Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast Cancer Awareness entails educating the public about breast cancer symptoms, screening, and treatment hence reducing the barriers to accessing care and stigma of breast cancer. This enlightenment has been ongoing and to take the awareness to a higher level, the pinky month of October has been dubbed "Breast cancer awareness month" that time of the year when everything on social media goes pink; bombarding us with pink ribbon, pink bra, and the rest. The annual international health campaign starts on 1st October and ends on the 31st October every year. It is organised by major breast cancer charities to increase awareness of breast cancer and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. It focuses on the importance of early screening as regards prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
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Facts about Breast Cancer
Make sure you understand these facts because when it comes to breast cancer, what you do not know can hurt you and may eventually destroy you on a long run.
- Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women.
- It accounts for 30% of cancers in women.
- 1 out of 8 women who live up to 70 years of age develops breast cancer in her lifetime.
- Physically active women are 25% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who are inactive.
- Early detection of breast cancer saves lives.
Breast Cancer risk factors:
Several risk factors affect your chances of getting breast cancer, however having one or many risk factors do not guarantee getting the disease. Apart from gender, increase in age is the most significant risk factor for developing breast cancer, and other risk factors include:
Female gender: Increase in age >50 years of age, early menarche (first menstrual period) <12 years of age and late menopause >50 years of age may slightly increase a woman's risk of breast cancer.
Family and personal history: Hereditary factors clearly contributes to the development of breast cancer.
Lifestyle and personal behaviour: Our lifestyle choices and the way we live can affect our risks of developing breast cancer including smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and obesity with particularity after menopause.
Dense breast tissue: This makes breast cancer screening more difficult and at the same time increases the risk of breast cancer.
Exposure to oestrogen: The more oestrogen a woman is exposed to in her lifetime the greater her risk of breast cancer which include: birth control pill, post-menopausal hormone therapy, having first child after 35 years or no pregnancy. Some studies suggest that breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer especially if a woman breastfeeds for more than one year.
Female gender: Increase in age >50 years of age, early menarche (first menstrual period) <12 years of age and late menopause >50 years of age may slightly increase a woman's risk of breast cancer.
Family and personal history: Hereditary factors clearly contributes to the development of breast cancer.
Lifestyle and personal behaviour: Our lifestyle choices and the way we live can affect our risks of developing breast cancer including smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and obesity with particularity after menopause.
Dense breast tissue: This makes breast cancer screening more difficult and at the same time increases the risk of breast cancer.
Exposure to oestrogen: The more oestrogen a woman is exposed to in her lifetime the greater her risk of breast cancer which include: birth control pill, post-menopausal hormone therapy, having first child after 35 years or no pregnancy. Some studies suggest that breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer especially if a woman breastfeeds for more than one year.
Signs and Symptoms
- Early signs of breast cancer include a new painless lump or thickening in the breast or armpit area.
- Persistent changes in breast shape and skin colour such as thickening, swelling, dimpling, distortion, tenderness, skin irritation, redness, scaling, and prominent superficial veins.
- Nipple changes including ulceration, retraction, inversion and nipple discharge without squeeze.
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Breast Cancer control
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), breast cancer control aims to reduce the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of the disease and to improve the quality of life of its patients in a defined population. The four basic components of cancer control include: prevention, early detection, diagnosis & treatment, and palliative care. But this write-up will focus on prevention and early detection. Generally for cancer control, prevention offers the most long term cost-effective strategy and between 30-50% of all cancer cases are preventable.
Prevention of Breast Cancer
There are no exact ways of preventing breast cancer, however there are things that can be done to reduce the lifestyle-related breast cancer risk factors including adopting healthy lifestyles, staying physically active, and being aware of breast cancer risk reduction strategies. Some risk factors can not be prevented such as gender (being a woman), age (getting older), race, ethnicity, genetics (inherited genes), and family history. Other risk factors such as birth control, taking hormonal drugs, and hormone therapy after menopause have to be discussed with your physician after weighing the possible risks and benefits.
Limit or avoid alcohol intake: The increased risk of breast cancer is clearly linked to drinking alcohol. Moderate consumption of alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer by approximately 30-50%. Therefore you can reduce the risk of breast cancer by avoiding or limiting the amount of alcohol that you drink.
Physically active: Research has shown that practising sport for more than an hour a day reduces the risk of breast cancer and this applies to women of all ages and sizes. It is important to get regular physical activities.
