Health Tips

Breast Cancer in Women
For many women, the possibility of being diagnosed with breast cancer is their greatest medical fear. Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer among women after skin cancer, and it is the second leading cause of cancer death in American women. Unfortunately, the incidence of this disease is on the rise. But, with continued awareness of the importance of early detection, and with better therapeutic options emerging, the outlook is improving.

What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is a type of cancer in which abnormal cells in the breast tissue divide and grow irregularly and out of control. The tissue mass that forms from this cell growth is called a tumor.

Approximately 80% of breast cancers originate in the cells of the breast's milk ducts. This type of cancer is called invasive ductal carcinoma. A second type, infiltrating (invasive) lobular carcinoma, begins in the lobules of the breast where breast milk is produced, but spreads to surrounding tissues or the rest of the body. This type of cancer accounts for about 15%
of breast cancer cases:1

Breast cancer is classified into two types:
metastatic and recurrent. Metastatic breast cancer occurs when cancer cells travel from the breast to other parts of the body and continue to grow in their new location. The cancer cells will travel through the bloodstream or through the lymphatic system (the tissues and organs that produce, store, and carry white blood cells). Recurrent breast cancer reappears in the breast tissue after treatment.

Certain risk factors may increase odds of getting breast cancer
It is estimated that 211,240 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and 40,410 women will die from the disease.2 Currently, there are slightly more than 2 million women living in the U.S. who have been treated for breast cancer.3

Research has shown that women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop breast cancer. Studies have found that age, family history, reproductive and menstrual history, use of hormone replacement therapy, race, physical fitness, and smoking and alcohol consumption are all contributors to breast cancer.

Although these risk factors increase a woman's chance of getting breast cancer, a woman who has one or more of the above may never get the disease. And, women who do get the disease may not have any of the risk factors. For these reasons, it is important for all women to have regular checkups and to follow their doctor's recommendations to catch any changes early and prevent the spread of the disease.

Early detection is crucial
Contrary to popular belief, cancerous tumors in the breast usually grow very slowly. As a result, by the time a tumor is large enough to be felt as a lump, it may have been growing for as long as ten years. In order to detect the cancer early, it is important to look for the warning signs. These signs include changes in the feeling and/or look of the breast or nipple, as well as nipple discharge.
Over the years, physicians have developed a set of guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer. These recommendations encourage women over the age of 20 to perform breast self-examinations monthly and to have health care provider examinations every three years. At age 35, an initial mammogram should be conducted and starting at age 40, women should have annual mammograms.4

Traditional treatment options
For decades, once a woman was diagnosed with breast cancer, the only treatment options were chemotherapy, radiation, surgery to remove the lump or breast, or a combination of these treatments. These treatments are invasive and devastating, and yet, in many instances the cancer will reoccur. In the past decade, however, several important new pharmaceutical innovations have greatly improved cure rates and remission periods for patients with breast cancer.

New discoveries offer new medicines:
Two drug classes that have made the most impact on breast cancer treatment are hormonal and biological therapies. Hormonal therapies, such as the drug tamoxifen, block the effects of estrogen on cells, thus stopping the growth of breast cancer cells in estrogen-dependent cancer types.

In 1987, an important discovery was made which would have significant impact on the treatment of breast cancer. Researchers identified a link between the HER-2 gene and breast cancer. HER-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2) is a gene that controls the growth of cells. It was found that 25% of breast cancers have too many of the proteins produced by the HER-2 gene, promoting the growth of cancer cells. Therefore, HER-2 was identified as a therapeutic target.

In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first monoclonal antibody therapy for breast cancer, called trastuzumab (sold as Herceptin®). Announcing the approval, then-FDA Acting Commissioner, Michael A. Friedman, M.D., said: "The increasing use of biological products such as Herceptin® to treat the underlying causes of diseases is an exciting development in medicine."

Trastuzumab is an example of a biological product (a substance derived from natural sources to treat disease) developed specifically to target cancer cells that make too much of the HER-2 protein, and is one of the first examples of a "personalized medicine" targeted to certain patients. This therapy uses special types of antibodies to block the effect of the HER-2 protein and possibly slow the growth of the cancer.

As we build on the advances made in recent years, continued research into how to better prevent, detect, and treat the disease, will move us closer to making breast cancer treatment safer and more effective.

We invite you to explore innovation.org to learn more about this disease, new medicines in development to treat it, and to read the real-life stories of patients battling with cancer and others Diseases