4^th World Congress on
Breast Cancer and Womens Health

The most recognized symptom of breast cancer is a lump or mass in the breast tissue. While many women go to the doctor after finding a lump, every woman should also be aware of other changes to the breast or nipple.

Although a lump in the breast is typically associated with breast cancer, much of the time such lumps aren’t cancer.

Even though the majority of breast lumps are caused by less severe conditions, new, painless lumps are still the most common symptom of breast cancer.

Early on, a woman may notice a change in her breast when she performs a monthly breast exam or minor abnormal pain that doesn’t seem to go away.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare. It differs from other types of breast cancer in its symptoms, outlook, and treatment. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) has some symptoms of inflammation like swelling and redness. But infection or injury do not cause IBC or the symptoms. IBC symptoms are caused by cancer cells blocking lymph vessels in the skin.

Tenderness, redness, warmth, and itching are also common symptoms of a breast infection or inflammation, such as mastitis if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Because these problems are much more common than IBC, your doctor might at first suspect infection as a cause and treat you with antibiotics.

IBC grows and spreads quickly, so the cancer may have already spread to nearby lymph nodes by the time symptoms are noticed. This spread can cause swollen lymph nodes under your arm or above your collar bone. If the diagnosis is delayed, the cancer  can spread to lymph nodes in your chest or to distant sites.

Mastectomy is the removal of the whole breast. There are five different types of mastectomy: "simple" or "total" mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy, radical mastectomy, partial mastectomy, and subcutaneous (nipple-sparing) mastectomy

Mastectomy is a way of treating breast cancer by removing the entire breast through surgery. It’s often done when a woman cannot be treated with breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), which spares most of the breast. It can also be done if a woman chooses mastectomy over breast-conserving surgery for personal reasons. Women at very high risk of getting a second cancer sometimes have a double mastectomy, the removal of both breasts.

Many women prefer skin-sparing mastectomy because it offers the advantage of less scar tissue and a reconstructed breast that seems more natural. But it may not be suitable for larger tumors or those that are close to the surface of the skin.

Breast reconstruction surgery is the creation of a new breast shape, or mound, using surgery. It may be done after removal of a whole breast (mastectomy) or part of the breast (breast-conserving surgery).

Implant breast reconstruction involves restoring the shape and volume of the breast using a breast implant. Breasts reconstructed in this way tend to be close to a natural breast shape, but are firmer and move less naturally than those using your own tissue. This can mean it’s more difficult to get a natural shape when one breast, rather than both, is being reconstructed.

The reconstructed breast will not droop with age and may look higher than the other breast, particularly as you get older. If you lose or gain weight, this will affect the natural breast but not the reconstructed breast, causing a difference in shape and size. At some point you may need more surgery to the reconstructed breast, or to the other breast, for a better match.

There are many types of breast cancer. The most common types are ductal carcinoma in situ, invasive ductal carcinoma, and invasive lobular carcinoma.

The type of breast cancer is determined by the specific cells in the breast that are affected. Most breast cancers are carcinomas. Carcinomas are tumors that start in the epithelial cells that line organs and tissues throughout the body.

Hormone therapy is a form of systemic therapy, meaning it reaches cancer cells almost anywhere in the body and not just in the breast. It's recommended for women with hormone receptor-positive (ER-positive and/or PR-positive) breast cancers, and it does not help women whose tumors are hormone receptor-negative (both ER- and PR-negative).

A breast biopsy is a test that removes tissue or sometimes fluid from the suspicious area. The removed cells are examined under a microscope and further tested to check for the presence of breast cancer. A biopsy is the only diagnostic procedure that can definitely determine if the suspicious area is cancerous.

In most cases, a fine needle aspiration is chosen when the lump is likely to be filled with fluid. If the lump is easily accessible or if the doctor suspects that it may be a fluid-filled cystic lump, the doctor may choose to conduct a fine-needle aspiration (FNA). During this procedure, the lump should collapse once the fluid inside has been drawn and discarded. Sometimes, an ultrasound is used to help your doctor guide the needle to the exact site, whereby sound waves create a picture of the inside of the breast.

Currently there is not sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer, therefore, early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. When breast cancer is detected early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are available, there is a good chance that breast cancer can be cured.

