Breast Cancer
There are over 200,000 new cases of breast cancer in the United States annually. This affects mostly women, especially those between the ages of 50-64. Breast Cancer is the most common cause of death for women aged 34 to 54. Some men do develop breast cancer.
Women who have sisters or mothers with breast cancer are thought to be nearly twice as susceptible to get breast cancer compared to the rest of the population. So, there is apparently a genetic risk associated with breast cancer; although only 5% to 10% of all cases have a genetic component.
Hormones play an important role in beast cancer. Higher levels of estrogen are associated with a greater risk of breast cancer. Women who have children later in life also appear to have an elevated risk of breast cancer.
Factors which increase the risk of breast cancer include:
Tailpipe Exhaust (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
Tobacco Smoke
Industrial Combustion - air pollutents
Alcohol Consumption
Toxicants in Food - pesticides, antibiotics, acrilamides, PCB's, dioxin, chlorine
Ionizing Radiation - from natural and man made sources.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Drinking Water Contaminants - primarily chlorine
Household Chemicals
Gasoline and Benzene based fuels and solvents
Pharmaceuticals (click here to link to environment and breast cancer review)
Chemicals, dyes and whitening ingredients
Breast cancer can occur in two different places in the breast, the lobules (the milk-producing tissue), and the ducts that carry the milk to the nipple. The different types of breast cancer are:
- Ductal carsinoma in situ - This is an early cancer in the milk ducts and is the most easy of all cancers of the breast to treat.
- Invasive ductal carcinoma - This is cancer which started in the milk ducts, but has spread to other areas.
- Lobular carcinoma in situ - Technically this is not considered a cancer, but rather a pre-cancerous condition. Women with this condition have an increased risk of developing cancer and need regular checkups.
- Invasive lobular carcinoma - This starts in the lobules and spreads. It is difficult to diagnose because it does not always form a lump and does not always show up in mammograms.
In breast cancer there are usually no symptoms initially, a lump being the first telltale sign. This lump may occur in or near the breast or in or near the underarm. The breast may change size or shape. There may be discharge from the nipple. There may also be change in the texture of the breast, becoming scaly, dimpled (orange peel), or puckered.
Being aware of changes in the breast is important as it may be the first clue to breast cancer.
At the sign of change a mammogram may be ordered. If a lump is found, it may be investigated with ultrasound, a fine needle aspiration - to determine if the lump is a solid mass or a cyst, or a biopsy.
Although yearly mammograms are touted as the answer to breast cancer, statistics show very clearly that mammograms do not, in any way, change the survival rate of women who eventually get breast cancer.
There are some statistics that say a woman survives longer if she does not have surgery, but treats the breast cancer alternatively from the beginning, instead of waiting for metastasis to the lung and the brain.
Other studies indicate that surgery seems to stimulate the growth of metastatic lesions that already are there, but dormant. Chemotherapy has been unsuccessful as has radiation, except for producing largely temporary results. Chemo and radiation are extremely debilitating to the body, and make it more difficult to fight the cancer when it does return.
The most prevalent allopathic oncological treatment is surgery, followed in combination with radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Surgery can consist of a lumpectomy, a partial mastectomy, or a complete mastectomy with lymph gland removal. Surgery alone is not an answer. If it were, doctors would stop after surgery, but the vast majority of oncologists recommend radiation and chemotherapy as additional treatments immediately after surgery. In spite of this aggressive treatment, the five year survival rate is not good and many patients as a last resort turn to alternative treatments; when scans show evidence of renewed cancer growth.
This is because of the breast's close association with the lymphatic system of the body. The lymph system is a network of vessels which link different parts of the body. If cancer has reached the lymph nodes, it is likely it has spread to other parts of the body.
Over the years we had great success in treating breast cancer at Hospital Santa Monica. Now some institutions around the world have taken the treatments we developed there, augmented them with new approaches and are having great results with breast cancer. For information call Hilery at 877-499-5881. You can email her at hilery@DonsbachFoundation.org
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