NOTES+by+melissa+and+michelle

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=QUESTION: What are the causes of breast cancer? = ||  ||  || Author: Terry L. Smith Publication: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. Date: 2006
 * =RESEARCH =
 * **Citation:** Title: Breast Cancer-Current and Emerging Trends in Detection and Treatment.

Title: Breast Cancer Causes Organization: WebMD Health Year of Publication: 2005 Publisher: WebMD Author: Michael Howards URL: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/what-causes-breast-cancer || || Causes of breast cancer/the risks of breast cancer. ||  ||
 * **Subject of notes**
 * **Notes** (already in own words)
 * Breast cancer is very uncommon in young women; it is most common for women at an older age.
 * Although the precise causes of breast cancer are unclear, we know what the main risk factors are.
 * Dr. George Olsen: "Of those women who do get breast cancer, far more than half of them make a total recovery and continue to live normal lives"
 * Women who begin having menstrual periods at an early age or still have them after the age of fifty-five are somewhat more likely to get breast cancer.
 * Heredity
 * Increases breast cancer rate among women who take hormones as therapy for the symptoms of menopause (the time in a woman's life in which the menstrual cycle ends)
 * There is also a higher risk for women who have never been pregnant or have their first child after the age of thirty
 * In the United States, breast cancer is more common in white women than in Latina, Asian, or African American women.
 * Common in nuns because they never have babies, was once known as the "nun disease". ||  ||
 * **Ideas**
 * picture: http://static.ibnlive.com/pix/sitepix/10_2007/cancer_248.jpg
 * picture: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/10/05/breast-cancer-cell-460x276.jpg ||  ||

=QUESTION: What are the effects of breast cancer?= ||  ||  || Title: Breast cancer symptoms and diagnosis Organization: Medicine World Year of Publication: 2007 Publisher: Ezine Articles Author: Scott William URL: http://breasts-cancers.info/result.php?Keywords=Breast%20Cancer ||  || symptoms of breast cancer ||  || Symtoms
 * =RESEARCH =
 * **Citations:**
 * **Subject of notes**
 * **Notes**
 * a change in the size or shape of a breast
 * dimples on your beast
 * breast tissue thickening
 * a nipple becoming inverted (turned in)
 * when you feel a lump or thickening behind the nipple
 * a rash affecting the nipple
 * bloody or clear discharge from nipple
 * a swelling or lump in the armpit.


 * In some women breast cancer may have spread to distant organs
 * Early stage breast cancer does not usually cause any symptoms.
 * If the cancer has spread to other organs these women may encounter symptoms related to these organs. For example if the cancer has spread to the bone then the women may develop bone problems. (bone fracture, bone pain) ||  ||
 * **Ideas**
 * Breast cancer is very uncommon in male.
 * Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in women, apart from skin cancer.
 * Picture: http://www.health-beauty-care.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/symptoms-of-breast-cancer.gif
 * Picture: http://www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/uploads/VMC/DiseaseImages/1278_Breast_Cancer_Male.jpg ||  ||

=QUESTION: Can breast cancer be treated? = ||  || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> || Author: Allan R. Cook and Peter D. Dresser Publication: Omnigraphics, Inc. Date: 1996 ||  || Treatment, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy. || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> || __Surgery:__ __Radiation Therapy:__ __Chemotherapy:__ __Hormonal therapy:__
 * =<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">RESEARCH =
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Citation** Title: Cancer Sourcebook for Women
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Subject of notes**
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Notes** (already in own words)
 * Lumpectomy: the cancer and some surrounding normal tissue are removed.
 * If choose lumpectomy, you usually also have to go through radiation therapy. Surgeon may also do a sentinel node analysis to see if the cancer have spread.
 * Not all women choose lumpectomy as their option.
 * Mastectomy: can be divided into two kinds of surgery. Partial mastectomy and simple mastectomy.
 * Partial mastectomy: removes the tumor, surround tissues, and lining of chest muscles. May go through sentinel node analysis.
 * Followed by radiation therapy.
 * Simple mastectomy: all breast tissue removed. (All lobules, ducts and fatty tissue are removed, as well as a strip of skin with the nipple and areola. EVEYRTHING!)
 * Likely to do a sentinel node analysis.
 * But chest muscles are left intact which makes it less complicated for breast reconstruction later on.
 * Radiation, chemotherapy or hormone therapy may also be needed, depending on the results of the surgery and follow-up tests.
 * External radiation: high-energy x-rays used to kill cancer cells that may be left in the breast or lymph nodes after surgery.
 * Treatments usually occur five days per week for six or seven weeks.
 * Painless and last around 30 minutes
 * Usually begins three to four weeks after surgery.
 * Chemotherapy: anti-cancer drugs are given by IV or pills to kill cancer cells that have escaped to other parts of the body. More than one drugs are usually used together.
 * chemotherapy can be used after suergery, before surgery, or as the main treatment for women whose breast cancer have already spread past the breast and lymph nodes.
 * Before surgery: to reduce the size of a tumor and make it easier to remove.
 * After surgery: reduce the chance of the breast cancer returning.
 * Chemotherapy drugs also damage healthy cells, which can lead to side effects.
 * Many people suffer from hair loss, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, changes in menstruation, and fatigue.
 * Side effects vary depending on the drugs used.
 * Most side effects go away after the treatment is over.
 * Chemo is done in cycles with breaks in between. Total course of treatment may take up to six months.
 * Hormone treatments reduce the amount of estrogen engaging with the cancer cells, therefore slowing or preventing their growth.
 * Tamoxifen: used to treat women with metastatic breast cancer to slow the growth of the breast cancer cells that are already at other parts of their body.
 * Also used to prevent the recurrence of cancer in women with early stage breast cancer.
 * And also used as a treatment for high-risk women to prevent the development of breast cancer.
 * Less toxic than other cancer medications, but can cause side effects.
 * Menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, irregular menstruation, fatigue and fluid retention. In both men and women, it may cause headaches, nausea, skin rash, and sexual side effects. Serious complications are possible, but uncommom
 * Aromatase Inhibitors: prevents the body from making estrogen.
 * Used to treat metastatic breast cancer and to prevent the of early stage breast cancer to reoccur, but only in post-menopausal women (women whose menstruation have not permanently stopped yet)
 * May be used after or instead of tamoxifen to decrease the possibility of breast cancer coming back. ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Ideas**
 * The two most common drugs used for hormone therapy are...
 * Since these drugs remove estrogen from the body, they can cause the bones to thin and fracture. (for hormonal therapy)
 * There's often more than one treatment option for breast cancer...
 * Picture: http://www.thecancerblog.com/media/2006/01/radiation_therapy.jpg
 * Picture: http://www.technewsworld.com/images/rw5621/chemotherapy-breast-cancer-drug.jpg ||  ||

