Breast cancer originates in the tissues of the breast, but advanced breast cancer develops, it may metastasize - or spread - in areas throughout the body. Early detection of breast cancer can make a big difference in stopping the spread of breast cancer.
How breast cancer metastasis
Cancer cells are abnormal cells divide and multiply at a rapid pace. These cells reproduce rapidly forms a tumor, but some of these cells can escape from the tumor into the bloodstream or lymphatic system and spread throughout the body. These cancer cells can get stuck in other tissues in the body where they continue to proliferate and form other tumors. These secondary tumors, called metastatic tumors also contain cancer cells, even if they occur in the brain, liver or bones.
Spread of breast cancer can occur anywhere, but the most common places of living metastatic breast cancer are:
Brain
The lymph nodes surrounding the breast
Liver
Lungs
Bones - usually the pelvic bones, skull, legs, ribs and spine
Cycle of breast cancer
Cancers are classified according to the criteria of how advanced they are and how they propagate. These are the progressive stages of breast cancer, and how to define the extent of breast cancer:
Stage 0. This is the first stage of breast cancer, when cancer cells have formed a small tumor is not invading the surrounding breast tissue. This is called noninvasive breast cancer.
Phase I. This is considered an invasive breast cancer, where tumor cells formed small tumors up to 2 centimeters (cm) in size, and tumor cells sormimaiset weather have left the normal breast tissue around the tumor.
Phase II. This step has been used to describe one of these situations:
The tumor is 2 cm or smaller, and breast cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes axillary (underarm)
The tumor is between 2 and 5 cm in diameter with no spread to axillary lymph nodes.
The tumor is between 2 and 5 cm in size and breast cancer cells have spread to axillary lymph
Tumors larger than 5 cm in size, but has not spread to lymph nodes.
The phase III. The tumor may be more or less than 5 cm, and breast cancer cells are found in nearby lymph nodes, which are either glued or adhered to adjacent structures of the body.
Phase IIIB. The cells of metastatic breast cancer that affects the lining and chest and may also affect the skin covering the chest, or may have spread to other nodes, axillary nodes not in the chest area.
Stage IIIC. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes around the collarbone and sternum, and lymph nodes under the arm. A tumor can not even be found in the breast, but cancer cells are found in lymph nodes of these areas.
Stage IV. This is a very advanced breast cancer in which cells exist in other important organs like the brain, lungs, bones or liver.
The more the cancer has spread, and several places in the body it touches, the more advanced cancer, treatment becomes more difficult, and the worse the prognosis.
Spread of breast cancer and treatment
A tumor of noninvasive breast cancer that is found in the breast can be removed with surgery, but the spread of breast cancer generally requires further processing.
Treatments for breast cancer that has spread include:
Systemic chemotherapy drugs that circulate throughout the body to destroy cancer cells
Radiation therapy to shrink tumors and destroy cancer
Cryosurgery freezes the tissues and destroy cancer cells
Hormone therapy to prevent the growth of cancer cells
Biological therapy to boost the immune system's defenses against cancer
Early detection of breast cancer through regular meetings is the best way to detect breast cancer before metastasis and before treatment becomes more difficult.
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