Weight control: Increase in fat tissues after menopause can raise oestrogen level which increases the risk of breast cancer. After menopause when ovaries stop producing oestrogen, most oestrogen comes from fat tissues therefore maintain a healthy weight and avoid being overweight. Make sure you balance your food intake with physical activities.
Eat right and healthy: There is no single food or diet that can cause or prevent cancer however, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are known to contain phytochemical with antioxidant, anti-estrogen and chemopreventive properties that may prevent cancer. Therefore increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; also reduce the intake of highly saturated fats such as beef, cream, cheese, butter and ice cream. Five servings or more of fruits and vegetables daily are recommended.
Self-examination of the breast: Early detection increases the chances of breast cancer survival.
Early detection and screening tests
Many women with breast cancer do not have symptoms but sometimes breast cancer is found after symptoms have appeared, therefore making early detection is very important. This involves detecting and diagnosis disease earlier before the onset of symptoms; it is the best strategy to prevent deaths from breast cancer. Getting regular screening tests is the most reliable way in finding out breast cancer early. Screening tests can be done through breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, and screening mammogram.
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1. Breast Self-Examination (BSE) is the first step to detecting breast cancer and familiarising
yourself with changes in your body. It is recommended to begin self-exam at age 20. This aims to
recognise the normal texture of your breasts and also report any breast changes to your physician.
For people who still menstruate, the best time for this examination is 2 or 3 days after your period
ends when your breasts are least swollen and tender. If you no longer menstruate, perform
this exam on the same day of each month. Breast Self-Exam can be realised while standing in
front of a mirror, lying down or in the shower using your three middle finger pads to examine the
breast using circular, straight or wedge patterns.
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In front of mirror
- With your arms by your side, inspect both breasts for anything unusual such as lumps, distortions, swelling, dimpling, puckering of the skin, and discharge from nipples.
- Clasp hands behind your head while watching closely in the mirror, press hands forward and check for changes in shape and contour of the breasts.
- Continue checking as you place your hands on your hips while tightening your chest muscle and upper body bent forward slightly.
- Gently squeeze each nipple and check for discharge
In the shower
- It is easier to find lump when the skin is soapy. Raise one arm and using the 3 middle finger pads of the other hand press firmly and feel around the entire breast area for lump or thickening using circular, straight or wedge pattern.
Lying on your back
- This position flattens the breast and makes it easier to examine. Lie flat on your back and place your left arm over your head with a pillow or folded towel under your left shoulder. Using your right middle fingers, feel your left breast in a firm, smooth and overlapping circular pattern starting from your nipple to the outer edge of your breast including underarm area. Repeat on your right breast.
Remember that Breast Self-Exam does not replace periodic examination by a qualified professional.
Breast examination should performed in combination with clinical breast exam and mammogram
Breast examination should performed in combination with clinical breast exam and mammogram
depending on your age and risk recommendations.
2. Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) is performed by a nurse or a doctor in addition to self-exam.
It is recommended that women in their 20s and 30s have a clinical breast exam every 3 years
while women over 40 years be examined annually. There are things he/she can feel or detect that
you never considered to be important.
It is recommended that women in their 20s and 30s have a clinical breast exam every 3 years
while women over 40 years be examined annually. There are things he/she can feel or detect that
you never considered to be important.
3. Screening mammogram is a common imaging technique which detects non-palpable breast
cancer before they are big enough to be felt, however there is controversy surrounding its value in
cancer before they are big enough to be felt, however there is controversy surrounding its value in
prevention of deaths from breast cancer. Annual screening mammogram is recommended for
every woman above 40 years of age and starting at age 30 for high risk women. Women with
strong history of breast cancer are advised to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their
breast performed in addition to annual screening mammogram.
invasive breast cancer in women at high risk of familial breast cancer.
Breast cancer treatment can be very expensive and the main types of treatment available include: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and bone-directed therapy but not without side effects.
Breast cancer treatment can be very expensive and the main types of treatment available include: surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and bone-directed therapy but not without side effects.
Be your own best friend, lower your risks of breast cancer and increase your chances of survival if it occurs by exercising regularly, limit alcohol intake, get enough sleep and avoid chemical that can cause cancer.
Drafted by Chikaodili Deng (MPH)
Thanks for posting this. Very important information for us all.
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