How fast do breast cancer cells grow in 1 year?

Most cancers are contagious, but the metastasis and rate of growth of cancer cells depend on certain factors. Some types of breast cancer tend to grow quickly, while others progress more slowly.

It's difficult to say exactly how quickly breast cancer cells grow, even in terms of time, because the disease affects each patient differently.
Cancer often occurs due to mutations in human cells. These mutations do not follow normal cell division patterns, so it is difficult for us to predict breast cancer progression.
Tumors occur when damaged cells reproduce over and over into a mass of abnormal cells. Breast cancer cells can break off and travel through blood vessels or lymph nodes to other areas of the body. If breast cancer cells start to grow in another body part, this is collectively known as metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer tends to go mainly to the lymph nodes, bones, and lungs. Regardless of where new tumors are located, they are still considered breast cancer. In general, breast cancer growth and metastasis will depend on the following:
1.1 Type of breast cancer Breast cancer can be invasive or non-invasive, specifically:
Non-invasive breast cancer Invasive: Cancer has not spread beyond the lobules or ducts Invasive breast cancer: Cancer may spread to surrounding connective tissue, lymph nodes, or certain areas in the body. 1.2 Breast Cancer Grades (from 1 to 3) When a doctor is diagnosed with breast cancer, the doctor will classify the patient's cancer into grades 1 - 3 based on how similar the cancer cells look. with normal cells of the body. When it's higher, it means the breast cancer cells grow faster, are more aggressive, and there's a higher chance the cancer will spread to other areas of the body.

1.3 Stages of breast cancer (0 – 4) The specialist will describe how advanced breast cancer is according to each specific stage. This information is extremely important to help doctors make the most appropriate treatment decisions for the patient.
In general, how breast cancer develops is closely related to cancer stages, including:
Stage 0: Breast cancer at this stage has not been invasive and is present only in the lobules or pipe. Ductal carcinoma in situ is a form of stage 0 breast cancer. Stage 1: Breast cancer is invasive, but is still small and close to the main tumor site. In stage 1A, the tumor is 2cm or less in size and has not spread to the lymph nodes. In stage 1B, breast cancer begins to invade the body's lymph nodes. Stage 2: Invasive breast cancer, tumors that are larger than stage 1, and breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes. Stage 3: The tumor is much larger and the breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes but has not spread to other organs. Stage 4: Breast cancer cells grow rapidly in areas other than the breast and lymph nodes, mainly in the bones, brain, lungs, or liver. Treatment for this stage usually focuses primarily on controlling the cancer and preventing the cancer from spreading further. Although it is difficult to assess how breast cancer develops over the course of a year, the American Cancer Society does provide estimates of five-year survival rates for groups of patients at different stages. different breast cancer stages, including:
Stage 0 and 1: Reach 100% Stage 2: Pass 93% Stage 3: Pass 72% Stage 4: Reach 22% In fact, the numbers above are just estimates have relative accuracy, so each patient's survival rate will depend on a range of different factors.
1.4 Personal factors How quickly breast cancer cells grow in a year will depend on the following individual factors, including:
Age Hormone status (before or after menopause) Money family history of breast cancer Previous cancer history Abuse of stimulants such as alcohol, or exposure to pollutants and tobacco. 1.5 Response to treatment Physicians may also use assessments of a patient's response to previous or current treatments to determine the likelihood of cancer change and progression. breast letter.

Symptoms of metastatic breast cancer can vary, depending on where the cancer has spread to:
Breast cancer that has spread to the bones can cause swelling, pain, and fragile bones. Breast cancer that has spread to the lungs causes shortness of breath, chest pain, and a chronic cough. Breast cancer that has spread to the liver can cause abdominal pain, nausea, loss of appetite, abnormally high liver enzymes, and jaundice. Tumors in the brain or spine that have spread from breast cancer can cause persistent headaches, double vision, blurred vision, nausea/vomiting, behavioral changes, or seizures. Several other nonspecific symptoms are also associated with metastatic breast cancer, such as: Weight loss, fatigue, and poor appetite. These symptoms can also occur due to other factors such as medication use or depression.

A diagnosis of breast cancer begins with screening for early signs. Some diagnostic procedures may include a breast exam and mammogram.
If your doctor finds early signs of breast cancer or suspects you may have it, they will order additional tests, including:
Breast exam: Help look for lumps or any abnormal structure in the breast. Patients can also perform breast self-exams at home. Mammography: An X-ray of the breast helps find any early signs of breast cancer. Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Helps create images of the inside of the breast. Biopsy: A tissue sample is taken from the breast to check for signs of cancer.

