Thymus cancer and breast cancer differences

Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
Updated on September 23, 2024
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Thymic cancer, which refers to the malignant tumor that occurs in the thymus, predominantly presents as squamous cell carcinoma. It generally arises in the mediastinum, with clinical symptoms such as chest pain, cough, and breathing difficulties.

Breast cancer, on the other hand, refers to the malignant tumor occurring in the breast tissue, with invasive ductal carcinoma being the most common type. Its symptoms often include unintentionally discovered breast lumps, or metastasis to axillary lymph nodes, felt as enlargement of these nodes.

Therefore, these two diseases differ in their sites of origin, symptoms, pathological types, and treatments.

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Early-stage breast cancer symptoms

Early-stage breast cancer may exhibit several symptoms. The first is the presence of breast lumps. The second symptom might be nipple discharge, which can be serous, watery, or milky in nature. The third symptom might involve changes in the skin over the breast tumor, including skin adhesion, such as dimpling, engorgement of superficial veins, skin reddening, localized increase in temperature, and an orange-peel texture. The fourth symptom includes abnormalities of the nipple and areola, potentially featuring nipple retraction, erosion of the nipple, thickening of the nipple epithelium, and reddening. The fifth symptom could be breast pain.

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How does one get breast cancer?

How is breast cancer caused? Regarding the causes of breast cancer, the primary factor should be family history. If a first-degree relative has breast cancer, then the likelihood of developing breast cancer increases. The second factor is reproductive factors; for instance, if the age at menarche is quite young, menopause age is relatively late, menstrual cycles are short, there is no childbirth or the age at first full-term pregnancy is older, there are fewer childbirths, and there is a lack of breastfeeding, then the incidence of breast cancer is also higher. The third factor involves hormones, possibly related to endogenous hormones or exogenous hormones, such as those mainly associated with oral contraceptives used externally. The fourth major point is a high-fat diet, or habits like drinking alcohol, smoking, and a diet low in vitamins, which may increase the risk of breast cancer. The fifth point involves other factors, such as exposure to significant amounts of ionizing radiation, chemicals from cancer drugs, lack of physical exercise, and occupations, such as working in the beauty industry or pharmaceutical manufacturing, etc., which may also increase the chances of developing breast cancer.

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Breast cancer chemotherapy regimen

Breast cancer chemotherapy regimen. Thus, chemotherapy occupies a very important position in the treatment of breast cancer. The commonly used chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer treatment include alkylating agents, such as cyclophosphamide; antimetabolites like fluorouracil, methotrexate, gemcitabine, and capecitabine; anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin and others. In recent years, taxanes, particularly docetaxel, have been used more frequently. Other drugs include mitomycin and cisplatin, among others. However, the specific chemotherapy regimen for breast cancer should be assessed by a professional oncologist. The regimen should consider the pathological stage, pathological type, whether surgery was performed, whether the surgery completely removed the tumor, lymph node metastasis, and other factors to devise a suitable chemotherapy plan. Therefore, it is possible that each individual might have a regimen that is specifically suited to their situation, and not all regimens are suitable for everyone.

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Symptoms of breast cancer recurrence

The symptoms of recurrent breast cancer are related to the location and form of recurrence. For example, if breast cancer recurs at the chest wound site, the symptoms typically manifest as local lumps or localized ulcers, erosion, and bleeding. If the recurrence is in the lungs, liver, or brain, it usually appears in the form of tumors. Early lung tumors do not show symptoms, but if it invades the pleura and causes pleural effusion, it can lead to shortness of breath or chest pain. If a tumor grows too large on the liver, it can cause abdominal pain or symptoms like loss of appetite, unwillingness to eat, and other complications associated with liver diseases. If it metastasizes to the head, symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and a feeling of pressure in the eyes may occur. If it spreads to the bones, it can cause pain in the affected bone or fractures.

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Can breast cancer be contagious?

Breast cancer is not contagious. Infectious diseases have their natural characteristics. For instance, respiratory infectious diseases and even hepatitis can be transmitted through certain pathways. Cancer, including breast cancer, is not communicable. To date, medical research has found no evidence suggesting that cancer can be spread from person to person. Only about 5% of cancers have a genetic component. Consider this: if cancer were contagious, wouldn't medical professionals, aside from the patients' families, be the most affected group? However, how many health care providers have contracted cancer from their patients? Thus, it can be stated that breast cancer is not contagious.