Breast cancer is staged according to the TNM system, updated in the AJCC Staging Manual, now on its sixth edition. Prognosis is closely linked to results of staging, and staging is also used to allocate patients to treatments both in clinical trials and clinical practice. The information for staging is as follows:
TX: Primary tumor cannot be assessed. T0: No evidence of tumor. Tis: Carcinoma in situ, no invasion T1: Tumor is 2 cm or less T2: Tumor is more than 2 cm but not more than 5 cm T3: Tumor is more than 5 cm T4: Tumor of any size growing into the chest wall or skin, or inflammatory breast cancer
NX: Nearby lymph nodes cannot be assessed N0: Cancer has not spread to regional lymph nodes. N1: Cancer has spread to 1 to 3 axillary or one internal mammary lymph node N2: Cancer has spread to 4 to 9 axillary lymph nodes or multiple internal mammary lymph nodes N3: One of the following applies:
Cancer has spread to 10 or more axillary lymph nodes, or Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the clavicle (collar bone), or Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes above the clavicle, or Cancer involves axillary lymph nodes and has enlarged the internal mammary lymph nodes, or Cancer involves 4 or more axillary lymph nodes, and tiny amounts of cancer are found in internal mammary lymph nodes on sentinel lymph node biopsy.
MX: Presence of distant spread (metastasis) cannot be assessed. M0: No distant spread. M1: Spread to distant organs, not including the supraclavicular lymph node, has occurred
Summary of stages:
Stage 0 - Carcinoma in situ
Stage I - Tumor (T) does not involve axillary lymph nodes (N).
Stage IIA – T 2-5 cm, N negative, or T <2 cm and N positive.
Stage IIB – T > 5 cm, N negative, or T 2-5 cm and N positive (< 4 axillary nodes).
Stage IIIA – T > 5 cm, N positive, or T 2-5 cm with 4 or more axillary nodes
Stage IIIB – T has penetrated chest wall or skin, and may have spread to < 10 axillary N
Stage IIIC – T has > 10 axillary N, 1 or more supraclavicular or infraclavicular N, or internal mammary N.
Stage IV – Distant metastasis (M)
Breast lesions are examined for certain markers, notably sex steroid hormone receptors. About two thirds of postmenopausal breast cancers are estrogen receptor positive (ER+) and progesterone receptor positive (PR+).[83] Receptor status modifies the treatment as, for instance, only ER-positive tumors, not ER-negative tumors, are sensitive to hormonal therapy.
The breast cancer is also usually tested for the presence of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, a protein also known as HER2, neu or erbB2. HER2 is a cell-surface protein involved in cell development. In normal cells, HER2 controls aspects of cell growth and division. When activated in cancer cells, HER2 accelerates tumor formation. About 20-30% of breast cancers overexpress HER2. Those patients may be candidates for the drug trastuzumab, both in the postsurgical setting (so-called "adjuvant" therapy), and in the metastatic setting.
Breast Cancer - Staging
Pregnancy
The joy of having a baby is one of the most prized and joyful experiences in a woman's life time. However there are so many books giving you advice on different aspects of being pregnant. Well, below is our list of things you should know and practice while pregnant.
Green tea- Yes green tea will give you everything you need to keep your body running well. Take it unsweetened all day long. It will keep you active and happy.
Walk- Keeping fit isn't the goal here. Walking will help your baby also. It keeps your baby moving and promotes an on time labor. Walking is a great way start the day off with. Don't forget to eat breakfast.
Relax- Stressing out is the last thing you want to do while pregnant. Reading a book is great for relaxing and of course nice music. If you stress out you may end up endorsing labor. Be sure that your close family members know this and can help you relax even more.
Be surrounded by love- Let's be honest, when you are pregnant you will feel as if you are huge. Being around people who love you and don't care how big you are means a lot. And will make you feel much better about yourself.
Laugh- Hahaha.. laughter is a great gift. Laughing can turn you from being sad to making you cry of joy. Have fun with your life. You're about to have a baby after all. Ask other mothers around you to tell you their crazy kid stories. You'll be so happy that you'll look even more forward to sharing your own stories over and over again.
