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Sociological Determinants of Disease: CANCER

BREAST CANCER
COLON CANCER
LUNG CANCER
PROSTATE CANCER

ANATOMY OF THE BREAST

Inside a woman's breast are 15 to 20


sections called lobes. Each lobe is made
of many smaller sections called lobules.
Lobules have groups of tiny glands that
can make milk. After a baby is born, a
woman's breast milk flows from the
lobules through thin tubes called ducts to
the nipple. Fat and fibrous tissue fill the
spaces between the lobules and ducts.

Breast profile:
A ducts
B lobules
C dilated section of duct to
hold milk
D nipple
E fat
F pectoralis major muscle
G chest wall/rib cage

The breasts also contain lymph vessels.


These vessels are connected to small,
round masses of tissue called
lymph nodes. Groups of lymph nodes are
near the breast in the underarm (axilla),
above the collarbone, and in the chest
behind the breastbone.

What Is Breast Cancer?


Breast cancer is a tumor that has become
malignant - it has developed from the breast
cells. A 'malignant' tumor can spread to other
parts of the body - it may also invade
surrounding tissue. When it spreads around the
body, we call it 'metastasis'.

The human body has two ways of moving fluid


about. One is through the blood stream, which
carries plasma, red and white blood cells and
platelets. Lymphatic vessels carry tissue fluid,
waste products and infection fighting cells
(immune system cells). Immune system cells
are located in the lymph nodes - the nodes are
shaped like a bean.
It is common for cancer cells to grow in the
lymph nodes. They get there via the lymphatic
vessels.

The lymphatic system of the breasts connects to the


lymph nodes in three areas: Under the arm (axillary
lymph node), in the chest (internal mammary node)
and by the collarbone (supra or infraclavicular node).
Doctors guess that if cancer cells are in the lymphatic
system, they are most likely to be in the bloodstream
and will spread to other organs in the body. It is very
hard to test for breast cancer cells in the bloodstream.

How common is breast cancer?


Breast cancer is the most common cancer
for women. About one in every nine
women will develop breast cancer in her
lifetime. 99% of all breast cancers are
diagnosed in women, 1% affect men.
In the USA there were 100,000 new cases
in 1985. In 1994 the number rose to
180,000. The main reason for the increase
is better awareness leading to more
diagnostic tests

Why do some women get breast cancer?


We don't know the answer to that yet. We know
that heredity plays a part. The more close
relatives a woman has who had breast cancer,
the higher is her risk of developing it.
Hormones seem to play a role in many cases
of breast cancer but how it happens is not fully
understood.

Types of Breast Cancer


noninvasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC)

Most breast lumps are benign (harmless)

Although most breast lumps do not develop into


anything dangerous (benign) some will need to
be biopsied (doctor takes a piece out and tests
it). Most lumps are harmless cysts - sacs filled
with fluid.

A benign tumor cannot spread to other parts of


the body - it stays inside the breast. They pose
no threat to the patient's life. They are not
cancer. Some of them, however, can increase
the woman's chance of developing breast cancer
later on. Tumors such as papillomas and atypical
hyperplasia are examples of this.

Normal breast with


noninvasive ductal
carcinoma in situ
(DCIS) in an
enlarged cross
section of the duct.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is the most


common type of non-invasive breast cancer.
Ductal means that the cancer starts inside the
milk ducts, carcinoma refers to any cancer that
begins in the skin or other tissues (including
breast tissue) that cover or line the internal
organs, and in situ means "in its original place.
DCIS is called "non-invasive" because it hasnt
spread beyond the milk duct into any normal
surrounding breast tissue. DCIS isnt lifethreatening, but having DCIS can increase the
risk of developing an invasive breast cancer
later on.

Signs and Symptoms DCIS

DCIS generally has no signs or symptoms.


A small number of people may have a lump
in the breast or some discharge coming out
of the nipple. According to the National
Cancer Institute, about 80% of DCIS cases
are found by mammography.

Diagnosis of DCIS

Diagnosing DCIS usually involves a


combination of procedures:
Physical examination of the breasts
Biopsy
Fine needle aspiration biopsy
core needle biopsy
Incision biopsy
Excision biopsy

Normal breast with


invasive ductal carcinoma
(IDC) in an enlarged
crosssection of the duct.

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), sometimes


called infiltrating ductal carcinoma, is the
most common type of breast cancer. About
80% of all breast cancers are invasive ductal
carcinomas.
Invasive means that the cancer has
invaded or spread to the surrounding
breast tissues. Ductal means that the cancer
began in the milk ducts, which are the
pipes that carry milk from the milkproducing lobules to the nipple.

