast cancer do not have a family history of breast cancer. Girls who have a menstruation before the age of 12 and women who has menopause after the age of 50 can increase your risk of cancer. Older women are at higher risk then younger women. Women over 40 who have there first pregnancy is at risk of getting the disease. White woman are more likely to get breast cancer than African-American women, but African-American women are more likely to die from cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer then white or black women. According to a study, woman who takes birth control has a slightly greater risk of getting breast cancer. Most studies suggest that use of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) for relief of menopause symptoms for more than 5 years may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer (Breast Cancer Statistics, 2008).

Much of how the human body operates is due purely to one’s genetic disposition. This is due to the way proteins are produced. In protein production, DNA is read three base pairs at a time making up for a codon which codes for a specific amino acid. These amino acids are produced in translation, and they will be strung together by something called tRNA to make full proteins. In DNA replication, there are many factors that determine the efficiency and effectiveness of what product is achieved and how it functions. When base pairs are incorrect, are deleted, or extra pairs inserted, what is called a mutation occurs. Mutations often times change the structure of a protein, how it performs, or what protein is produced altogether. They can

One disease that many people associate negative connotation with today is cancer. The statistics tell us that cancer is still one of the leading causes of death today. In 2016, an estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 595,690 people will die from the disease. However, the death rate has been declining as research into treatments has furthered. For example from 2004 to 2013 deaths from cancer has declined by 13%.