Breast Cervical Cancer

The Breast - Cervical Cancer Relationship is Described Here in Easy to Understand Words to Help You

Breast and cervical cancer have their similarities and differences.  We will discuss those similarities and differences in this article.  Breast and cervical cancer are, for the most part, issues women worry about.  Both types of cancers have screening tests that hopefully prevent cervical and breast cancer. Surviving breast cancer, in fact, depends on early screening for a breast cancer tumor.

Breast cancer screening involves having an annual mammogram, while cervical cancer screening involves having a Pap test done every three years.  They both are killers of women. Every year there are 41,000 or so deaths from breast cancer and 4600 deaths from cervical cancer.  More women die of cervical cancer when they get it than do women who have breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Cervical Cancer Risk Factors

Women who get breast cancer may have one of several breast cancer risk factors.  They can have a family history of breast cancer. This means they have the genes for breast cancer.  They can be exposed to internal estrogen in the form of obesity or excess estrogen production from the ovaries.  They can be exposed to external estrogen, from hormone replacement therapy or environmental xenoestrogens.  Alcohol is a small risk factor for breast cancer.

In cervical cancer, the major risk factor is exposure to human papillomavirus, which is a virus that can cause the cervical cells to grow out of control.  Smoking, HIV infections, Chlamydia infections, being on the birth control pill and having many pregnancies can make it more common to have cervical cancer.  A family history of cervical cancer can cause a woman to get cervical cancer.  Having sex a man who is uncircumcised can increase the risk of getting cervical cancer.

If you have cancer of the breast, cervical cancer is not more likely.  They have some of the same risk factors but most of the risk factors are different.  Breast cancer does not cause cervical cancer.  Cervical cancer does not cause a breast cancer tumor.  They are different cancers.

http://getwellsite.com/breastcancerbooks.aspx

Screening Tests for Breast, Cervical Cancer

It is recommended that women have breast cancer mammograms every year past the age of forty.  There have been some recommendations that this be pushed back to age fifty. Fortunately, there has been a great medical backlash against this sort of thing.

If a mammogram is positive, the breast cancer cells are biopsied. The breast cancer cells are then looked at under the microscope.   Doctors can tell where the breast cancer came from.  They can also tell how “angry” the breast cancer cells look. This is called the grade of the breast cancer.  A biopsy can direct the treatment of breast cancer.

Cervical cancer screening is recommended when a woman becomes sexually active or reaches age 21, whichever comes first.  The screening Pap test takes a sample of the cervical cells. The doctor looks at the cells under the microscope.  If cervical cancer cells are found, doctors must remove the cervix.  Radiation or chemotherapy may need to be done.

A screening Pap test is done every year a woman is on birth control. It is done every three years if she is not on birth control.

Prevention of Breast, Cervical Cancer

There is no solid prevention of breast cancer other than having a mastectomy to remove breast tissue that might later grow breast cancer cells.  You can get plenty of exercise, be of normal weight and eat food high in vitamins and antioxidants to prevent breast cancer tumor from growing.  There is no vaccination against breast cancer but there is screening for high risk women, who can be checked for abnormal brca1 and brca2 genes.

Women with a chance of getting cervical cancer (which is every sexually active woman) can get a vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV).  There are several strains of human papilloma virus covered under the vaccine.  A woman gets three doses of the vaccine to be protected against HPV that can cause cervical cancer.  This is expected to drastically reduce the number of cases of cervical cancer in the world.

Unfortunately, women in Africa have little access to the human papillomavirus vaccine and many are dying of cervical cancer.  They have no way to be operated on against the cancer and they have a high risk of HIV, which is a risk factor for cervical cancer.

On the other hand, women in Africa have no access to mammograms either and many can die of advanced breast cancer.  Treatment for these diseases is limited.

Both breast, cervical cancer conditions are uniquely female concerns, although men can rarely get breast cancer.  Surviving breast cancer is easier lately, due to earlier findings of breast cancer and better treatment.

Hopefully surviving cervical cancer will be as promising.  The most promising aspect of cervical cancer today is prevention, with the advent of the HPV vaccine.  In twenty years, perhaps, both of these severe diseases will have become severely limited.

http://getwellsite.com/breastcancerbooks.aspx

Dr. Christine Traxler

3 4 2010