Carcinoma refers to any cancer that


begins in the skin or other tissues that
cover internal organs such as breast
tissue. All together, invasive ductal
carcinoma refers to cancer that has
broken through the wall of the milk duct
and begun to invade the tissues of the
breast. Over time, invasive ductal
carcinoma can spread to the lymph nodes
and possibly to other areas of the body.

Signs and Symptoms of IDC


At first, invasive ductal carcinoma may not
cause any symptoms. Often, an abnormal area
turns up on a screening mammogram (x-ray of
the breast), which leads to further testing.
In some cases, the first sign of invasive ductal
carcinoma is a new lump or mass in the breast
that you or your doctor can feel. According to the
American Cancer Society, any of the following
unusual changes in the breast can be a first sign
of breast cancer, including invasive ductal
carcinoma:

swelling of all or part of the breast


skin irritation or dimpling
breast pain
nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
redness, scaliness, or thickening of the
nipple or breast skin
a nipple discharge other than breast milk
a lump in the underarm area

Symptoms & Diagnosis


Breast cancer symptoms vary widely from
lumps to swelling to skin changes and many
breast cancers have no obvious symptoms at
all. Symptoms that are similar to those of breast
cancer may be the result of non-cancerous
conditions like infection or a cyst.

Early Detection of Breast Cancer

Breast self-exam should be part of your


monthly health care routine, and you should
visit your doctor if you experience breast
changes. If you're over 40 or at a high risk for
the disease, you should also have an
annual mammogram and physical exam by a
doctor. The earlier breast cancer is found and
diagnosed, the better your chances of beating
it.

Tests for Diagnosing IDC


Diagnosing invasive ductal carcinoma usually
involves a combination of procedures, including a
physical examination and imaging tests.
Physical examination of the breasts
Mammography
Ultrasound
Breast MRI
Biopsy

Breast Cancer Awareness


Fundraising for medical research has become
an important element of raising disease
awareness, and nowhere has it been more
effective than for breast cancer. With the Susan
G. Komen Foundation, which was established in
1982, millions of women and their families have
been educated about breast cancer treatment,
prevention and support. Other efforts have been
established around the world to help people
learn more about the disease and how it can
affect them, as well as to raise money for both
research and treatment.

The latest statistics for breast cancer


among Filipino women are grim: according
to an article onXinhuanet.com, three out of
every 100 women will develop breast
cancer in their lifetimes. And breast cancer
has surpassed lung cancer as the most
common cancer in the country. Raising
awareness, as well as funds, in the
Philippines is critical to fighting breast
cancer.

And now, a painless breast cancer diagnosis


(The Philippine Star) Updated June 29, 2010.
MANILA, Philippines - Research shows that women 20
years old and up may be prone to premature stages of
lesions/nodules or lumps which may lead to breast
cancer. A study indicates that breast cancer begins with
abnormal cells developing in the breast tissue. It can be
confined to the breast or may spread beyond or into
other parts of the body.
Breast cancer can be prevented if diagnosed at the
earliest possible time. Thus, doctors recommend that
women have a medical checkup at least every quarter of
each year. Mammogram and biopsy are two known
procedures for early breast cancer detection. However,
both are painful and entail a hazardous process.

Breast cancer can be prevented if diagnosed at the earliest possible


time. Thus, doctors recommend that women have a medical
checkup at least every quarter of each year. Mammogram and
biopsy are two known procedures for early breast cancer
detection. However, both are painful and entail a hazardous
process.
But now, advanced medical technology unveils the latest imaging
technique which promotes the wellness of every Filipino women
through a safe and more comfortable breast cancer procedure.
Ultrasound elastrography is a painless, non-invasive
treatment/procedure to detect the smallest lesion/nodule or lump
present in the breast. The process diagnoses even the tiniest tumor
based on its stiffness (elasticity) compared to normal tissue.
Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) is the first
government hospital to have this most advanced breast treatment,
available at a more affordable cost to reach out to every woman,
especially the poorest of the poor.

In the Philippines, elastography is the


pioneer technology of Hitachi Medical
Corporation. Backed up by clinical studies,
it is widely accepted in breast imaging in
Japan, Europe, and now in the
Philippines, where it is used by Dr. Jocelyn
Cuyos of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical
Center in research and studies.

