The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended that women should start getting screened for breast cancer every other year once they reach the age of 40.
Why is this important for you?
The American Cancer Society has estimated that in 2024, approx. 310,720 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Keeping this estimate in mind, women must be conscious about the health of their breasts.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a form of cancer where the cells and tissues within the breasts start growing abnormally and in severe cases develop into tumours. In rare cases, these tumours can become cancerous.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
One of the most common symptoms of breast cancer is the formation of a lump in the breast or underarm. It could be either painful or dormant.
Some of the other common symptoms of breast cancer are –
- Irritation or dimpling of breast skin
- Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area
- Fluid leaking from the nipple in a woman who isn’t pregnant or breastfeeding
- A red, scaly rash on the nipple and surrounding area
- Unnatural pain in the breast
- The whole breast looks inflammable, red and sore
- Sudden change in the size of the breast or swelling
Breast Cancer Treatment
Is Breast Cancer curable? Patients often ask this question. Well, the answer is both yes and no as it depends on the stage of cancer and person-to-person basis. You must consult a health professional such as an oncologist in case you detect any symptoms of breast cancer.
- Mammaplasty- It is a form of plastic surgery where the tumor is removed and the breast is reconstructed.
- Chemotherapy- This is one of the most common cancer therapies. As part of Chemotherapy, anti-cancer drugs are induced into the body of the patient. Often, a painful therapy, it is widely used by medical practitioners to not just cure cancer but also minimise the possibilities of its return.
- Hormonal therapy- Also known as endocrine therapy, Hormonal therapy is the one where medicines are used to block or reduce the growth of harmone cells in a bid to contain the growth of cancer cells as well. In this process, the patient is likely to experience massive hormonal changes though this has proven to be effective in certain cancer cases.
- Radiation therapy- Also known as Radiotherapy, it involves giving high doses of radiation in a bid to kill the cancer cells and shrink tumours. It is often used when chemotherapy fails to work.
- Tests and Detection- While there are several detection tests for breast cancer, the first signs are often detected by the patient itself. This process is called a self-test.
There are different forms of self-test:
- Oral Cancer- Check your mouth, inside of the cheeks and throat for any lump, painful area, swollen patch, red or white patches or ulcer.
- Breast Cancer- Do a monthly self-examine to check lumps in around nipple area and other breast area, swelling, hardened knots or redness. Press the breasts uniformly to check the same, especially the bottom portion of the breast. Also, check for some swelling or a knot inside your armpits.
- Skin Cancer- Look for an increase in the number of moles or moles which might be painful or start to bleed. In this case, you must get yourself tested for skin cancer.
Breast cancer can be categorized as invasive or non-invasive.
Invasive breast cancer includes Invasive lobular breast cancer.
Further, there are four subtypes of breast cancer: Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-positive, and triple-negative.
- Luminal A- Luminal A is a subtype of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that accounts for 50–60% of all breast cancers.
- Luminal B- It is a subtype of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. It forms 15%-20% of breast cancers.
- HER2-positive- This type of breast cancer occurs when a breast tissue has way too many human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER 2) proteins. They often get treated slowly and have the highest chance of coming back.
- Triple negative breast cancer- In this, the breast cancer cells don’t have receptors for the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, and a protein called HER2.
Breast Cancer Awareness
October is celebrated as Breast Cancer awareness. It is known as Pink October. Breast Cancer activists often wear pink clothes and pink ribbons to raise awareness.
Here are some ways to raise awareness regarding Breast Cancer –
Take the Mammo Pledge – I pledge to schedule my screening! It’s important for all women ages 40 and over to get a mammogram every year.
Organise or participate in marathons as part of Breast Cancer awareness month. Some of the famous marathons and movements are –
- Pinkathon – It is a social movement to raise awareness about breast cancer. It includes 5K, 10K, 10 mile, half marathon, marathon, and 50K events, as well as a virtual Pink Ribbon Trail. The proceeds from the marathon are donated to the Women’s Cancer Initiative (WCI) in partnership with Tata Memorial Hospital.
- The DONNA Marathon Weekend in Jacksonville, Florida is the only marathon in the US that benefits breast cancer research and care. The 17th annual event will take place in 2024 and will include a 5K, DONNA Dash, Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultramarathon, Event Challenges, and Health & Wellness Expo.
Breast Cancer FAQs
Is Breast Cancer always deadly? What is the survival rate?
No, Breast Cancer is curable, provided its impact and early detection. As per reports, the overall five-year survival rate of breast cancer is impressive to the tune of 90%. In the past 10 years, the survival rate has been 84% which was further low to 80% in the past 15 years.
Is a Mammogram effective?
As per reports, Mammograms are effective at early detection of breast cancer. They offer X-ray pictures of breasts which can detect cancer up to three years before it can be felt.
However, Mammograms are not always effective. There have been cases where women over 70 years have been wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer followed by wrong treatment.
When is breast cancer awareness month?
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month when various activists, survivors and medical practitioners spread awareness about breast cancer, its research and its treatment.
Does a rash on the breast signal a possibility of breast cancer?
A rash on the breast can be a food-related allergy, a reaction to changing weather, uncomfortable bra or brassiere. However, if it persists or becomes painful, then you must get it checked with a medical practitioner.
Can males also contract cancer? Yes
Well, not only women contract breast cancer but men too. Though, the rate of breast cancer among males is 1 for every 726 women.
This is partly because even though the breast tissue is similar in both men and women men mainly have fatty and fibrous breast tissue called stroma thus having fewer ducts and lobules as compared to women.
What are the different stages of breast cancer?
It has 5 stages or TNM – Tumor, Node, Metastasis
Stage 0: Non-invasive cancer limited to the inside of the milk duct .
Stage I: Small cancerous tissue present only inside the breast or lymph node close to the breast
Stage II: The cancer is either in the breast or in the nearby lymph nodes or both
Stage III: Cancer spreads from the breast to lymph nodes closer to breast
Stage IV: Breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body such as bones and lungs.
Myths about Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is contagious- No
Breast cancer is caused by breast injuries- Not really, it depends on a case-to-case basis
Breast cancer is more common in women with larger breasts- That’s baseless.
Men don’t get breast cancer- The rate of breast cancer is higher in women but men also do encounter breast cancer.
All breast lumps are cancerous- No, but as soon you detect a lump, do get it tested on priority.
Prevention Tips for Breast Cancer
Some lifestyle changes can reduce the possibility of breast cancer:
Maintaining a healthy weight –
Being physically active – As per the National Cancer Institute, physically active women have a 12% to 21% lower risk of contracting breast cancer than inactive women.
Avoid smoking – Smoking is anyway injurious to health. It might not only raise the risk of lung cancer but also breast cancer. It also reduces the survival rate in case one gets affected by cancer.
Avoid hormone replacement therapy
Women who already dealt with breast cancer are advised to avoid hormone replacement therapy as it might increase the risk of lapse of cancer.
Avoid birth control pills, especially after the age of 35 – Women who often take birth control pills are found to be at a higher risk of contracting cancer. As per the National Cancer Institute, The risk increase can vary from 0% to 60% depending on the type of contraceptive used, and the longer it’s used, the higher the risk.
Conclusion
Breast Cancer is always a cause of concern due to the increase in the number of cases. However, instead of getting afraid of it, one must be aware of the ways for its early diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
Remember that cancer is not always lethal. So you must be courageous in case you or your loved ones unfortunately contract any form of cancer.
We leave you with the thought that “Cancer is just a chapter in our lives and not the whole story.
