Breast cancer is one of the most devastating diseases one can have. If you are a cancer survivor or have seen someone close suffering from it, you will know the excruciating pain it causes.
Though breast cancer is the second common carcinoma after skin cancer, bilateral breast cancer is relatively rare. Both of the breasts will be affected as it is an advanced stage of breast carcinoma.
In most cases, once your cancer reaches this stage, your body will be vulnerable to getting affected again even after proper treatment. So how do you prevent it and deal with this disease?
If you don’t have any idea and want to learn about it in detail, follow me to this article’s end. You will get to know everything about this breast carcinoma stage by the time you finish reading it!
What is Bilateral Breast Cancer?
When both of your breasts are affected by carcinoma, the disease will be known as bilateral breast cancer. It happens when some cells in your breast start to grow rapidly; it forms lumps or mass.
This abnormal lump generation may spread to your whole breast area and other body parts. It often starts with the milk-producing ducts. However, this carcinoma can also start from any other breast tissue.
The reasons for this cancer have not been found out. But doctors stated it might result due to an unhealthy lifestyle, environmental factors, and most hormonal issues.
Many patients have breast cancer in their family history, so that might be another reason too!
Here are some risk factors that might be responsible for breast cancer. Let’s take a look at them for a better understanding of this disease.
About the Fungating Breast Cancer
Risk Factors of Bilateral Breast Cancer
- Women are more vulnerable to breast carcinoma.
- If you have a history of atypical hyperplasia of the breast, you will likely suffer from this type of cancer.
- A family history of breast cancer can be the primary reason for this disease in you.
- If one of your breasts had been affected by cancer before, it could happen to both after a while.
- Patients who received radiation therapy or have been exposed to radiation.
- Your obesity can be one of the reasons causing breast carcinoma.
- Beginning menopause at an older age can cause this cancer.
- Having your first child at an older age or not having any child may cause this disease.
- If you have gone through any hormone therapy, you are more likely to develop breast cancer.
- Being addicted to alcohol can be a crucial factor that causes breast cancer.
However, there are some cases when the patient didn’t have any risk factors but got affected by this disease. Maybe the main reason for having breast cancer being a woman biologically!
Well, there isn’t a more logical explanation for this disease, I must say!
How do I prevent Bilateral Breast Cancer?
Well, this disease may happen to anyone, even to people who are not exposed to the risk factors. But if you have it in your genetic history or want to take precautions against it, you can try the prevention tips I am stating below.
- Consult a doctor for breast screening and ask them to perform mammograms or other clinical breast exams to determine if anything is wrong.
- Discuss with your doctor about various breast screening process to figure out the most suitable one for yourself.
- Learn everything about self-exam so you can perform breast screening by yourself at home. If you find anything out of the book, consult your doctor immediately.
- Restrain your alcohol intake or put an end to it if possible.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising, eating healthy foods, and live a green life.
- If you feel the necessity of going through hormonal therapy after therapy, discuss the advantage or disadvantages of it with your doctor.
- Maintain a proper weight as obesity can lead you to breast cancer.
- Eat healthy foods and superfoods that can help you to prevent harmful health conditions.
Is Bilateral Breast Cancer Metastatic?
Yes, this bilateral breast carcinoma can be metastatic, which is also known as stage IV or advanced breast cancer. In this stage, the carcinoma has been spread from one organ to another, such as the armpit, liver, or pancreas.
When a patient reaches this stage, the most devastating part is the cancer cells may remain in the body ever after removing them. So there is always a chance for them to return to your body and spread.
Mostly it spreads in the lymph nodes under your armpit, but in severe cases, it may affect any distant organ such as the brain too! Therefore, when it happens to you once, you will always be vulnerable to this disease.
However, this metastatic cancer’s return depends on the patient’s biology, stage, and time of original diagnosis. Therefore, just like any other type of cancer, it would be better to diagnose the disease at an early stage.
But don’t worry, as it is the era of advanced science and technology, there are some fantastic treatments for this disease that will help you cure this health condition.
Here is a list of treatments you may receive if you ever suffer from this condition.
- Chemo Therapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Hormone Therapy
- Surgery
- Targeted Therapy
How Common is Bilateral Breast Cancer?
As I revealed before, breast cancer is one of the most common types of carcinoma that happens to people. However, an advanced stage, such as bilateral breast carcinoma, is relatively uncommon and happens to only 1-2.6%.
If you are cautious about your health, you can identify the problems before worsening. So breast awareness is necessary to live a good life.
Final Verdict
As women are the primary victims of breast carcinoma, you need to be careful as a female and beware of your health issues. If you take proper precautions at the earlier stage of carcinoma, it will not result in bilateral breast cancer.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you will have a better idea about this issue so you can take proper measures to prevent it and have a happy life ahead!
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