Tying
a pink ribbon
Social causes havent always been as wellorganized as they are now; while private
foundations have been established over the
decades to help eradicate various diseases, it
wasnt until the Pink Ribbon Foundation was
established in the early 1990s that a dedicated
effort to fight breast cancer was made. With the
help of founder and pink ribbon creator Evelyn
Lauder, the trend became an icon of breast
cancer awareness.

And several countries have joined the fight against


breast cancer by issuing postage stamps to help raise
money for the fight against breast cancer. The U.S.
issued its first breast cancer research stamp in 1988,
which has sold approximately $75 million since they
were introduced; the stamps cost a bit more, but the
extra money is donated to breast cancer research. More
than 15 other countries now issue the stamp, and
citizens of the Philippines are lobbying their government
to join. The Philippines was one of the first countries to
offer a stamp that help raise money for medical research
with its anti-tuberculosis stamp introduced in the 1950s.

AThere
world
free of breast cancer

are several risks and factors that lead to a woman


developing breast cancer, and elements like heredity and
environment are often out of a womans control. But
efforts to teach women and their families about breast
cancer include education about the risks and factors they
can controldiet, exercise, and other chemical
exposuresand how they can seek appropriate
treatment. With the work of ordinary people and the
research of the medical community, the world is closer to
a cure than ever before.
Breast cancer has taken the lives of women all over the
world, and while weve made progress toward helping
women survive and live with the disease, theres still
more work to be done. Its important that both men and
women are aware of how breast cancer can affect them,
and of what they can do to help make breast cancer a
distant memory.

Research News on Surgery


Surgery has long been the standard of care for treating
breast cancer. In the past, this often meant complete
removal of the breastno matter what size or stage your
tumor was. But things have changed a lot in recent
years.
We now have long-term research results from large,
reliable studies showing that radical mastectomy is no
better than less disfiguring treatments.
We also know that for women with one small tumor (less
than 4 centimeters) that is removed with clear margins,
lumpectomy and radiation is as effective as mastectomy.

Reducing sugar slows breast cancer


spread
Researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine have discovered that a certain
type of sugar in the body is elevated in breast cancer cells which causes the cancer
to grow and spread. When researchers reduced and normalized the levels of this
sugar, cancer cells showed slow growth and invasion could be blocked. The findings,
published in the March 1 issue of Oncogene, represent a potential new therapeutic
target for treating aggressive forms of breast cancer.
For years, scientists have known that cancer cells consume nearly ten times more
sugar than neighboring normal cells. This increased sugar level fuels rapid cell
growth and spread. The Drexel researchers studied a particular sugar-based protein
modification known as O-GlcNAc. Alterations in this modification have previously
been linked to diabetes and Alzheimers disease, but not cancer.
The Drexel researchers and their collaborators are now working to develop more
effective chemicals to target the O-GlcNAc enzyme, a potential new therapeutic
target for treating breast cancer and possibly other cancers.
Read more on Newsmax.com: Breast Cancer: Latest Medical Breakthroughs
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

SABCS: Surgery May Help in Advanced


Breast Cancer
SAN ANTONIO (MedPage Today) -- Surgical
removal of primary breast cancer tumors of women
who present with metastatic disease might improve
local disease control and possibly overall survival,
researchers suggested here.
In one study, local progression occurred in 28 of 64
women (43%) who were not treated with surgery and
in 7 of 46 women (15%) who underwent surgery to
remove the cancer (P<0.001), Sara Samiee, MD, a
resident in radiation oncology at the Ottawa Regional
Cancer Center reported.

Median overall survival was 33 months for the women


who did not have surgery and 49 months for the
women who did (P=0.016), Samiee said at her poster
presentation at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer
Symposium.
"The optimal management of local disease in patients
with concurrent metastatic breast cancer is unknown,"
she told MedPage Today.
But she said that in her study, "removal of the intact
primary tumor for breast cancer patients with
synchronous stage 4 disease is associated with
improvement in local disease and overall survival."

Samiee said that because of the retrospective


nature of the study, the results might be
skewed because of the possibility that some
women not selected for surgery had other
comorbidities that would have kept them from
being surgical candidates.
In a second study, presented at the conference
and published in the current issue of The
Breast, researchers from Japan suggested that
primary tumor resection in patients with
advanced breast cancer did not have a benefit
in overall survival.

