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DIAGNOSIS Breast Cancer

At present the best fight against breast cancer is early detection of tumor as increase the chances of successful treatment. Systematic self detects tumors smaller than that can detect the doctor or nurse because the woman is familiar with their breasts and can detect any small change.
The revisions gynecological, the doctor finds that there is no irregularity in the breast, also there is no inflammation of the axillary lymph nodes. Self must be performed after menstruation, menopausal women should be associated with a day of the month, then they should always be performed in similar states. Women should be quiet and do in place that creates the most suitable. Some women do seem more comfortable at the time of the shower, however, others may prefer to do it at bedtime.
The best way to observe changes in the breast is placed in front of a mirror with your arms down on either side of the body. You have to observe the symmetry of the breasts, appearance of the skin, profile, etc..There are areas that look red, lumps or dimples. The appearance must not remember the orange peel. Nipples and areolas must not be delayed or stranded.

Once done, you have to repeat the operation but with arms high in the neck. The breasts should be raised in the same manner, and in that position, check that there is no lump or dimple.
Palpation can be performed once soapy in the shower, or lying in bed with a pillow under the shoulder corresponding to the breast to be examined. It should be repeated in different positions: lying and standing. You must use the opposite hand to the breast to be felt. The pressure will be well enough to recognize the breast.

You can perform several moves for exploration:

1) With the tips of three fingers must be made circular movements from the outer part of the breast towards the nipple, like a spiral.

2) Another movement that can be done with the fingers is in the form of these go down within one side to another.

3) The third movement is radial, starting from the nipple outward.

It should be very careful in the area of the upper outer quadrant, as they are near the axillary nodes, and that is where are found the largest number of tumors. We need to compress the nipple a bit and see if there is any secretion (tell the doctor if this is so, try to identify the color of the secretion). Once scanned the breast, is to make the exploration of the axilla to try to discover the existence of packages in this area.
The examination must be in both breasts and armpits.
Mammography
Women with risk factors should be performed a mammogram and a clinical breast exam yearly after age 40. Women who have no known risk factors should be a recent mammogram every two years, from 40 years and annually after age 50. However, this issue has been the subject of some recent studies suggest the need to get a mammogram every year between 40 and 49. Mammography is an examination that uses X-rays of low power to locate abnormal areas in the breast. This technique involves placing the breast between two plates and pressed for a few seconds while the X-rays are performed.
There is no radiation danger from this technique because they are low power. It is one of the best techniques to detect breast cancer in its early stages. Mammograms performed at intervals of 1 to 2 years reduces deaths from the disease by 25% to 35% in women 50 years or older who have no symptoms. To confirm the diagnosis in positive cases, we must perform a biopsy after mammography.

Ecografía
Is a secondary diagnosis of breast cancer. Used ultrasound are converted to images. Its utility is that it can be differentiated tumors formed by fluid (cysts) from solid masses. The importance of detecting this difference is not great because cysts often require treatment if there are no other symptoms, while the solid masses require a biopsy. Moreover, in young women with dense breasts may cause the radiologist to make a choice instead of an ultrasound and mammography this test is more sensitive in these cases.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
This technique uses magnetic fields and the spectra emitted by the phosphorus in the body tissues and converts image. With it you can see the vascularization of the tumor. (* See it in pictures)

Ccomputerized Tomography (CT)
It consists of an X-ray technique, using a rotating beam, which displays different areas of the body from different angles. Allows for the diagnosis of metastatic disease, not breast cancer itself.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Radio is to inject a drug combined with glucose to be captured by the cancer cells, there is a cancer, because they consume more glucose. The radio will be located drug areas where the tumor.

Thermography
Is a technique that records temperature differences. Not often used very often.
Of all the previous techniques, the most used are mammography and ultrasound. If there is any doubt, which is not settled with these two, the other is used. Nothing is better than the other but each is the body area in a different way.

Biopsy
Once detected the tumor in one or more of the above techniques, you must perform a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. There are several types of biopsies according to the technique used:

Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is the introduction of a needle to the tumor area, while the physician palpated the mass. If the body can not feel, you can perform this technique using ultrasound to locate the needle in the exact site where the mass. After the fluid is removed with the needle.
If the liquid is clear, it is more likely to be a benign cyst, but may also be that the fluid is cloudy or blood and the tumor is benign. If the mass is solid, small fragments of the extracted tissue.
Microscopic analysis of this sample (both fluid and tissue) which will determine whether benign or cancerous.

Sometimes the result may not be satisfactory to the doctor, what is claimed by another type of biopsy or follow-up the patient.
Surgical biopsy: is sometimes used in surgery to remove part or all of the mass in the operating room for subsequent microscopic examination.
When you remove a part of the fabric is called incisional biopsy. This usually takes place in very large tumors. Excisional biopsy is one in which it was removed around the tumor or suspicious area, the margin around the tumor but have normal appearance.
Radio biopsy or surgical biopsy localization mammography: is used when the body can not be felt and displayed through mammography. The technique is to locate the tumor through several mammograms and introducing a needle into the exact area where the mass in the breast. You can leave a mark through the needle or PAC makes a fine wire that will guide the surgeon later.

There is talk of biopsies in one or two times, depending on whether surgery is performed at the time of biopsy or awaiting results of the microscopic analysis, and a few days after the biopsy, tumor excision was performed and Breast resection. The advantage of the time a biopsy is only performed a surgery, but the disadvantage is that women, when entering the operating room, not sure if you have cancer and if you are going out with a mastectomy, so that the stress is very strong.

With biopsy in two days, the patient has more time to take on your situation, be calm and a biopsy done to check with your doctor any questions you have prior to the intervention. Once extracted by tissue biopsy, the pathologist examine the sample and determine the stage of the tumor and its ability to spread rapidly.
The waiting time for the results of the biopsy varied depending on whether you are in a time or two. If at one time, the tissue removed is frozen, is laminated and can be seen by microscope. The result will take about 15-20 minutes. If done in two stages, the result will take seven to 10 days.
Cancers consist of more primitive cells (not differentiated) or those with a large number of dividing cells are usually more severe. This suggests that a scan to determine if any other body part is affected. The evidence will include:
chest radiograph to rule out a lung hemorrhage, abdominal ultrasound to evaluate the liver, bone scan and blood tests to assess the proper role marrow, liver and kidney. In addition, the Department of Pathology, the pathologist will examine a number of molecular factors in the tumor:

Estrogen and progesterone receptors: through the biopsy tumor tissue was analyzed whether the tumor cells have receptors, which are molecules that recognize hormones (estrogen and progesterone). Both healthy cells as the tumor may have these receptors. Those tumors that contain these receptors are termed ER-positive and PR-positive and have a better prognosis than the negative, and more likely to respond to hormonal therapy.