Breast Cancer Test

Causes of Breast Cancer

Cell growth, division, and invasion are programmed by our genes. Cancer is started by faulty genes. You can inherit a faulty gene from your father or mother. Actually, even an inherited gene needs something in the environment to cause the final mutation needed to lead to breast cancer. So breast cancer, like other cancers are caused by a combination of abnormal genes and environmental factors.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

HRT is synthetic estrogen and/or progesterone (called progestin). It is designed to "replace" a woman's depleting hormone levels at menopause. HRT is commonly prescribed to relieve menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. The hormone replacement therapy is also used to help prevent osteoporosis.

HRT can cause breast cancer!

The possible link between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast cancer is the source of most of the controversy surrounding hormone use in menopausal women. HRT does carry with a sizable increase in breast cancer risk.

A review of preliminary data of the Women's Health Initiative study, the largest clinical trial ever undertaken in the United States showed a 26 percent increase in breast cancer in women receiving hormone replacement therapies with drugs compared with women receiving a placebo. In addition, instead of a heart benefit there was a 29 percent increase in heart attacks and a 22 percent increase in total cardiovascular disease among women receiving the synthetic hormones.

The medical establishment is becoming increasingly interested in this alternative medicine more than ever since ovarian and breast cancer as well as heart disease, blood clots and strokes risks are associated with conventional Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) treatment.

Who Gets Breast Cancer? All women are at risk for getting breast cancer. As you get older, your risk increases. Assuming you live to age 90, your risk of getting breast cancer over your lifetime is about 12%. Does that sound like a BIG risk? It might sound scary, because it means that an average of about one out of every 8 women will get breast cancer in the course of a 90-year life span. Or, you can look at it another way: A 12% risk means there's an 88% chance that you won't get breast cancer.

Risk of Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Test - Breast Self Exam

Examining your breasts is one of the best ways to find a breast cancer early, when it's most likely to be cured. Not every cancer can be found this way, but it is a critical step you can and should take for yourself. The more you examine your breasts, the more you will learn about them and the easier it will become for you to tell if something unusual has occurred. The BSE is an essential part of taking care of yourself and reducing your risk of breast cancer.

Don't panic if you think you feel a lump. Most women have some lumps or lumpy areas in their breasts all the time. Eight out of ten breast lumps that are removed are benign, non-cancerous.

Follow the 4 steps below to exercise the breast cancer test right!

	1. Stand in front of a mirror that is large enough for you to see your breasts clearly. Examine your breast with your arms down, up and on your hips, like shown in the pictures. Check each breast for any change in the shape or contour and the skin for puckering, dimpling or scalines.
2. Raise one arm. Use the pads of the fingers of your other hand to check the breast and the surrounding area firmly and thoroughly, working around the breast in circular direction. Feel for any unusual lump or mass under the skin. Feel the tissue by pressing your fingers in small, overlapping areas. The important thing is to cover the whole breast and to pay special attention to the area between the breast and the underarm. Check the area above the breast, up to the collarbone and all the way over to your shoulder.
	3. It is important to repeat exam 2 while you are lying down. Lie flat on your back, with one arm over your head and a pillow or folded towel under the shoulder. This position flattens the breast and makes it easier to check.
4. Gently squeeze each nipple and look for a discharge. At last, check under the nipples.

If you discover a lump in one breast or feel something "different" in the tissue, examine the same spot in the opposite breast. Usually if the same area in the opposite breast feels the same there is little need for worry. Sometimes the lumpiness may be due to menstrual changes.

However, if you have nipple discharge or skin changes such as dimpling or puckering or you feel a definite lump, there may be valid reason for concern and it is important to contact your physician right away.

Read about the signs and symptoms you should watch for on the breast cancer test and at breast cancer information, what physical exams are used for diagnosis, which treatment are available and all you need to know.