Gynecology is a branch of medicine that deals in the care of women during pregnancy and childbirth and in the analysis and therapeutics of diseases related to the female reproductive system. It also specializes in other women’s health factors such as menopause, hormone problems, contraception (birth control), and infertility. Both Obstetrics and Gynecology are medical specialties that focus on two different perspective of the female reproductive system. Obstetrics spotlights the care of the pregnant women, the unborn baby, labor, and delivery and following childbirth. Together, Gynecology focuses on all other aspects of a woman’s reproductive health from the onset of puberty through menopause and beyond.

In America, every six minutes a woman is diagnosed with gynecologic cancer. It is estimated that there will be 91,730 new cases diagnosed in the United States this year alone - sadly resulting in a predicted 28,080 deaths. Some of these gynecologic cancers have been called “silent killers” because women are often unaware of the signs and symptoms associated with these cancers and do not catch them until it is too late.

Gynecologic cancer is any cancer that starts in a woman’s reproductive organs. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts. Gynecologic cancers begin in different places within a woman’s pelvis, which is the area below the stomach and in between the hip bones.

Midwifery encompasses care of women during pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period, as well as care of the newborn. It includes measures aimed at preventing health problems in pregnancy, the detection of abnormal conditions, the procurement of medical assistance when necessary, and the execution of emergency measures in the absence of medical help.

Midwifery is "skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate care for childbearing women, newborn infants and families across the continuum throughout pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and the early weeks of life. Core characteristics include optimizing normal biological psychological, social, and cultural processes of reproduction and early life; timely prevention and management of complications; consultation with and referral to other services; respect for women’s individual circumstances and views.

While both men and women contract various conditions, some health issues affect women differently and more commonly. Furthermore, many women’s health conditions go undiagnosed and most drug trials do not include female test subjects. Even so, women bear exclusive health concerns, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, menopause, and pregnancy. Women suffer higher heart attack deaths compared to men. Depression and anxiety exhibit more frequently among female patients. Urinary tract conditions present more often in females, and sexually transmitted diseases can cause more harm to women. Among the conditions that present most frequently in women, the following eight illnesses pose considerable health risks.

A diagnosis of infertility means you haven’t been able to get pregnant after a year of trying. If you’re a woman over 35, it means you haven’t been able to get pregnant after 6 months of trying.

Women who are able to conceive but not carry a pregnancy to term may also be diagnosed with infertility.

A woman who’s never been able to get pregnant will be diagnosed with primary infertility. A woman who’s had at least one successful pregnancy in the past will be diagnosed with secondary infertility.

Infertility isn’t just a woman’s problem. Men can be infertile too. In fact, men and women are equally likely to have fertility problems.

Eventually, menstruation comes to an end, typically in the late 40s or early 50s. When you have had no periods for a full year, you are considered to be menopausal. The period of time when your periods are slowing down, becoming irregular, and your hormones are changing is called ‘perimenopause’. Most women experience some symptoms related to the change in hormones that happens as the cycles slow down. There are many things you can do to cope with perimenopausal symptoms if they become difficult to manage

Menopause is considered to have occurred when a woman has not had a menstrual period in 12 consecutive months. The period of time leading up to this milestone is called perimenopause. During perimenopause, monthly cycles begin to change, becoming lighter (or in some cases heavier) and more irregular, and a number of symptoms may be experienced. Just as menstruation is a different experience for every woman, so too is menopause. Some women experience virtually no symptoms, while others have a lot of difficulty with their symptoms.

Experts in maternal and child health focus on the complex public health problems affecting women, children and their families. Maternal and child health professionals provide information and access to sexual reproductive health services and methods of family planning, promote the health of pregnant women and their children and increase vaccination rates

Maternal and child health specialists work to improve the health delivery system through advocacy, education and research.  They accomplish this by discovering and testing solutions through applied research and by developing, implementing and/or evaluating health programs at the local, state, national and international levels.

Pregnancy-related breast cancer is rare, but about one in 3000 pregnant women are diagnosed. Many women have gone on to have healthy babies and live healthy lives after a diagnosis of breast cancer; in fact, research has shown that pregnant women diagnosed with breast cancer do as well or even better than non-pregnant women.  Any breast cancer that is found during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or within a year following delivery of a baby is considered a pregnancy-related breast cancer.

Because of the changes in the breast that occur during pregnancy and breastfeeding, breast cancer can be difficult to diagnose.  For this reason, pregnancy-related breast tumors tend to be larger and of a higher stage than those in non-pregnant women.   Still, many diagnostic procedures and treatments are safe for pregnant women and their babies.