Breast cancer is a disease caused by mutation or abnormality in the genes that regulate cells in the breast. This type of cancer occurs not only in women but also in men who have breast tissue as well. The same treatments apply to breast cancer in men and women
Breast cancer can form from any of these different parts of the breast
:Anatomy of the normal female or male breast
lobules or milk-producing glands
Milk ducts that connect the lobules to the nipple
The nipple is surrounded by a darkened area or areola
stroma – fatty and bound tissue around the lobules and ducts
lymphatic vessels
Blood vessels
At puberty, female hormones cause the breasts and their parts to grow in females. On the other hand, male hormones limit the growth of male breasts. Some less developed ducts and a few lobules remain in the man’s chest, making him less susceptible to breast cancer
Signs and symptoms
:See a doctor if you notice any of the following changes in and around the breast
Thickened and lumpy breast tissue
Redness, swelling or changes in size, shape or appearance
Dimpling, ulcers or other changes to the skin
Discharge of fluid from the nipple that usually includes some blood
Changes in the shape and color of the nipple
Retracted or inverted nipple (nipple turned inward)
Small bumps or lumps in the armpit
:Other changes
Breast cancer is named from the tissue or cells of the breast where it begins and whether it has spread or not, as shown in the following
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is breast cancer that spreads from the cells of the milk ducts. In situ means that it is a non-disseminated species or in a pre-spreading stage
Articular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or lobular carcinoma. In this condition, cells that resemble cancerous or abnormal cells form in the lobules, the breast milk-producing glands. The name includes the term “cancer” but it is not yet a precancerous stage. The abnormal cells remain within the lobules but a person with LCIS has a high risk of developing breast cancer
Diffuse lobular carcinoma and metastatic ductal carcinoma are internal breast cancers that have spread from where they began in the lobules and milk ducts respectively to the surrounding tissues
:Other types of breast cancer
inflammatory breast cancer
Paget’s disease of the nipple
Phyloid tumors of the breast
vascular cancer
Male breast cancer
medullary cancer
tubular carcinoma
Mucinous (colloid) carcinoma
:Breast cancer stages
Cancer stage is the common or standard way to describe breast cancer based on the result of tests and other diagnostic procedures. It is a standard reference point.
The phase is usually expressed in two ways
Stages 0 – 4
Stage is indicated by a number or number and letter on a scale of 0-4 or 0-4 – with stage 0 describing non-metastatic cancer and stage IV (4) metastatic cancer that has spread outside the breast to other parts of the body
The description of the stage includes these four characteristics: the size of the tumor, whether it has metastasized or not, whether it has spread to the lymph nodes and whether it has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body
Therefore, stage IV describes metastatic breast cancer where a tumor of any size has reached the chest wall and/or the skin of the breast and ulceration or swelling is noted, and the cancer has spread to no more than 9 axillary lymph nodes or up to lymph nodes near the breastbone the chest
TNM (tumor, gland, malignancy) staging system
The stage is based on the size of the tumor, whether it has spread to the lymph nodes and whether the cancer has spread outside the breast area
Cancer stage as a common reference makes it easy for everyone involved to understand and compare treatment outcomes
?Why do people want to treat breast cancer in Turkey
Turkey maintains its position as a top-ranked medical tourism destination because it has established the capacity of its health facilities and staff to provide quality healthcare services at an affordable cost.
Turkey has good hospitals and oncology surgeons
The best breast cancer treatment is customized based on the correct diagnosis of the disease. Cancer patients will be happy to know that healthcare facilities in Turkey have the required modern equipment and professionals to make an accurate diagnosis
Then, based on the diagnosis, the medical professionals will prepare a personalized or unique treatment plan that may include any of the following
Surgery (lumpectomy, mastectomy, lymph node removal, breast reconstruction, prophylactic mastectomy)
cryotherapy
Chemotherapy
Stem Cell Therapy
radiotherapy
hormonal therapy
targeted therapy
There are many JEC and/or ISO 9001 accredited hospitals in Turkey with the facilities and expertise to perform various cancer treatments.
