Ways To Save Up Your Energy
Neoadjuvant Treatment With Chemotherapy Or Targeted Therapy
With IBC, standard treatment starts with neoadjuvant therapy, or chemotherapy before surgery. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can help shrink the tumors so they are easier to remove during surgery.
IBC is not a single subtype of breast cancer. It is more likely than other breast cancers to be triple-negative or HER2-positive, but IBC can be any type of disease. If the cancer is HER2-positive, you could receive neoadjuvant treatment with trastuzumab or pertuzumab . If it is hormone receptor-positive, your doctor is likely to recommend hormonal therapy after surgery as well.
A radiologist may do imaging tests after chemotherapy to see whether the medicines worked against the cancer. You may also see changes with the naked eye.
Like other cancer types, IBCs that are hormone receptor-positive or HER2-positive may require adjuvant treatment, medicine given after surgery. Your doctors can help you understand why they recommend more treatment for you.
Change In Nipple Appearance
A change in the shape of the nipple is another possible early sign of IBC. Your nipple may become flat or retract inside the breast.
A pinch test can help determine if your nipples are flat or inverted. Place your thumb and index finger around your areola and gently squeeze. A normal nipple moves forward after pinching. A flat nipple doesnt move forward or backward. A pinch causes an inverted nipple to retract into the breast.
Having flat or inverted nipples does not necessarily mean you have IBC. These types of nipples are normal for some women and are no cause for concern. On the other hand, if your nipples change, speak with a doctor immediately.
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Effects Of Chemotherapy On Behavioral Symptoms And Inflammatory Markers
Analyses were first conducted to determine the effect of chemotherapy exposure on behavioral symptoms and inflammatory markers. In analyses controlling for age, time since treatment completion, and radiation therapy, chemotherapy was associated with significantly higher levels of all behavioral symptoms . None of the covariates were significantly associated with behavioral symptoms.
Signs And Symptoms Of Cancer
Signs and symptoms are ways the body lets you know that you have an injury, illness, or disease.
- A sign, such as fever or bleeding, can be seen or measured by someone else.
- A symptom, such as pain or fatigue, is felt or noticed by the person who has it.
Signs and symptoms of cancer depend on where the cancer is, how big it is, and how much it affects nearby organs or tissues. If a cancer has spread , signs or symptoms may appear in different parts of the body.
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Finding The Cause Of Your Fatigue
If youre experiencing unexplained fatigue thats concerning you and interfering with your daily activities, start with a visit to your primary care physician to investigate more common reasons for fatigue.
Your physician will probably ask about the level of fatigue youre experiencing and when it began. He or she should evaluate medications you may be taking for other health conditions because fatigue is a side effect of some medications.
Some common blood tests your doctor may order include:
- A blood chemistry panel to check for kidney disease, liver disease, electrolyte imbalance and signs of cardiovascular disease
- A complete blood count to screen for conditions such as anemia, immune deficiency or infection
- Thyroid function tests to evaluate thyroid gland function
- A vitamin D test to determine whether you have vitamin D deficiency
Other screenings may include a psychological analysis to determine whether youre depressed or a sleep study to see whether youre at risk for obstructive sleep apnea.
If those tests are negative, your physician should start looking for another possible underlying cause of fatigue.
Summary And Future Directions
While research into the etiology, course, and treatment of cancer-related fatigue is relatively new, much progress has been made in recent years however, considerable opportunities remain. While some well-powered studies have examined risk factors for fatigue in breast cancer patients and survivors, most studies examining underlying mechanisms have involved small to very small sample sizes. While a few studies employing repeated-assessments have been conducted, most have been cross-sectional in design. Thus, more longitudinal studies that involve assessment of cancer patients pre-/post-completion of initial treatment and into survivorship are needed. While multiple factors have been observed to be linked with cancer-related fatigue, it has yet to be determined which factors predispose, precipitate or exacerbate/maintain the patients experience of fatigue. For example, longitudinal studies examining and comparing the effects of chemotherapy- and radiation-induced inflammation on functioning during survivorship are warranted. Also, additional studies employing statistical analytic techniques that can evaluate hypotheses about causal pathways are needed. These will require multiple assessments of established or promising biomarkers of fatigue. Such studies should also assess fatigue using multidimensional scales normed on and/or tailored to breast cancer patients.
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Symptoms Of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer may not cause any signs or symptoms in its early stages. Signs and symptoms often appear when the tumour grows large enough to be felt as a lump in the breast or when the cancer spreads to surrounding tissues and organs. Other health conditions can cause the same symptoms as breast cancer.
