When mammograms, other imaging tests, or a physical exam shows a breast change that may be cancer a biopsy is done. The only way to know for sure it’s cancer is to have a breast biopsy.
If your doctor thinks your cancer may have spread to other parts of your body, you may need more tests, such as chest x-rays, CT scans, bone scans, or MRI scans. CT, PET, Bone Scan, and an MRI these are test to know if the breast cancer has spread.
Mammograms are breast cancer screenings and are of great importance since they detect if indeed a malignant tumor is present and if so what stage it is in (Stephan, 2010). Cancers can be detected at stages I, II, or IIA (Haas et al., 2008).
I regularly speak for my parents with insurance companies, utilities representatives, and doctors. It is an important role. Their English comprehension even after 20 years in the U.S. remains inadequate for these circumstances. Because I was born here and speak English well, it falls to me to be the speaker for the household. I enjoy the calm I can bring to my parents when I help this way. But juggling school responsibilities with the doctors’ visits, phone calls, and other appointments can be stressful.
Mammograms are a test one can have done to see if they have breast cancer. A mammogram is an x-ray picture that can show lumps in one’s breast up to two years before it can be felt (National Cancer Institute.) Mammograms can be very controversial on whether or not they are necessary. Despite having a quick 5-6 minute breast examination at your doctor’s appointment, regular mammogram screening is necessary for discovering the lumps that haven’t progressed enough to detect by touch. Mammograms are able to detect cancer early, and through early detection the patients are able to undergo less invasive treatments and have a better chance at survival. Many find mammograms a waste of time or money because they are getting their breast examined at their doctor’s appointments, but the mammogram is able to detect the cancer sooner than you would by touch. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and in cases like this the sooner you find out, the better.
It’s pretty simple, right? It’s just cancer of the breast. What if this cancer makes it to another part of the body like the liver? Is it, now, liver cancer? How do I know it’s actually breast cancer? Most likely, you noticed an abnormal lump on your breast when you get out of the shower one day. Alternatively, you could have your yearly mammogram and your physician could notice a change in your breast tissue (“Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer”). Whatever the reason, it would be an urgent need to see your regular physician and have them refer you to a physician who specializes in breast cancer as soon as possible. According to the American Cancer Society, when there is a suspected mass in your breast, your attending oncology physician will ask you to consent to a breast biopsy. With this, they will send the specimen to be looked at by a pathologist. A pathologist is a medical doctor who is specially trained to look at cells under a microscope and identify diseases (“Your Breast Biopsy Results”). Because these pathologists are specially trained to differentiate between each type of tissue, they will know if it is breast cancer by the unique tissue markers it portrays (Hoonakker). Once you get your test results back, it can go one of two ways: it can be benign—where a simple surgery can remove the abnormal mass or it can be malignant—a lot more serious and have the possibility to metastasize to other parts of the body, like the liver. There is a
Three-quarters of all breast cancer patients are not in any of the groups considered at increased risk for breast cancer, indicating that not all risk factors are understood. As a result, doctors recommend that every woman should familiarize herself with the techniques for monthly breast self-examination. X-ray examination of the breasts, a technique called mammography, can detect tumors before they are large enough to be felt and increase the odds for successful treatment. The American Cancer Society recommends that women over age 40
A patient, with an abnormal mammogram that's highly indicative of breast cancer requires all skills or competencies to provide a holistic patient care. As an FNP taking care of that patient in the primary care setting, she will discuss the results with the patient and then provide her choices to see a breast surgeon for a biopsy. Some patients may prefer a female surgeon while others don't care as long as the surgeon is highly skilled in the area of specialty. If the biopsy turns out positive for breast cancer then the patient will be referred to an oncologist. In making referrals, the FNP not only considers the expertise of other healthcare professionals but also the patient's choices, cultural preferences and insurance coverage to ensure
I chose to speak on Mammography as it is a type of medical imaging involving radiation. Mammography uses x-rays to check on the internal structure of the breast. Receiving frequent mammograms can help detect breast cancer at an early stage and be able to treat it as quick as possible. However, a patient is exposed to a small amount of radiation while receiving a mammography .According to the FDA, a patient will not need to overtake chemotherapy if early detection is taken into
Another way for early detection is Clinical Examination. Women should have their breast checked by a health professional once each year. Some lumps found, aren’t always cancer. However, any lumps found need to be checked by a professional as soon as it is found.
A cancer diagnosis typically comes after a routine cancer screen or after the patient notices signs and symptoms and consults their physician. The diagnosis process for breast cancer may
The National Breast Cancer Foundation states that “Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.” Breast self-exams help women know how their breasts look and feel like and can get to the doctor early whenever a lump is felt. There are three different ways to do a breast self-exam: 1). While in the shower, using the fingertips, go in a circle starting from the outside of the breast all the way to the center part where the nipple is, check for any lumps or hard areas on the breast and check the nipple for any discharge. Check the armpit also for any lumps or hardened areas. 2). Standing in front of a mirror with arms down, look at breasts for size, shape, swelling, dimpling or any color changes next, raise arms up over head and look same. 3). While lying down on your back, with a pillow under your shoulders ,with right arm is behind head and with the fingertips of the left hand, going in a circular motion check for any lumps, check the whole breast and the armpit. Check each side one at a
The first and most noticeable symptom of breast cancer is the lump in the breast, most cases of breast cancer are discovered when a woman feels a lump on her breasts, a lump in the lymph nodes located in the armpits can indicate breast cancer which may
Invasive lobular carcinoma is the cancer cells developed from the lobules to the breast tissues that are nearby. Certain invasive cancer cells can also expand to other parts of the body. There are numerous other less well-known kinds of breast cancer such as Paget’s disease, medullary, mucinous, and inflammatory breast cancer. Ductal carcinoma in situ is the appearance of irregular cells inside a milk duct in the breast. The cancer cells are particularly in the covering of the ducts and have not expanded to additional tissues in the breast. Many women have distinctive manifestations of breast cancer. Some people do not have any indications or signs at all. A woman may pronounce out that they have breast cancer after a regular mammogram. Some caution signs of breast cancer are: lump in the breast or armpit, thickening or swelling of part of the breast, irritation or dimpling of breast skin, redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast, pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area, nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood, any change in the size or the shape of the breast, Pain in any area of the
There is a series of tests that are done to rule out of diagnosis breast cancer. One very common test is a
To be safe from breast cancer, you require to be attentive to your bodily changes and self-examination of breasts is must. If you feel slight discomfort in your breasts or around the breasts, don’t ignore. Consult health provider immediately for thorough check up. Early Signs of Breast Cancer 1. Pain in Breast or Nipple
To be diagnosed with breast cancer is usually after a continuous routine of breast cancer screening or after detecting certain signs and symptoms. Examples of diagnostic tests and procedures for breast cancer can be a breast exam, x-ray (mammogram), 2D combined with 3D mammograms, breast ultrasound, biopsy, and breast MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)