However, lead author Masato Takahashi, MD,


director of the Hokkaido Cancer Center in
Sapporo, said that, in selected patients, there
could be a benefit.
In his study, researchers were unable to
discern a difference in overall survival between
the 36 patients who opted for surgical resection
of their tumor and the 56 who did not. The
surgical group achieved an overall survival of
25 months; those who did not have surgery had

Takahashi told MedPage Today that the


inclusion of women with triple-negative breast
cancer estrogen negative, progesterone
negative, and HER2 negative in the surgery
group might have skewed the results.
"Patients who did not have triple negative
breast cancer appeared to have longer survival
times," he told MedPage Today at his poster
presentation. The seven triple-negative patients
had all succumbed to disease by 40 months;
about 25% of the patients in the other groups
who underwent surgery were alive after four
years, he illustrated.

He said several of the patients opted for


mastectomy in order to control local
symptoms related to the skin-invasion
tumor, including foul odor, purulent
discharge, and bleeding.

Next Generation PDT / CANCER A PROMISING TREATMENT


FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Next Generation PDT (NGPDT) has developed a


uniquely effective Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for
the treatment of most cancers. By building on proven
and existing medical research for PDT cancer
treatments, Next Generation PDT is successfully
treating a wide variety of cancers non-invasively and
with greater effect than conventional therapies.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for the treatment of most


cancers.

NGPDT is a global novel and uniquely effective


photosensitizer for use in photodynamic
therapy (PDT) for the treatment of cancer,
utilizing its innovative light delivery system
(Whole Body Light System and Near Infrared
Laser).
The combination of an improved new generation
photosensitizer which accumulates and
identifies cancer tumor tissue with advance
methods of light activation of the agent, is a
paradigm shift in the ability to safely and
effectively treat solitary, metastatic and
advanced cancer.

Methods of treatment include surface treatment


of the skin, deep seated tumors and whole
body systemic treatment for metastatic cancer.
Next Generation Photodynamic Therapy allows
effective deep seated and metastatic cancer
The Next Generation photodynamic therapy
Photosensitizes and novel light delivery systems
provide uniquely and effective treatment for solitary,
metastatic and advance cancer in Asia-Pacific Region.

The whole body delivery devices in


combination
with the advance next generation photosensitizer
allow the effective treatment of deep seated and
metastatic cancers.
The oral and inhaled agents selectively
accumulates and concentrates on the
malignant tissues.
The patient is the exposed to specific light wavelength in the specialized LSD Light Bed and

Treated three wave length laser for activation of


the agent which accumulate on deep seated
tumors.
Light activates the NGPDT agent on the cancer
cells causing singlet oxygen to be created,
which damage and destroy malignant cancer
tissue while leaving normal tissues unharmed.

Treatment Advantages:
Non toxic
More selective
Less peripheral damage to adjacent
tissue
No resistance
Out patient treatment
No damage to immune system

NGPDT Competitive Advantages:


Greater patients acceptance due to
absence of harsh chemo, radiation, x-ray
or radioactivity compared to other cancer
therapy options.
Devices are much more affordable than
conventional radiation therapy devices
which require expensive machinery and
lead shielded treatment room and
protected facilities.

The ability of NGPDT to specifically


destroy cancer cells while living the rest of
the bodys normal cells unharmed is a
revolutionary advancement compared to
the first generation photodynamic therapy
(PDT) and the highly invasive and toxic
traditional therapies.

NGPDT has been achieving excellent results


through the development of a new generation
photosensitizer which can identify and
selectively accumulate within cancerous tumors
tissues. Our advanced light and laser delivery
methods can activate the absorbed
photosensitizer within both surface and deep
seated tumors.
Next Generation PDT is a safe, pain free
cancer therapy, without the prolonged
photosensitivity concerns introduced by
traditional PDT protocols.

In combination with our advanced


'next generation' photosensitizer,
NGPDT's whole-body light delivery
methods allow for the effective
treatment of both deep seated and
metastatic cancers. PDT provides an
effective means of treatment without
the potentially debilitating and health
ravaging therapies, or invasive
surgery usually associated with
cancer.

TREATING A WIDE RANGE OF CONDITIONS

We have had great success in treating a wide range


of cancer conditions over the last 7 years. Each of
our patients is individually assessed by qualified
specialists prior to prescribing any kind of treatment
protocol.
Prostate Cancer
Retinoblastoma
Kidney Cancers
Lung Cancer
Brain Tumours
Liver Cancer

* Germ Cell Tumors


Bladder Cancers
Breast Cancer
Colorectal Cancers
Soft Tissue Sarcomas
And Others

Thank You

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