The most common symptom of ductal carcinoma is a firm or hard lump that feels very different from the rest of the breast. It may feel like it is attached to the skin or the surrounding breast tissue. The lump doesnt get smaller or come and go with your period. It may be tender, but its usually not painful. .
Lobular carcinoma often does not form a lump. It feels more like the tissue in the breast is getting thicker or harder.
Other symptoms of ductal and lobular breast cancer include:
- a lump in the armpit
- changes in the shape or size of the breast
- changes to the nipple, such as a nipple that suddenly starts to point inward
- discharge that comes out of the nipple without squeezing it or that has blood in it
Late signs and symptoms occur as the cancer grows larger or spreads to other parts of the body, including other organs. Late symptoms of breast cancer include:
Your Treatments And Side Effects
Here are some ways that breast cancer treatment can trigger insomnia and fatigue:
- Radiation therapy can cause fatigue as treatment goes on, because it destroys some healthy cells along with cancer cells. Painful skin side effects, such as blistering, can interfere with sleep.
- Chemotherapy medicines make it harder for the bone marrow to produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen through the body to cells and tissues. Having fewer red blood cells than normal is known as anemia. If cells arent getting enough oxygen, you may feel very tired.
- Hormonal therapies interfere with estrogen production, causing menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, and changes in mood, sleep, and energy.
- Specific side effects common to treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy can also contribute to insomnia and fatigue:
- Long periods of inactivity or bed rest while recovering from surgery or chemotherapy treatments can make you feel tired and weak.
- Nausea and vomiting and diarrhea cause a loss of fluids and electrolytes that help maintain energy.
- Constipation, mouth sores, or loss of appetite can make it hard to eat, which means you may not be getting enough nutrients.
- Infection or weight changes can affect your energy level.
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How Long Does Fatigue Or Weakness Last
Fatigue that is due to cancer and its treatment can last for weeks, months, or years. It often continues after treatment ends.
- For people who have surgery for cancer with no other treatment, fatigue often decreases or goes away over time as they recover from surgery.
- For people getting chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy in cycles, fatigue often gets worse at first and may get better until the next treatment, when the pattern starts again.
- For those getting radiation therapy, fatigue usually gets worse as the treatment goes on and often lessens within a few months after treatment is complete.
Fatigue can:
- Differ from one day to the next in how bad it is and how much it bothers you
- Be overwhelming and make it hard for you to feel well
- Make it hard for you to be with your friends and family
- Make it hard for you to do things you normally do, including going to work
- Make it harder for you to follow your cancer treatment plan.
Survival For Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Many factors can influence life expectancy for women with inflammatory breast cancer. These include:
- the exact position of the cancer
- how big the cancer is and whether it has spread only to the lymph nodes or to other organs
- how abnormal the cancer cells look under the microscope
- whether the cancer cells have receptors for hormone therapies
- how well the cancer responds to treatment
Inflammatory breast cancer can develop quickly and may spread to other parts of the body. So, in general, the outlook with this type is not as good as for women diagnosed with other types of breast cancer. But doctors think that the outlook is improving as breast cancer treatment improves.
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Sudden Change In Breast Size
IBC can change the appearance of the breasts. This change can occur suddenly. Because this cancer can cause inflammation and swelling, breast enlargement or thickness can occur.
The affected breast may appear noticeably larger than the other breast or feel heavy and hard.
If youve always had symmetrical breasts and you notice a sudden increase or decrease in the size of one breast, speak with your doctor to rule out IBC.
diagnostic criteria for IBC include:
- breast redness, swelling, dimpling, or warmth that comes on quickly, with or without a detectable lump or mass
- redness that includes at least a third of the breast
- symptoms that have lasted for no longer than 6 months
- confirmation of the presence of cancer cells through a biopsy
Now lets explore the diagnostic methods that can be used for IBC in a little more detail.
Supportive Care For Secondary Breast Cancer
The symptoms of secondary breast cancer are usually helped with cancer treatment. Sometimes this works quickly and you may notice an improvement within a few days. But sometimes it may take a few weeks before you feel better. There are also other ways to manage symptoms.
You may have some general symptoms, such as feeling very tired. Other symptoms depend on where in the body the cancer has spread to. Sometimes symptoms, such as bone symptoms may cause possible complications that need to be treated.
You will not get all the symptoms mentioned here. Some women get very few symptoms. Always let your doctor or specialist nurse know if you have new symptoms or if your symptoms get worse.
Many hospitals have doctors and nurses who are experts in treating pain and other symptoms. They are sometimes called supportive or palliative care specialists.
