Pink October 2023: Beware Of Breast Cancer

WHAT IS BREAST CANCER?

Breast cancer is a formidable disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the breast, eventually forming tumors. It is simply the abnormal growth of breast tissues. If left untreated or undetected, these tumors can spread throughout the body and pose a serious threat to one's health.

WHO IS AT RISK?

A breast cancer risk factor is anything that makes an individual more vulnerable to the disease. Risk factors simply indicate an increased likelihood or chance of acquiring the disease hence it is important to note that having risk factors doesn't necessarily mean one will develop the disease.

Medically, the most significant risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and getting older.

About half of breast cancer cases occur in women who have no identifiable risk factors other than being female and being over the age of 40. Breast cancer affects both men and women, although it is relatively rare in men. This is because all people are born with cells including men.

Some other risk factors include;

·         obesity

·         Heavy drinking of alcohol

·         Family history of breast cancer

·         History of radiation exposure

·         reproductive history. For example;

Ø  Beginning your period before age 12 increases your risk of breast cancer.

Ø  Beginning menopause at an older age can increase your risk of breast cancer.

Ø  Women who give birth to their first child after age 30 may have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Ø  Women who have never been pregnant have a greater risk of breast cancer.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF BREAST CANCER

Symptoms of breast cancer can include:

• a breast lump or thickening, often without pain
• change in size, shape, or appearance of the breast
• abnormal or bloody fluid from the nipple.
• Peeling, scaling, crusting, or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin
• dimpling, redness, pitting, or other changes in the skin
• A newly inverted nipple

HOW ALARMING IS BREAST CANCER?

Breast cancer remains a significant global health concern, affecting millions of women around the world. In 2020 alone, there were approximately 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer, leading to 685,000 deaths worldwide. By the end of that year, there were 7.8 million women alive who had been diagnosed with breast cancer within the past five years, highlighting its prevalence as the most common cancer globally. Specifically in the United States, breast cancer ranks as the most common cancer among women, excluding skin cancers. It accounts for about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancer cases each year.

In 2023, it is estimated that around 297,790 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in U.S. women. Among men, approximately 2,800 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2023, with a lifetime risk of breast cancer for men estimated at about 1 in 833.

Currently, there are over 4 million women in the United States with a history of breast cancer. The impact of breast cancer extends beyond the United States. Globally, breast cancer represents 12.5% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases, making it the most common cancer worldwide.

Taking Ghana as an example, where over 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, the mortality rate is distressingly high, with almost half of those diagnosed succumbing to the disease. This can largely be attributed to issues such as late-stage diagnosis, with up to 70% of women in Ghana being diagnosed at an advanced stage. The lack of awareness, education, and prevalent myths and misconceptions play a significant role in delaying diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

TREATMENT

Treatment for breast cancer depends on the subtype of cancer and how much it has spread outside of the breast to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body. Some medically proven treatments for     breast cancer include;

• Surgery to remove the breast tumor
• Radiation therapy to reduce recurrence risk in the breast and surrounding tissues
• Medications to kill cancer cells and prevent spread, including hormonal therapies, chemotherapy, or targeted biological therapies.

Health tips

You still have some percentage of control over breast cancer. Observe these health tips to help reduce your risk of breast cancer.

1. Keep weight in check

2. Be physically active

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables

4. Don’t smoke and limit alcohol intake

5. Breastfeed if possible

6. Avoid birth control pills, especially after age 35

7. Avoid hormone therapy for menopause

8. Eat a healthy diet

9. Manage stress

 

MYTHS ABOUT BREAST CANCER

DO NOT BE DECEIVED!

Here, we seek to explain certain talks about breast cancer and disclaim the several misconceptions about breast cancer. This section debunks 17 myths about breast cancer and provides accurate answers and facts to them.

1. If I don’t have a family history of breast cancer, I won't get it.

TRUTH: Most people diagnosed with breast cancer have no known family history suggesting that other factors must be at work, such as environment and lifestyle

2. Breast cancer only happens to middle-aged and older women.
TRUTH: Younger women can and do get breast cancer, as do men.

3.  Breast cancer is contagious

TRUTH: You cannot catch breast cancer or transfer it to someone else’s body. Hence, it is not contagious.

4. A breast injury can cause breast cancer.

TRUTH: Injuries to the breast do not cause cancer.

5. Breast pain is a definite sign of breast cancer.

TRUTH: Breast pain is usually not a sign of breast cancer.

6. A lump in your breast means you have breast cancer.

TRUTH: A lump in the breast could be a sign of breast cancer. However, only a small percentage of breast cancer turns out to be cancer. Hence finding a lump in the breast is not enough to conclude one has breast cancer.

7. Men do not get breast cancer.

TRUTH: This is false, men do get breast cancer. However, the percentage of breast cancer in men is very low compared to that in women.

8.  Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating healthy, and limiting alcohol, means you definitely won't get breast cancer. 

 TRUTH: Yes, these behaviors can help lower breast cancer risk, but they do not eliminate it or guarantee one is free from breast cancer.

9.  Wearing a bra, especially with an underwire style can cause breast cancer.

TRUTH: There is no evidence that bras cause breast cancer.

10.  Using underarm antiperspirants and deodorants can cause breast cancer.

 TRUTH: There is no evidence of a connection between underarm antiperspirants and breast cancer, but the safety of antiperspirants is still being studied.

11.  Carrying your cell phone in your bra can cause breast cancer.

TRUTH: Though still under study, there is no evidence of a connection between cell phones and breast cancer. This is because cell phones emit low-energy radiation.

12. Consuming too much sugar causes breast cancer.

TRUTH: There is no evidence that sugar in the diet causes breast cancer. All cells, whether cancerous or healthy, use the sugar in the blood as fuel.

13. Annual mammograms guarantee that breast cancer will be found early.

TRUTH: No, although mammography is the best early-detection tool we have, it doesn’t always find breast cancer, especially at an early stage.

14. A mammogram can cause breast cancer or spread it.

TRUTH: A mammogram or x-ray of the breast currently is the best option for the early detection of breast cancer. Hence, a mammogram does not cause or spread breast cancer.

15. Breast cancer always causes a lump you can feel.

TRUTH: Breast cancer might not cause a lump, especially when it first develops.

16. Early-stage breast cancer rarely recurs.

TRUTH: Even with early-stage breast cancer, there is always some risk the cancer will return.

17. All breast cancer is treated pretty much the same way.

TRUTH: Treatment plans vary widely depending on the characteristics of the cancer and patient preferences.

18. All breast cancers are the same

TRUTH: There are many different types of breast cancer and treatment is given based on the type detected.

BEWARE!!! BREAST CANCER IS CLAIMING LIVES, DO NOT BE A VICTIM!

REFERENCES

[1] 8ightWays to Prevent Breast Cancer – SITEMAN CANCER CENTER

https://siteman.wustl.edu/prevention/8-ways/8-ways-to-prevent-breast-cancer/

[2] Breast Cancer - MAYO CLINIC

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/breast-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20352470

[3] Learn about breast cancer - National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-facts/ 

[4] Breast cancer - World Health Organization

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer  

[5] How common is breast cancer?  -  American Cancer Society Original Sign

 https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html

[6] Behind the Numbers: Working to Tackle Breast Cancer in Ghana - Tevausa.com

 https://www.tevapharm.com/news-and-media/feature-stories/breast-cancer-ghana/#:~:text=In%20Ghana%2C%20where%20over%204%2C000,it%20is%20identified%20%5B5%5D

[7] Healthcare providers’ perspectives of the supportive care needs of women with advanced breast cancer in Ghana - BMC Women's Health

https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-022-01931-7