Treatment for metastatic breast cancer or stage 4 breast cancer will depend on where it has spread to as well as some of the following factors:
Levels of hormone receptors or HER2 in the tumor Specific symptoms metastatic breast cancer Gene mutations in tumors Women still menstruating Previously used cancer treatments Patient's general health. For people with advanced breast cancer, the main treatments usually include: The use of drugs or systemic therapy; Treatment options may include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of all four.
Although there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, the main goals of treatments are to help shrink or slow the progression of tumors, while improving quality of life. and help patients with metastatic breast cancer live longer.
4.1 Chemotherapy Chemotherapy may be used before breast cancer surgery is started to reduce the size of the tumor or kill any breast cancer cells that are left after surgery. Generally, it is applied to kill or remove as many breast cancer-causing cells as possible.
The type of chemotherapy used for metastatic breast cancer will depend on a variety of factors, such as how fast the breast cancer cells are growing despite previous treatment and the presence of multiple cancers in the breast. other organs (such as liver and lungs) or not.
Several chemotherapy drugs are used to treat metastatic breast cancer, including:
Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx, Doxil) Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) Capecitabine (Xeloda) Epirubicin (Ellence) Taxol Carboplatin (paraplatin) Cyclophosphamide ( Cytoxane). Chemotherapy is often used in combination with targeted therapies, and the chemotherapy plan for every patient with metastatic breast cancer will be different. Although the side effects of chemotherapy can sometimes be uncomfortable for the patient, they are often successfully controlled or prevented, and usually go away after treatment is completed.

4.2 Hormone therapy Hormone therapy, also known as endocrine therapy, is considered one of the effective treatments for estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) or progesterone receptor (PR-positive) tumors. positive).
In general, hormone therapy is recommended for people with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer because it can block the estrogen receptors in cancer cells, causing them to stop growing and dividing. in the body.
Alternatively, hormone therapy can also be used to suppress estrogen production to starve cancer cells. Hormone therapy for metastatic breast cancer usually includes:
Aromatase inhibitors (Aromasin, Arimidex or Femara) Fulvestrant (Faslodex) Tamoxifen (Soltamos) Using drugs to stop the ovaries from producing the hormone estrogen. 4.3 Immunotherapy Also known as biological therapy, it helps to strengthen the body's natural defenses against breast cancer.
In immunotherapy, doctors will use drugs that target proteins on immune cells to help restore the immune response against rapidly growing breast cancer cells, while preventing the condition from spreading. The immune system attacks the body's normal cells. Immunotherapy may include a PD-1 inhibitor (pembrolizumab) and a PD-L1 inhibitor (atezolizumab).
4.4 Targeted therapy Targeted therapy drugs are specifically able to look for abnormal changes in breast cancer cells. These treatments help stop the rapid growth and spread of breast cancer cells and reduce the amount of damage to healthy cells.
Different tumor types will have different targeted therapies. Your doctor will run a number of tests to help identify genes, proteins and other factors involved in the tumor to choose the most effective treatment.
Several targeted therapies are commonly used for the following cancers:
HER2-positive breast cancer HR-positive breast cancer Triple-negative breast cancer Patients with BRCA gene mutations

4.5 Local or Regional Treatment The systemic therapies mentioned above are all core treatments for metastatic breast cancer. Some local or regional treatments, including surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy can also be used to treat breast cancer that has spread to a specific part of the body, but they do not. capable of eliminating cancer completely.
Usually, topical or regional therapies are used primarily for conditions where the symptoms or complications of cancer are present. For example, radiation therapy and surgery may be recommended for the following:
When a breast lump causes an open wound in the chest or breast Helps prevent fractures Treats a small number metastatic breast cancer cells in a specific area, such as the brain When a tumor is pressing on the spinal cord Treats blockage of blood vessels in the liver when breast cancer has spread to the liver other symptoms of metastatic breast cancer. Chemotherapy can also be delivered directly to a certain area, such as the fluid around the spinal cord or brain, to relieve symptoms or complications of metastatic breast cancer.
Unlike early breast cancer, late-stage breast cancer often has a low prognosis and also becomes more difficult to treat. Accordingly, if breast cancer is detected early, the prognosis for treatment is very high, even if it is completely cured and not recurred. Therefore, breast cancer screening is essential, especially for those at high risk of breast cancer.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has been implementing a breast cancer screening package for women of different ages; help detect diseases early: breast cancer even when there are no symptoms.
Clinical examination: Clinical examination by highly qualified specialists with good clinical experience.
Screening method: It is performed by 2 modern and highly accurate diagnostic imaging methods: mammography (mammogram) and mammogram:
Mammography is a mechanical method. play an important role in the early detection of breast cancer. Mammography helps to detect microcalcification lesions, abnormally increased opacities, and is very valuable for the group of elderly people with fatty breast tissue. Breast ultrasound: An adjunct to X-rays. Ultrasound is used to further evaluate the mass and can differentiate a solid mass from a cystic lesion. Ultrasound is also used to guide biopsies and other interventions. Counseling after the results: Customers will be consulted by the doctor specifically about the results and give useful advice on monitoring or other necessary indications
Time to screen for breast cancer: The best time to perform screening for clients who are still menstruating is 5-7 days after their period stops.

References: Health, healthline, medicalnewstoday