AGGRESSIVE BREAST CANCER
General
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the breast. There are different types of breast cancer depending on the cells they grow from. The most frequent breast cancers (95%) are adenocarcinomas, that is to say which develop from the epithelial cells (= carcinoma) of the mammary gland (= adeno). There are other rare types of breast cancer. Adenocarcinomas most often originate from duct cells and more rarely from lobule cells.
A distinction is made between in situ cancers and invasive cancers. One in five breast cancer has specific characteristics that make it very dangerous. These specific mammary tumors now benefit from targeted therapy. From diagnosis to treatment, Doctissimo takes stock with Pr. Llorca, a specialist in this condition.
There is not just one breast cancer, but breast cancers. While some forms of this disease are treated successfully, others are more difficult to control. This is the case when the tumor cells have too many proteins on their surface that doctors call HER2. A cancer HER2 positive breast is more aggressive and more likely to spread than cancer HER2-negative breast. It is also more likely to come back after treatment. This means that HER2 positive breast cancer has a less favorable prognosis than HER2 negative breast cancer. A cancer of the breast HER2 positive is more aggressive and more likely to spread than HER2 negative breast cancer. It is also more likely to come back after treatment. This means that HER2 positive breast cancer has a less favorable prognosis than HER2 negative breast cancer.
There are different types of breast cancer. Each one differs in the location of the tumor in the breast, in the properties of the cancer cells, and in the symptoms and signs of the disease. Invasive ductal carcinoma, the breast cancer that begins in the milk ducts and invades surrounding tissue, is the most common type of breast cancer (50-75% of all cases). Invasive lobular carcinoma, where cancer begins in the milk-producing glands, is the second most common (5 to 15% of cases). Although other types of breast cancer diagnosed are considered rare, some can be very aggressive. However, the experts at Dawasanté provide you with a natural treatment based on medicinal plants to permanently cure breast cancer. Click on the image below to discover this natural treatment .
What is inflammatory breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer is rare (1-5% of all cases) and aggressive, which means that it grows and spreads quickly. Cancer cells block lymphatic vessels in the skin of the breast. It is called “inflammatory” because the affected breast appears inflamed (red and swollen). CIS grows and spreads quickly and is considered locally advanced breast cancer - when cancer cells have invaded nearby tissues or lymph nodes.
What are the signs ?
In addition to the common signs of breast cancer , a CIS has one or more of the following signs:
Rapid spread of swelling, heat and redness affecting 1/3 or more of the breast. These symptoms are normally present for a period of less than 6 months.
· “Orange peel” appearance (striated or dimpled skin).
Increased breast size, with or without a mass.
Breast itching, burning, pain, and / or tenderness.
Changes in the nipple, where it starts to point inward (inverted nipple).
Diagnosis and treatment
In a clinical trial, a new treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer has increased the life expectancy of sick patients by almost 16 months. An innovative breakthrough that strengthens therapeutic care.
Often, physical examination and mammography cannot detect the presence of a lump in the breast of people with CIS. What makes diagnosing CIS even more difficult is that its symptoms look like a breast infection (mastitis). In fact, 35% of CIS cases are metastatic at the time of diagnosis, due among other things to a delay in detection. As with any other breast cancer, the earlier the detection, the better the prognosis. Getting to know the symptoms of CIS is therefore essential for early detection.
For these particular cancers, trastuzumab has a specific mode of action. This protein is particularly capable of blocking the famous HER2 receptors. This drug has proven its usefulness in several studies.
In an American study carried out on 500 women 3 , the combination of a standard chemotherapy (paclitaxel) and trastuzumab made it possible to observe that:
· The mortality rate after one year goes from 33% to 22%;
· Greater resistance with an average survival going from 20.3 months to 25.1 months;
· A 20% reduction in the risk of death.
Benefits over time, without disease progression, on overall survival have also been observed with other chemotherapy drugs (carboplatin, docetaxel or vinorelbine in particular) 4 . Few studies had so far been able to provide proof of such a benefit thanks to the addition of a single compound.
So is trastuzumab a wonder compound? Yes, for a minority of metastatic cancers however, those over expressing HER2. One in five breast cancers is HER2 positive. In addition, the study reveals that this drug has a main side effect: the appearance of cardiac dysfunctions, particularly when combined with other anticancer products such as anthracycline and cyclophosphamide. At present, this targeted treatment is reserved for breast cancers with secondary locations (metastasized cancers).
Although some points remain to be clarified (which chemotherapy to combine with trastuzumab for the best results? What is the optimal duration of treatment? What are the long-term side effects?.), This drug represents an undeniable therapeutic benefit for a certain type particularly aggressive breast cancer.
Researchers have managed to modify so- called “aggressive” breast cancer so that it responds better to chemotherapy treatment. A drug based on the discovered principle is currently in development.
About 10% to 15% of breast cancers diagnosed do not respond to usual treatments , are more aggressive and recur more often than others. We thus differentiate between breast cancers which respond to hormonal treatments and which are sensitive to hormones, breast cancers insensitive to hormones, and more aggressive, which include in particular so-called “triple negative” breast cancers of the basal type .
It is on this type of breast cancer that researchers at Lund University in Sweden have looked at, whose very encouraging study has just been published in the journal. The team has discovered a way to treat these aggressive breast tumors, by acting on the communication between cancer cells and the connective tissue that surrounds the tumor . Recent work indeed shows that the communication between cancer cells and tissues, cells and vessels that treatments and recur.