=<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">QUESTION: Can we prevent breast cancer? = ||  || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> || Author: Terry L. Smith Publication: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. Date: 2006 || || __Chemoprevention__: __Lifestyle Changes:__* Some studies showed that women who don't drink alcohol, have a healthy diet/not obese, and exercises regularly are less likely to develop breast cancer. __Surgery:__ __Early Detection:__ =<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">QUESTION: Who is a famous breast cancer survivor? = ||  || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> || Title: Cynthia Nixon Reveals Battle With Breast Cancer Organization: Access Hollywood Year of Publication:2008 Publisher: Yahoo Author: Eloise Parker URL: http://omg.yahoo.com/news/cynthia-nixon-reveals-battle-with-breast-cancer/8242?nc ||  || Cynthia Nixon, breast cancer, famous celebrity || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> ||
 * =<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">RESEARCH =
 * **Citation:** Title: Breast Cancer-Current and Emerging Trends in Detection and Treatment.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Subject of notes** : Prevention of breast cancer || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Notes** (already in own words)
 * Not possible to fully prevent breast cancer, but many women now use chemoprevention.
 * Take pills
 * A drug called tamoxifen have been tested and been shown to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.
 * Since estrogen encourages breast cell division, tamoxifen blocks the estrogen effect, which will stop the the division of the breast cancer cells that are already in the body.
 * There are some undesirable side effects of using this drug so doctors only recommend it for women who have a high risk of getting breast cancer.
 * Exercise can also decrease the estrogen level, so even for women who already have breast cancer, excersise can boost the immune system and help kill any cancer cells or at least slow their growth rate.
 * Rarely used and is only considered for women at a high risk of breast cancer (family history) or ones that are very concerned about the possibilty of them getting breast cancer.
 * This is when doctors find cancers when they are still very tiny(curable). This process is called screening and involves frequent checking for breast cancer.
 * Mammography is the most importing screening test for breast cancer.
 * A trained technician uses a low-dose X-ray machine to take a picture of the tissues inside the breast. Physicians can then look at these pictures and see if there are any signs of cancer.
 * The National Cancer Institute recommends that women older that forty have a mammogram every one or two years.
 * There are some drawbacks and people who goes through mammography can still die of breast cancer.
 * People should use mammography because sometimes a tumor is too small to be felt by just breast examination.
 * || <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Ideas**
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Nowadays, there are many things you can do to prevent breast cancer.
 * Earlier detection has made a positive impact on the survival of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and most women can look forward to long healthy lives.
 * Picture: http://www.asiaing.com/images/stories/magazines/2006.Breast.Cancer.Handbook.Asiaing.gif
 * Picture: http://www1.wsvn.com/images/news_articles/389x205/pills_generic.jpg ||  ||
 * =<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">RESEARCH =
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Citation**
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Subject of notes**
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Notes** (already in own words)
 * One day she gets a call from my gynecologist. And she says, 'Well, I have some -- it's not such great news, but here it is, but it's very small and we're just going to get in there and take it right out, right away, and then you'll probably have radiation,'"
 * Around 2 years ago, "Sex and the City" co-star Cynthia Nixon was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she kept it to herself.
 * "I didn't really want to make it public while I was going through it. I didn't want paparazzi at the hospital, that kind of thing,"
 * Her mother, Ann, successfully battled breast cancer when Cynthia was 12 years old.
 * The tumor was very small when they first found it so she only had to go through lumpectomy (removing the tumor) and then six and a half weeks of radiation.
 * Cynthia has now become the official spokeswoman for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
 * "I want them [women] most to hear me saying that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. So the only thing to really be afraid of is if you don't go get your mammograms, because there's some part of you that doesn't want to know, and that's the thing that's going to trip you up. That's the thing that could have a really bad endgame," Nixon said. ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Ideas**
 * Picture: http://www.contactmusic.com/pics/la/race_for_cure_080608/cynthia_nixon_1907143.jpg ||  ||