Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that starts in one or both breasts. Although it mostly affects women, men can get breast cancer, too.
Each year, more than 360,000 women in the United States receive a breast cancer diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). It accounts for 1 in 3 of all new female cancers.
At North Kansas City Hospital Cancer Center, we understand that a breast cancer diagnosis is life-changing. We’re here to help guide you — from diagnosis and treatment all the way to survivorship.
Types of Breast Cancer
There are many types of bladder cancer. Most are a form of carcinoma called adenocarcinomas, which are tumors that start in cells in the milk ducts (called ductal carcinoma) or in the glands that make milk (called lobular carcinoma).
If breast cancer hasn’t spread yet, it’s referred to in situ, which is called either ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ. If the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue, it’s known as invasive and called invasive ductal carcinoma or invasive lobular carcinoma.
Some types of invasive breast cancers are further categorized by their features or how they develop. Two of these include triple-negative breast cancer, which refers to cancer cells that don’t have estrogen or progesterone receptors and also don’t make any or too much of the HER2 protein, and inflammatory breast cancer, which is an aggressive type of invasive breast cancer.
There are also types of breast cancer that start to grow in cells other than those in the milk ducts or lobules of the breast. These are less common and include:
• Angiosarcoma
• Paget disease of the breast
• Phyllodes tumor
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
If you have a risk factor for breast cancer, it doesn’t mean you’ll develop the disease, but it does mean your chance of having breast cancer is higher. Knowing the risk factors for breast cancer can help you lower your likelihood of getting the cancer.
Lifestyle-related risk factors for bladder cancer include:
• Being overweight or obese
• Drinking alcohol
• Having breast implants
• Not being physically active
• Not breastfeeding
• Not having children or not having your first child until after age 30
• Taking certain types of birth control
• Using menopausal hormone therapy with estrogen
Other risk factors for breast cancer that you can’t change include:
• A family or personal history of breast cancer
• Certain genetic changes, such as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations
• Dense breasts
• Gender, with risk significantly higher for women than men
• Older age, with most breast cancers developing in women ages 55 and older
Screening for Breast Cancer
Mammograms are helpful tools for detecting breast cancer and other conditions affecting the breasts. We recommend having your first mammogram at age 40 (or earlier if you have a family history of breast cancer) and annual screening mammograms after that.
At NKCH, we mostly use 3-D mammography, which is the latest in breast cancer detection technology and helps our radiologists examine your breast tissue layer by layer with a more detailed view.
Genetic Counseling and Testing
If you have a personal or family history of cancer, it may mean you carry an inherited genetic mutation that puts you at a higher risk for developing cancer. We may recommend you meet with a genetic counselor, who will take a detailed medical and family history to determine if genetic testing is needed.
The most common genes associated with breast cancer are BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Still, only 5% to 10% of breast cancers are believed to be hereditary.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Although most breast lumps are not cancer, a new lump or mass in the breast is the most common first symptom of the disease.
Other breast cancer symptoms include:
• Breast or nipple pain
• Nipple discharge
• Nipple retraction
• Red, dry, flaking or thickened skin on the nipple or breast
• Skin dimpling
• Swelling
• Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or near the collarbone
Diagnostic Tests for Breast Cancer
If we suspect you have breast cancer, we’ll likely recommend a few tests to gather more information.
Some of the diagnostic tests we offer for breast cancer include:
- Biopsy: Biopsies are used to diagnose cancer. One of our radiologists or surgeons will perform this procedure with an ultrasound (ultrasound-guided breast biopsy) or mammography (stereotactic breast biopsy) using a special needle or incision.
- Diagnostic mammogram: If a screening mammogram shows an area of concern, we may use X-rays to examine it more closely.
- MRI: If you’re at a high risk for breast cancer, we may use an MRI for screening purposes. But, if you’ve already been diagnosed with cancer, we also may use it along with a mammogram and ultrasound to define a tumor’s size or identify the extent of the disease.
- Screening mammogram: We use X-rays to get images of both breasts.
- Ultrasound/sonogram: This test uses sound waves to create pictures of the inside of the breast. Your doctor may use this to look closer at a specific area of concern — to determine if the tissue is benign (noncancerous) or cancer.
Breast Cancer Treatment Options
If you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, our nurse navigators at North Kansas City Hospital Cancer Center act immediately — helping connect you with a surgeon and radiation oncologist within 72 hours. They’ll help answer any questions you have, coordinate your care and provide you with emotional support and resources.
Once you’ve met your doctor, they’ll help you understand your diagnosis — and your options for treatment.
Some of the breast cancer treatments we offer include:
• Chemotherapy, which helps kill cancerous cells with chemical substances
• Hormone therapy, which may be used to help slow or stop the growth of cancer by reducing or blocking the effects of estrogen and progesterone
• Immunotherapy, which stimulates an immune response to help fight disease
• Intravesical therapy, which inserts liquid medication into the bladder through a urinary catheter to help prevent cancer from growing back
• Radiation therapy, which uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors
• Surgery, which removes either a portion of a tumor (a lumpectomy) or the entire breast (a mastectomy)
• Targeted therapy, which uses targeted drugs to interfere with proteins that help tumors grow, divide and spread
Also, if you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial and fit the eligibility criteria, we’ll connect you with our dedicated research nurse who works with trial patients and oncologists to coordinate treatment and investigative therapies.