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BREAST CANCER - MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE




Cancer of the breast is one of the most common causes of death in women today. Worldwide, one out of twelve women die as a result of breast cancer and some of these deaths are preventable and may have been caused by clinical or medical negligence. Breast cancer accounted for seven percent of all the deaths arising from cancer in the world in 2005. Although women can develop breast cancer at any age, the condition is more common among women aged 45 to 55. Breast cancer is not limited to women; male breast cancer also exists, even though it occurs rarely.


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Ductal Carcinoma & Lobular Carcinoma


Cancer of the breast can start in two locations: the lobules and the ducts. The lobules are the groups of glands in the breast that produce milk. The ducts are the tubes that bring this milk that the lobules produce to the nipples. Breast cancer that starts in the lining of the lobules is called lobular carcinoma in situ. Lobular carcinoma rarely spreads outside the breast, but having lobular carcinoma in one breast makes it likely that the patient will get lobular carcinoma in the other. Breast cancer that begins development in the lining of the ducts is called ductal carcinoma in situ. Ductal carcinoma, if not treated early, can spread and invade tissue outside the breast.


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Breast Cancer Risk Factors


Who develops breast cancer? Research is still under way to determine why some women get breast cancer while others do not, but experts have managed to list the following risk factors for breast cancer :-

  • Age - As a woman ages, her likelihood of getting breast cancer increases.
  • Personal history - Women who had cancer successfully treated in one breast can subsequently have it in the other.
  • Family history - Women who have close relatives who have or had breast cancer.
  • Menstrual history - Women who had menarche before they were 12 years old, had menopause after the age of 55, had children late in life or never had children are at higher risk.
  • Lifestyle habits - Consuming too much alcohol or too much fatty food, smoking and inactivity leading to being overweight increases the chances of a woman developing cancer of the breast.


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Diagnosis & False Positives


Early detection is crucial in the treatment of breast cancer. Mammography is the most prevalent method of screening for breast cancer. In mammography, a physician takes an X-ray of the breasts to see if there are abnormal developments within the tissues. The problem with mammography is that it is not a foolproof way of detecting breast cancer. The mammogram might miss some cancer cells, ending in a false negative result. Or it could indicate some growths in the breast as cancer when they are not really so, which is a false positive result. A false-negative or a false-positive result in mammography could be due to the negligence of the health practitioner making the diagnosis. Such carelessness could make him or her liable to claims of medical negligence. A positive mammography is usually confirmed by a biopsy in which a small sample of tissue is removed for microscopic examination.


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