Lung Cance - Early symtoms (Must Read)
Implicit gradually lung cancer, and its early symptoms not much, and some people even without detectable, but only occasionally found in the physical examination. Once a significant symptom, often already close to the late, when treatment has been very difficult, and patients with high mortality rates. So for lung cancer, in your its diagnosis and treatment.
Following the early symptoms and signs of early diagnosis of lung cancer have some help:
1. A dry cough, choking over two weeks, and the anti-inflammatory treatment ineffective, or the original nature of chronic cough suddenly change;
2. Bloody sputum and sudden chest pain is just unbearable, and no obvious reasons to explain;
3. Lung auscultation, there are limitations Wheezing audition Diyin, Han and the sound does not change because of coughing;
4. Repeated a place in the lung inflammatory changes;
5. And we can not explain the limitations of the general tracheitis Feiwenli increase or limitations emphysema;
6. Long-term smoker, change cough, sputum and blood.
Nutrition Product - Bad for our health?
Many people are misunderstanding the function of nutrition product. They tough the nutrition can fulfill everything they needed and ignore their lifestyle and food.
Nutrition product is actually just an additional “food” for you to fulfill your body needed because the human being nowadays is busying and sometime might ignore some nutrition. The expert always commented that if you eat fast food often, smoke or drink alcohol a lot, not enough sleep, less exercise/sport, then no matter how much the nutrition product you took, you would not have a health body.
Balance Nutrition is very important, the three golden subjective are
1. Balance Food and Drink
2. Suitable amount of the Food and Drink
3. Multi-level of foods (refer to food pyramid)
Well, as per mentioned before, that is not easy for us to get balance food daily, that is the reason to take nutrition product will can help us in better balancing nutrition for our body. However, nutrition product we took should be from nature.
On the other hand, if you are a patient such as Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and etc, then nutrition product might make you getting worse. In order to protect yourself, always suggest to get advices from the doctor before you take any nutrition product. Let the expert do their job.
Final conclusion is our lifestyle is the root cause of our health. Take care our lifestyle is better then take the nutrition product. However, we have to take nutrition product, only after the advices from doctor or just consider it as additional “food” for better nutrition.
Lung cancer - Common Sign & Symtoms
Common lung cancer sig and symptoms
Sign
1. Cough
The most common initial symptoms. Due to tumor size, location can be different for the performance of dry cough, cough RUF, with the sound of wheezing cough and cough with metal sound.
2. Expectoration
About 15% since the beginning of expectoration, mostly white sputum. Vascularized tumor rupture, sputum, hemoptysis sustainable, but also for intermittent. 25 ~ 40% of patients with lung cancer hemoptysis.
3. Chest pain
Early to chest discomfort. When tumors involving the chest wall could lead to a sustained, intense chest pain.
4. Wheeze
Some obstruction due to bronchial asthma, making breathing sound.
5. Shortness of breath
Common bronchial spasm, obstruction, pulmonary infection, pulmonary diseases such as pleural effusion or different degrees of shortness of breath.
6. Fever
Because of bronchial obstruction, stasis secretions caused varying degrees of inflammation.
Symptoms
1. Hoarseness
When the tumor can cause violations of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, dumb pronunciation, speaking in a "whisper-like."
2. Facial swelling
Tumor suppression on the inferior vena cava, causing facial swelling, skin Purpurin, dizziness, vertigo, stuffy nose and other symptoms increase when supine. Another upper extremity, neck swelling often occurred.
3. supraclavicular lymph nodes: in the supraclavicular fossa visible enlarged lymph nodes, advanced mass can be formed.
4. Dysphagia
To mediastinal lymph node metastasis of lung cancer, esophageal oppression from eating difficulties.
5. Clubbed fingers, toes and lung Osteoarthropathy
Patients with lung cancer can occur clubbed fingers and toes of. Some patients showed early migration of large joints deep burning sensation.
6. The transfer of lung cancer caused by other symptoms
Transfer to the brain can cause headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and hemiplegia; bone metastasis, such as bone pain caused.
