Word count 2004
“Choose a medical condition that interests you and research it. Write about the possible use of hypnosis in the treatment of the condition as you see them”
For this essay I have been asked to choose a medical condition that interests me, to research it look at it and to talk about the use of hypnosis in the treatment of the condition. The medical condition I have chosen is breast cancer as it is the most common cancer in the UK. I hope to explore this issue and give you some facts and information about the condition and how hypnosis would benefit anyone suffering from breast cancer.
Breast Cancer
About 48,000 women a year develop breast cancer in the UK and 8 out of 10 of these women are over 50, most of these women have gone through the menopause. Although this condition is more common in older woman, younger woman and sometimes men, can develop breast cancer too and the number of men developing breast cancer is increasing every year.
A woman’s breast is made up of connective tissue, fat and thousands of tiny glands, known as lobules what produces the milk which then travels down the ducts to the nipples, ready for breast feeding.
The human body is made up of billions of cells that normally grow and multiply. The body will produce new cells when needed and send them to the part of the body that is in need of them. When a person develops cancer this orderly process goes wrong and the growth of cells goes out of control and the body is unable to control the process..
The causes of breast cancer are not fully understood and there are many different types, so it is difficult to pin point which women will develop breast cancer although they have found that some types of breast cancer can be due to a certain gene and can be hereditary. This gene known as BRCA1/2 or TP53 can be passed from mothers to daughters and can increase someone’s chances of developing breast cancer.
Symptoms
Breast cancer can have a number of different symptoms; the most common is a lump or thickening of the breast tissue. Other symptoms can be:
• Changes in size or shape of the breasts,
• dimpling of the skin,
• Pain,
• Rash around the nipple
• Discharge or changes in the nipple
• A lump or thickening in and of the breast
Although a lump can be a symptom of breast cancer quite often lumps can be non-cancerous. These lumps are known as non-malignant and breast lumps that are cancerous are called malignant.
There are several types of breast cancer and they are divided into non-invasive and invasive types.
Non-invasive breast cancer is sometimes called carcinoma in situ and is found in the ducts of the breast. This type of cancer does not normally spread outside of the breast and is more contained. Non-invasive breast cancer is not normally detected by a lump in the breast and is usually detected on a mammogram.
Invasive cancer has the ability to spread from the breast to other parts of the body. The most common form of this is invasive ductal breast cancer which accounts for 80% of all breast cancer.
There are some other less common forms of breast cancer that I will not name in this essay. Breast cancer if not detected early can spread to other parts of the body and this is usually through lymph nodes or carried in the bloodstream. When this happens it is called secondary or metastatic breast cancer.
If breast cancer is detected at an early stage it can be successfully treated and stopped from spreading to other parts of the body. One of the ways breast cancer can be detected is through an x-ray of the breast, this type of screening is called a mammogram, but this is only carried out on the over 50’s. Another way to detect is by women examining their breasts on a regular basis, so that they notice any changes early on. Also if there is a family history genetic screening can be carried out early to detect the risk of the person developing breast cancer or spotting any cancer that may have already developed.
Living with breast cancer