Breast cancer

What is breast cancer?

Our breasts are made up of lobules (where milk is produced) and ducts that carry it to the nipple. Breast cancer develops when certain games these areas begin to multiply in a chaotic way. At first, they may remain localized. Then, if they breach the natural tissue barriers, they can spread to neighboring lymph nodes, or even to other organs. This is what is called an invasive or metastatic form.

It's often assumed that this disease is exclusively female. While it's true that it almost exclusively affects women, even if it's rare, men They too can develop breast cancer.

Every breast cancer is a little bit unique Some tumors are sensitive to hormones, while others have specific genetic characteristics (such as the HER2 gene). It is based on these "profiles" that doctors choose the most appropriate treatment.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The signs can vary; some are obvious, others more subtle. Here are the most common:

• A new mass or ball in the breast or under the armpit, often hard, sometimes painless.
• Un swelling or thickening of a part of the breast, even without an identifiable mass.
• Skin changes: dimpling, "orange peel" effect, redness or thickening of the skin of the breast or around the nipple
• Changes to nipple : retraction (folds inwards), unusual discharge (other than milk, possibly blood), change in shape, eczema

In its early stages, breast cancer often develops silently, without any noticeable signs. That's why a screening is so important. But sometimes, manifestations appear.
These symptoms do not always indicate cancer – many benign conditions can be the cause – but it is essential not to wait to talk to a healthcare professional who will carry out the necessary tests.

Causes and risk factors of breast cancer

There is not a single cause of breast cancer but a combination of factorsSome cannot be modified:

• To be a woman,
• Getting older,
• Having a family or personal history,
• Carrying certain genetic mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.
• Prolonged exposure to female hormones (early periods, late menopause, absence of pregnancy) also plays a role.

Other factors are related to our lifestyles and can be influenced:

• Alcohol consumption,
• Tobacco,
• Being overweight is a significant risk factor, especially for the development of breast cancer after menopause, and
• Lack of physical activity

All of the above factors increase the risk. Conversely, breastfeeding and regular physical activity can help to reduce it.

How to detect breast cancer?

In the area of ​​breast cancer, the mammography is currently the most effective screening tool. It is a breast X-ray that allows for spot anomalies, sometimes invisible or imperceptible to the touch.

In France, a national program encourages all women aged 50 to 74 to have a mammogram (fully covered by social security) every two years. This quick and minimally invasive examination is interpreted by two radiologists for greater reliability.

Detecting cancer at an early stage, before it causes symptoms, increases the chances of recovery and often allows for less invasive treatments. For younger women at high risk (family history, genetic mutation, etc.), more personalized and closer monitoring may be offered. Mammography is therefore a key step in acting early and saving lives.

What are the treatments for breast cancer?

Le traitement breast cancer is now very TailoredIt can combine:

• Surgery (partial or total removal of the breast),
• Radiotherapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells
• Chemotherapy to reduce the risk of recurrence,
• Hormone therapy to block the effect of hormones on the tumor,
• Targeted therapies which target specific anomalies such as HER2.

Significant progress has been made in recent years, particularly through targeted therapies and immunotherapy, which are opening up new perspectives for more aggressive forms.

Throughout the process, patients can benefit from comprehensive support: management of side effects, psychological support, rehabilitation, dietary advice… The goal is not only to treat the cancer but to preserve the quality of life.

Breast cancer research at the Pasteur Institute of Lille

In Lille, the Pasteur Institute doesn't just treat patients: it also imagines the future. On its campus, cancer research is embodied by the joint research unit CANTHER (CNRS, Inserm, University of Lille, University Hospital and Pasteur). This unit focuses on what often escapes notice: why some treatments stop working, how “dormant” cells can survive after therapy, only to reappear later — a reality of relapses in cancers, including breast cancer.

CANTHER researchers are also striving to discover new molecular targets — these tiny biological switches which, if identified, could lead to the development of more precise, less toxic targeted therapies. They work, for example, on the resistance to treatmentsthat is, on the reasons why some tumors refuse to be defeated or regain their strength after initial treatment.

Furthermore, the Pasteur Institute of Lille collaborates closely with clinicians at the Lille University Hospital and the Oscar Lambret Center. This collaboration seeks the direct link between basic research—understanding biological and molecular mechanisms—and patient care: how to apply these discoveries to improve existing therapies, propose new molecules or combined strategies, reduce side effects, and prevent relapses.

Thus, although not all projects focus exclusively on breast cancer, advances in understanding treatment resistance, tumor cell plasticity, and dormancy are entirely relevant to this type of cancer. They open up promising avenues for one day better preventing, detecting, and treating breast cancer, while also sparing more of the affected individual.