By relative obscureness, breast cancer
has convert one of the ahead causes of deceases one of women in the globe. In
2001, almost 200,000 causes of breast cancer accept been reported in the U.S.,
Bringing in it the second leading case of cancer decease in the US. It is, as a
matter of fact, the more common malignance trouble that is bearing on women in
North America and Europe now.
Just what is breast cancer and how do
people catch on?
Breast cancer comes when malignant
tumors in the breast arise and begin to affect other weaves in the body. There
is allay no acquit indications however tumors are made but what is much
detected is that cancerous cells generally comes by ducts or secreters.
While women’s health organizations
counsel women to knead the breast daily and to compassionate any clumps, it may
a farseeing time before a cancerous cell get bad decent for us to feel it.
Aside that time, it may already be too late. Doctors capitalize on mammograms
for their diagnosing.
Breast at risk
All women are actually at risk, with
the risk increasing with the presence of some risk factors that are already
part of the natural cycle, for example, aging. Family history of breast cancer
can also significantly affect the prognosis as heredity has been found to play
a role. Women who got their periods before they were 12 years old and those who
never had or had children after 30 years old are also more likely to develop
breast cancer.
There are also risk factors that
medical science can help alter such as hormonal problems through replacement
therapies. Women are also advised to decrease their consumption of alcoholic
drinks, exercise every day and decrease the use of birth control pills.
Breastfeeding has been found to decrease the risk of breast cancer development.
Although there are some factors that
women can avoid to prevent breast cancer from developing, cause and effect
relationships between these factors and breast cancer is still debatable. For
women who are already at high risk, doctors often recommend a drug called
Tamoxifen, which is known to decrease the risk by as much 50 percent when taken
in five years. Still, like all medications, Tamoxifen has side effects such as
hot flushes, vaginal discharges and sometimes even blood clots. Taking the drug
can also lead to pulmonary emobolus, stroke and uterine cancer, although these
are all isolated cases.
Another avenue that women can go to is
Vitamin A, which some studies show to be effective in decreasing the risk.
Still, research is still in the initial stages and nothing has been proven yet.
Other things that are being linked to the breast cancer fight are
phytoestrogens, which can be found in soya, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C.
But until something concrete is found
in research, the only thing that women can do to ensure that they are safe from
breast cancer is early detection. This can be done through daily
self-examinations as well as annual check ups and mammogram tests. It is also
important that women know the beginnings of breast cancer. Here are some of the
signs that they should watch out for.
Lumps in the breast and in the
underarms
Scaling of the skin of the breast and
of the nipple
Redness in the skin of the breast and
of the nipple
Changes in the size of their breasts
Discharges from the nipple
If these signs are observed, it is
best to consult a specialist so that you can know whether you have breast
cancer or not.
