The sentinel node is the first lymph node where the tumour can spread. To locate it, the specialist will inject a blue dye near the tumour that will flow through the lymphatic vessels until it reaches the nodes.
The procedure that the professional will follow is to remove the first lymph node that receives the substance and check if the tumour has arrived. If cancer has spread to the node, the lymph nodes will have to be removed.
This technique is not indicated in all circumstances.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy is used to prevent tumour cells from growing and destroying them. It can be used as:
Adjuvant treatment: Specialists can recommend it as a local treatment to eliminate possible tumour cells that remain after surgery.
Palliative therapy: To relieve the symptoms of bone or lymph node involvement.
Systemic therapy
Unlike surgery or radiotherapy, systemic therapy does not act locally; this treatment affects the entire organism.
It is administered orally or intravenously and distributed to all organs. The objective of this treatment is to reduce the risk of relapse in disease and death.
The three most commonly used types of systemic therapies are chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapies. The use of each option depends on the type of breast cancer and the risk of relapse of the patient.
Treatment side effects
Some of the side effects of systemic therapy are:
Nausea and vomiting: Antiemetic medications (against vomiting) may be required to prevent them. The doctor will tell you not only what you should take before the chemo session, but also what you will have to make at home. Try to drink a lot of liquid, as it is useful against nausea. They will remit when a few days pass after receiving the treatment.
Hair loss: Despite not being a severe effect, it is cause for anxiety and dissatisfaction for the majority of patients, as it influences the perception of their image. Generally, hair loss begins two to three weeks after the first cycle of therapy and remits at the end of treatment. The hair grows back at an average speed.
Mouth irritations: Mucosistis or mouth annoyances are familiar with chemotherapy. It is a more annoying disorder than worrisome because it produces burning in the mouth. To reduce this alteration, it is recommended to maximize oral hygiene and use toothbrushes with soft bristles, which do not damage the gums. Antiseptic rinses also help.
Anemia: One of the most critical side effects in chemotherapy is the reduction in the number of red blood cells in the blood. Anemia manifests itself through fatigue, weakness and extreme paleness. Sometimes it may require a blood transfusion. Plaquetopenia or excessive decrease in platelets (blood cells that clot the blood in case of wounds) may also occur. This effect causes an increase in bruises (cardinals) or bleeding in the gums and nose.
Neutropenia: It is another of the effects most monitored by doctors due to severity. It consists of the reduction of white blood cells or leukocytes (the cells that defend against the intrusion of pathogenic elements, such as viruses or bacteria). Neutropenia favours the appearance of infections (fever, urine infection, sore throat, etc.).
Other data
Incidence
According to SEOM data, breast cancer is the most common in Spanish women and accounts for 29 per cent of all cancers.
Mortality of this type of cancer has declined significantly in recent years due to advances in screening programs and treatments. Despite this, it remains the leading cause of cancer death in Spain in women.
The age of maximum incidence is above 50 years, but approximately 10 per cent is diagnosed in women under 40 years.
The average survival of breast cancer after five years is 89.2 per cent, standing at more than 98 per cent in stage I and 24 per cent in phase III.
Breast cancer in men
One in 100 cases of breast cancer occurs in a male. Although the frequency is lower than among women, men who have breast cancer usually have a worse prognosis of the disease. This difference is not because the breast tumour in men is of a worse type, but simply because it is diagnosed much later than among women, especially by misinformation.
The procedure that the professional will follow is to remove the first lymph node that receives the substance and check if the tumour has arrived. If cancer has spread to the node, the lymph nodes will have to be removed.
This technique is not indicated in all circumstances.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy is used to prevent tumour cells from growing and destroying them. It can be used as:
Adjuvant treatment: Specialists can recommend it as a local treatment to eliminate possible tumour cells that remain after surgery.
Palliative therapy: To relieve the symptoms of bone or lymph node involvement.
Systemic therapy
Unlike surgery or radiotherapy, systemic therapy does not act locally; this treatment affects the entire organism.
It is administered orally or intravenously and distributed to all organs. The objective of this treatment is to reduce the risk of relapse in disease and death.
The three most commonly used types of systemic therapies are chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapies. The use of each option depends on the type of breast cancer and the risk of relapse of the patient.
Treatment side effects
Some of the side effects of systemic therapy are:
Nausea and vomiting: Antiemetic medications (against vomiting) may be required to prevent them. The doctor will tell you not only what you should take before the chemo session, but also what you will have to make at home. Try to drink a lot of liquid, as it is useful against nausea. They will remit when a few days pass after receiving the treatment.
Hair loss: Despite not being a severe effect, it is cause for anxiety and dissatisfaction for the majority of patients, as it influences the perception of their image. Generally, hair loss begins two to three weeks after the first cycle of therapy and remits at the end of treatment. The hair grows back at an average speed.
Mouth irritations: Mucosistis or mouth annoyances are familiar with chemotherapy. It is a more annoying disorder than worrisome because it produces burning in the mouth. To reduce this alteration, it is recommended to maximize oral hygiene and use toothbrushes with soft bristles, which do not damage the gums. Antiseptic rinses also help.
Anemia: One of the most critical side effects in chemotherapy is the reduction in the number of red blood cells in the blood. Anemia manifests itself through fatigue, weakness and extreme paleness. Sometimes it may require a blood transfusion. Plaquetopenia or excessive decrease in platelets (blood cells that clot the blood in case of wounds) may also occur. This effect causes an increase in bruises (cardinals) or bleeding in the gums and nose.
Neutropenia: It is another of the effects most monitored by doctors due to severity. It consists of the reduction of white blood cells or leukocytes (the cells that defend against the intrusion of pathogenic elements, such as viruses or bacteria). Neutropenia favours the appearance of infections (fever, urine infection, sore throat, etc.).
Other data
Incidence
According to SEOM data, breast cancer is the most common in Spanish women and accounts for 29 per cent of all cancers.
Mortality of this type of cancer has declined significantly in recent years due to advances in screening programs and treatments. Despite this, it remains the leading cause of cancer death in Spain in women.
The age of maximum incidence is above 50 years, but approximately 10 per cent is diagnosed in women under 40 years.
The average survival of breast cancer after five years is 89.2 per cent, standing at more than 98 per cent in stage I and 24 per cent in phase III.
Breast cancer in men
One in 100 cases of breast cancer occurs in a male. Although the frequency is lower than among women, men who have breast cancer usually have a worse prognosis of the disease. This difference is not because the breast tumour in men is of a worse type, but simply because it is diagnosed much later than among women, especially by misinformation.
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