INTRODUCTION

Breast cancer (malignant breast neoplasm) is cancer originating from breast tissue, most
commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk.
Some breast cancers are sensitive to hormones such as estrogens and/or progesterone which
make it possible to treat them by blocking the effects of these hormones in the target tissues.
These have better prognosis and require less aggressive treatment than hormone negative
cancers.

Per statistics, the Philippines has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in
Asia. It is considered to have the ninth highest incidence rate in the world today.
Breast cancer remains to be the biggest fear of women and men. As in other
Countries, breast cancer are the leading killer of women ages 35 to 54. And all women are
At risk. Approximately, seventy percent (70 'YO) of breast cancer occurs in women with
None of the known risk factors. On the other hand, out of the 100 people who will get
Breast cancer, one will be male.

The Philippines through the University of the Philippines–Clinical Epidemiology Unit (UP–
CEU) is a member of the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer and has
contributed data concluding that:
(a) Women who are currently on combined oral contraceptives or who have used them in the last
10 years are at a slightly increased risk of having breast cancer diagnosed (current users, RR =
1.24, 95% CI = 1.15–1.33; 1–4 years after stopping, RR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.08–1.23; 5–9 years
after stopping, RR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.02–1.13) and additional cancers diagnosed tend to be
localized to the breast. There is no evidence of an increased risk 10 or more years after stopping
use (RR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.96–1.05).
(b) Post-menopausal women are at an increased risk of having breast cancer diagnosed while on
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and in the 5 years after stopping use, RR was increased by
2.7% (SD 0.7%) for each year of use. There is no evidence of an increased risk of breast cancer 5
or more years after stopping HRT.
INTRODUCTION

None of the implicated breast cancer risk factors readily lend themselves to primary prevention
interventions. It is also possible that reproductive changes in the Filipino population (decreasing
average family size and an increasing average age at first birth, two important risk factors) will
lead to increasing incidence rates. These implicated risk factors, however, are unmanageable and
the social costs unacceptable (e.g. early age at first pregnancy) and since uncertainty prevails
regarding a measurable impact, secondary prevention takes on special importance.

Medication:
Some of the surgical procedures used to treat breast cancer are:
 Lumpectomy
 Partial mastectomy
 Modified radical mastectomy
 Radical mastectomy

Treatment:
Drugs used after and in addition to surgery are called adjuvant therapy. Chemotherapy
prior to surgery is called neo-adjuvant therapy. There are currently 3 main groups of
medications used for adjuvant breast cancer treatment:

 Hormone blocking theory

 Chemotherapy
 Monoclonal antibodies
INTRODUCTION