See also
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Symptom Signature Of Breast Cancer Individual Symptoms
A total of 2316/2783 of symptomatic women with breast cancer were included in the analysis . Among them, 2543 symptoms were recorded, averaging 1.1 symptoms per woman. A total of 56 distinct presenting symptoms were reported in the study population , in 95 unique phenotypes. Breast lump was the most common symptom, recorded in about four-fifths of all women . The next most commonly reported presenting symptoms were nipple abnormalities , breast pain , and breast skin abnormalities .
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Signs And Symptoms Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer causes a number of signs and symptoms, most of which develop quickly , including:
- Swelling of the skin of the breast
- Redness involving more than one-third of the breast
- Pitting or thickening of the skin of the breast so that it may look and feel like an orange peel
- A retracted or inverted nipple
- One breast looking larger than the other because of swelling
- One breast feeling warmer and heavier than the other
- A breast that may be tender, painful or itchy
- Swelling of the lymph nodes under the arms or near the collarbone
If you have any of these symptoms, it does not mean that you have IBC, but you should see a doctor right away. Tenderness, redness, warmth, and itching are also common symptoms of a breast infection or inflammation, such as mastitis if youre pregnant or breastfeeding. Because these problems are much more common than IBC, your doctor might suspect infection at first as a cause and treat you with antibiotics.
Treatment with antibiotics may be a good first step, but if your symptoms dont get better in 7 to 10 days, more tests need to be done to look for cancer. Let your doctor know if it doesn’t help, especially if the symptoms get worse or the affected area gets larger. The possibility of IBC should be considered more strongly if you have these symptoms and are not pregnant or breastfeeding, or have been through menopause. Ask to see a specialist if youre concerned.
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Causes Of Cancer Fatigue
Many things can cause fatigue in people with cancer. This includes the cancer itself and the type of treatment you might have.
Doctors dont fully understand what causes cancer related fatigue. But we know that a number of things can make it worse. Fatigue is often worse in people who:
- are having a combination of treatments
- have advanced cancer
Its important that you know you may be more likely to suffer from fatigue if you fall into one of these groups.
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A Few Ways We Have Helped
Education from the IBC Network Foundation, I think was truly part of me becoming, finally, NED through treatment.
Eva
When I was first diagnosed, they told me that they would never call me cured, but that it would just be called NED. Somehow within the past couple of years, its changed. They told me that after 7 years, they would consider me cured. Times are changing, things are changing. There is hope.
Chrisanne
having the knowledge and evidence based materials at my fingertips has really been beneficial in the steering of my treatment. My oncologist, my team, has been fantastic at following that evidence base, but actually knowing what I should be expecting and knowing how to advocate for myself has been the most important piece of my treatment plan and The IBC Network Foundation has really given me two legs to stand on when it comes to being in charge of my own treatment plan
Kristin
Im very appreciative of The IBC Network and Terry Arnold, and this whole community. We are truly better together. Its amazing to have a network of people to lean on.
Julie
The IBC Network Foundation made a huge difference for me. They helped me find the right treatment after the initial hospital did not want to do radiation and surgery since I was stage 4 already. I had surgery and radiation, finished in July 2019, and have been NED since.
Jill
Erin
Kelly
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Is Your Fatigue A Symptom Of Cancer
Could your fatigue be the first symptom of cancer? At one point or another, we have all experienced fatigue. For most of us, it is temporary, usually caused by stress or being overworked.
For some people, however, fatigue can become persistent, occurring daily. When fatigue becomes frequent, it is natural to be concerned about what may be causing it.
One of the first things many people think maybe the culprit for their fatigue is cancer. When might feeling tired be a sign of cancer and how often is it?
We often hear about cancer patients who are extremely fatigued, but a lot of cancer-related fatigue is caused by the side effects of cancer treatment, not always cancer itself. In other words, for people with many cancers, the fatigue begins after diagnosis.
While fatigue alone without other symptoms is uncommon in many cancers, for people with leukemias and lymphomas fatigue may well be the first symptom.
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Take Charge Of Your Stress
Managing stress can play an important role in fighting fatigue. Here are some suggestions that may help.
- Adjust your expectations. For example, if you have a list of 10 things you want to accomplish today, pare it down to two and leave the rest for other days. A sense of accomplishment goes a long way toward easing stress.
- Help others understand and support you. Family and friends can be helpful if they can put themselves in your shoes and understand what fatigue means to you. Cancer support groups can be a source of strength, too. Other people with the disease may understand what you’re going through.
- Relaxation techniques like deep breathing or visualization can lower stress, too. Or just do low-key things that are fun for you: read, listen to music, or knit, for example.
Let your doctor know if your stress seems out of control. They can help you feel better.
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