Today’s woman is more knowing and
painstaking than always almost the dangers of breast cancer. This is specially true as women over 40 years
aged, who have covered the brink of added to danger of breast cancer.
Age is and so significant to the
growth of breast cancer that about 76% of women who break it have no additional
risk factors early than age. However,
all women, regardless of age or race, need to acknowledge the risk of
developing it. All women are at danger.
<b>Risk factors in</b>
Women who get never fumed a day in
their intact lives can arise breast cancer.
Women who have been ever been health conscious can also develop it. In fact, nearly one woman out of eleven will
experience breast cancer. A lurching
statistic by anybody’s touchstones!
An calculated 211,000 new cases of
breast cancer was diagnosed this past year.
Even on the added to consciousness programs, early catching through
yearly mammography screening and command for self-examination, breast cancer
stays a leading cause of destruction for women.
Breast cancer, like other forms of
cancer, is a disease of the cells. In
all, there are about fifteen different types of breast cancer. Some are more serious than others, but the
one common factor each shares is that neither the cause nor the cure has been
found.
<b>There are four recognized
developmental stages of breast cancer:</b>
(1.) State 0: Cancer cells are present
in either the lining of the milk glands (lobules), or in the tubes (ducts) that
link the milk glands to the nipple. No
cancer cells have spread to the nearby fatty tissue.
(2.) Stage 1: Cancer has spread to
nearby fatty tissue in the breast. Tumor
size is about 1” or under; no cancer cells are present in surrounding lymph
nodes.
(3.) Stage 2: Size of tumor is 1” to
2” in diameter; cancer cells may have also spread to nearby lymph nodes.
(4.) Stage 3: Cancer is locally
advanced. Tumors are approximately 2” or
larger in diameter, or tumors of any size have spread to lymph nodes under the
arm or in the chest (above or below the collarbone).
(5.) Stage 4: Metastatic, advanced
breast cancer. The cancer has spread
from the breast and lymph nodes to other parts of the body.
Early detection of breast cancer
remains a woman’s best chance of survival, and women of all ages should take
advantage of all the resources available.
<b>Every woman should:</b>
1.) Become educated about the risk
factors associated with breast cancer.
2.) Become knowledgeable about the
types, stages, and symptoms of breast cancer.
3.) Learn the correct procedure for
self-examination tests, and perform them routinely.
Long-term use of oral contraceptives,
early menstruation, late first full-term pregnancy, exposure to high doses of
radiation – puberty through childbearing years, and inherited genetic mutation
can all increase a woman’s risk of acquiring breast cancer.
<b>Women 40 years of age and
older should also:</b>
1.) Have an annual mammography
screening.
2.) Become educated about increased
age-related risks associated with breast cancer.
Recent studies confirm that risk of
breast cancer in midlife increases with regular consumption of alcohol, hormone
replacement therapy, weight, and body mass distribution.
During self-examination, look for a
lump or thickening in the breast, a discharge from the nipple, scaliness on the
skin or around the nipple, a change in shape, color, or texture, and dimpling
or puckering.
If you detect a lump, don’t
panic. About 85-percent of all lumps
turn out to be nonmalignant. Make an
appointment with your doctor for a more thorough examination, and tests.
Treatment for breast cancer today is
often less radical than in years past, and chances for survival much better
when the tumor is discovered early.
Author’s note: The third Friday in October is National
Mammography Day. This year, that day
will be celebrated October 20, 2006.
