Why Do You Have Prescription For Hormone Therapy?

Breast cancer is one ailment common to most women. Never get the impression that being one from the male specie, you are exempted and free from this. In the most recent 2012 study conducted by the American Cancer Society, more than 2,000 men can be diagnosed with this illness which is usually associated to women. The good thing however with breast cancer is the prognosis that when diagnosed and treated early, the afflicted person's survival rate is high.

There are several ways to treat cancer, with mastectomy as the most invasive. Surgery is followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Further treatment after chemotherapy and radio therapy is hormone therapy. The last treatment method however is not prescribed to every breast cancer patient. You need to be tested positive with estrogen and progesterone receptors.

Your oncologist will order for a test of your hormone receptors. If your tumor is found to be estrogen positive (ER positive, ER+) or progesterone positive (progesterone positive, progesterone+), you can be placed under hormone therapy. ER/PR positive tumors are influenced by the levels of such hormones in the body. This can be good news to cancer patients because turning positive can make you more protected from recurrence of breast cancer. You will be prescribed with drugs that will block the estrogen and progesterone receptors on your breast cells.

The usual drug for ER+ and PR+ breast cancer is tamoxifen, the generic name. Many brands of tamoxifen are in the market today. The drugs come in 10 and 20-milligram tablets and had to be taken, once or twice a day, for 5 years. Tamoxifen is the most common hormone therapy treatment but a newer drug - Aromatase inhibitor is also prescribed, usually after the third year of taking tamoxifen. When Aromatase inhibitor is ingested, the use of tamoxifen is stopped.

Why do I have to take tamoxifen? This can be a usual query of patients. For breast cancer patients who had been tested positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors, the drug lowers the risk of recurrence of this cancer. The drug had been used for several decades in treating cancer of the breast and can be safety used by women of all ages, even those who are already in the menopausal stage. Used for 5 years, this drug can effectively lower the risk of breast cancer recurrence. If one of your breasts had been affected by the big C, the risk of the spread of cancer cells in the other breast is lower.

Just line most drugs, tamoxifen is not free from any side effects, most of which are not serious. Among these abnormal and annoying feelings that you can experience are vaginal dryness, hot flashes, thickening of the uterus, vaginal discharge and irritation. There are some more severe effects such as risks involving blood clot, stroke, cataract and ovarian cysts.

Despite the risks, it had been believed that the advantages in the use of tamoxifen outweigh the negatives. Thus, women with ER+ and PR+ hormone receptors are best advised to take the drug as a great solution in the prevention or recurrence of the dreaded Big "C" of the breast.

Felicitas Ramos is a cancer survivor. She has undergone mastectomy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. She is now in the best of health.

Original article

Breast Cancer Diagnosis Methods

Doctors use many tests to diagnose cancer and find out if it has spread as well as decide the most effective treatments. Even though imaging tests like the mammogram and breast ultrasound can find a suspicious area, they cannot tell whether the area is cancer. For most types of cancer, a biopsy (the removal of a small amount of tissue for examination under a microscope) is the only way to make a definitive breast cancer diagnosis.

Breast cancer diagnosis cannot be done without a biopsy. The procedure of biopsy includes removing some cells from the suspicious area, either by a needle or via surgery, to observe them under a microscope. The type of biopsy depends on the size and location of the lump. If a biopsy is not possible, the doctor may suggest other tests that will help make a diagnosis.

Some of the tests done to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer are:

• Diagnostic mammograms include taking x-rays are of the breast which are interpreted by a radiologist. Extra pictures focused on the suspicious area are also taken. Mammograms are usually a black-and-white picture of the breast tissue on a large sheet of film, but digital mammograms are another option which produces computer images instead of film. The images can be looked at from different angles, and the radiologist can enlarge and zoom in to look at any suspicious areas.

• Women who are known to be at high risk opt for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look for breast cancer in. It may also be used for a closer look after breast cancer has been found. An MRI can show if your lymph nodes are enlarged, which may be a sign that they contain cancer. This can help detect the cancer's stage even before surgery. MRI is sometimes used to look for breast tumors that did not show up on the mammograms.

• Breast ultrasound uses sound waves to make a computer picture of the inside of the breast and is used to target a certain area of concern that was found on the mammogram or physical exam. Ultrasound is useful for looking at some breast changes and also helps tell the difference between fluid-filled cysts and solid masses. There is no risk of exposure to radiation during this test.

• Ductograms are sometimes used to find the cause of nipple discharge. A ductogram is also called a galactogram. In this test, a small amount of dye is put into one of the ducts in the nipple through a tiny plastic tube which can be seen on an x-ray, which can show if there is a mass inside the duct.

Through his articles, Youngrin wishes to inform and educate the readers about breast cancer treatments which will benefit those who are looking for useful information, For treatment log on to breast cancer diagnosis

Original article

Can Vitamin D Really Help Prevent Breast Cancer?

As time goes on, research is showing that vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) can be very influential towards helping prevent and treat certain types of cancer, and breast cancer is one on the list. What exactly does this all mean? Read on to find get the facts surrounding the latest research about the benefits of vitamin D in relationship to fighting breast cancer.

Studies show that vitamin D can help prevent cancers by approximately 77%, according to past research. Now, it is said to be able to help prevent breast cancer, and even aid in the reversal of breast cancer in the body. Knowing this, why does the cancer industry refuse to tell people about this?

If you live in an area where it is possible to get vitamin D from sunlight, it would be wise to spend the necessary time to soak up the benefits from nature's "miracle medicine". When sunlight hits the skin it will trigger the formation of vitamin D. It then activates cellular differentiation in the kidneys and liver, which is basically the opposite of what cancer does. Evidence is indicating that vitamin D DOES have a protective role in the fight against breast cancer.

How Much Time in The Sun in Necessary

If you can manage to soak up around 15 minutes of sunlight every day during the months when it is possible would likely give you a nice healthy dose of vitamin D. Remember, you don't need to walk around in a bikini or Speedo, but the more exposure to your skin the better. And sun block can prevent vitamin D from entering the body by blocking the necessary UV rays.

Studies have also shown that older women that do not get as much vitamin D as possible from foods are more likely to acquire breast cancer. So be sure to load up on foods high in vitamin D, like fatty fish, and sardines.

Being vitamin D deficient has many other health consequences. It is tied to so many other health ailments, and it makes sense to try and do whatever is possible to get the necessary amount so you can avoid many of the problems that arise from being deficient.

In summer months, you can get appropriate levels of vitamin D from the sun, but in those months when you can't it would be wise to supplement your vitamin D. The good news is that you can do that for a low cost.

For more great information about the vast health benefits of vitamin D, and to take a Vitamin D Quiz that can help you determine where you stand visit http://vitamindstrong.com/ right now.

Vitamin D has a wide array of benefits, and it is not something you want to become deficient of. The effects vitamin D has on breast cancer are undeniable, so be sure to take the time to educate yourself on the subject as much as possible.

Original article