Breast Cancer: Facts and Figures
It would not be surprising, therefore, that any ailment or
condition that endangers the look, health and functionality of
this vital body part would be a real source of worry to every
lady.
Breast cancer, despite all medical and technological advances,
as been on the rise in the last 50 years or so. The figures that
stare us in the face when we check the records are quite
alarming. But, there is no running away from these figures, they
are real.
It's alarming but it is true that there's more breast cancer now
than ever before. It is true that between 1979 and 1986 the
incidence of invasive breast cancer in the United States alone
has increased 29 percent among white women and 41 percent among
black women, and incidences of all breast cancers doubled. It's
true that despite yearly mammograms and advanced medical and
diagnostic technology the percentage of women dying from breast
cancer has remained virtually unchanged over the past 50 years,
and that every 12 minutes throughout the last half of the 20th
Century another woman died of breast cancer.
It is also fact that more than two hundred thousand cases of
breast cancer are diagnosed every year in the United States. In
Canada about twenty thousand new cases, thirteen thousand in
Australia and over forty one thousand in the UK. And it's true
that breast cancer is the disease that women fear more than any
other, that breast cancer is the biggest killer of all women
aged 35 to 54, and that of the 2.5 million women currently
diagnosed with breast cancer, half will be dead within ten years.
It really does not matter if you are 20 years old or 50 years
old. You stand some risk of catching the monster. It is
estimated that one in every nine women will get breast cancer at
some period in her life
These are not pleasant tales. My purpose in painting these gory
pictures, is not to scare anyone, but to make you see the
importance of giving more attention to your breast. The more you
know about breast cancer, the better.
Almost every woman is at risk of breast cancer, but records show
that 80% of cases are found in woman over 50 years of age. There
are several factors that can predispose one to breast cancer.
Some are within your control and others are not. It therefore
makes much sense to avoid the humanly controllable factors as
much as possible. Most of these are the daily lifestyle choices
we make. The problem is that these habits do not show the extent
of damage they can cause to our body until we begin to get
older, and by then the damage is done already.
Factors associated with breast cancer include:
- Taking an oral contraceptive pill - Hormone replacement
therapy - Obesity and/or high fat diets - Family history of
breast cancer
It is worth stating here, however, that most breast cancers are
hormonally related Other factors may also affecting the risk,
include stress, carcinogens, excessive use of stimulants like
alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes and exposure to pesticides and
radiation.
Early detection of breast cancer is still the best guarantee of
getting cured. Presently, six out of every seven patients
diagnosed with breast cancer are cured at an early stage.
However, if they are diagnosed when the cancer has become
advanced, the cure rate falls to about one in seven. It is
extremely important to catch breast cancer at an early stage if
it is to be satisfactorily cured. This therefore makes knowing
the symptoms very crucial.
Breast cancer, in its early stages hardly shows any sign at all.
It does not cause any pain in most instances. Some of the
symptoms associated with breast cancer include:
- Itching in the armpit or around the breast region - Pink, red,
or dark colored area (called erythematic) with texture similar
to the skin of an orange - Ridges and thickened areas of the
skin of nipple or breast - Appearance of a bruise that does not
go away - Nipple getting inverted - Breast warm to the touch -
Pain in the breast which could vary from a constant ache to
stabbing pains - Change in texture as well as color of the skin
around the nipple - Change in the shape or size of a breast -
Dimpling of the breast skin - Swelling or a lump in the armpit -
Discharge from the nipple
None of these symptoms is clear evidence of breast cancer, as
most of the signs may also arise due to other conditions
affecting the breast. Only a doctor can made a definite
statement about the presence or otherwise of breast cancer after
an exhaustive examination.
Know your breast, and how to self examine your breast and always
report the slightest changes to a doctor. It's not worth taking
chances with breast cancer. It's real and it's spreading like
wild fire in the ever-polluted society we live in today. Do the
little you can to keep your name off the breast cancer list, the
sacrifice is worth it.