Life-saving facts about breast cancer
Recent years saw the increase in the rates of death of women due to breast cancer. The occurrence prompted a lot of women groups to launch their campaign against breast cancer, providing information to women on how to best prevent it from occurring.
Unknown to many, breast cancer also affects men. Women however are more likely to develop the problem and to die from it.
In 2001, there were more than 200,000 cases of breast cancer in women in the country. It is in fact the most common malignancy condition that is affecting women not only here in North America but also in Europe. Women have a 1 is to 8 chance of developing the problem while there is about one is to 28 chance that a woman will die from breast cancer. After lung cancer, it is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in the country, having claimed the lives of more than 40,000 women in 2005. These statistics are of course subject to change and may even increase in the coming years.
This year, it is expected that more than 200,000 cases will again be diagnosed. Still, compared to previous rates, the rate of death due to breast cancer has gone down. This can be attributed to the fact that massive informational campaigns have led to early detection and improved treatment techniques.
How is breast cancer detected?
Part of the campaign that perhaps helped women fight against the possibility of developing breast cancer is the habit of examining the breasts for lumps. This has helped countless women detect the problem early and seek proper treatment for it. This is important as early detection seem to increase the chance of treating the disease. Below are some of the symptoms that you should watch out for.
- lumps in the breast and in the underarm where the lymph nodes are located.
- there is a slight change in the size or in the shape of the breast
- abnormal appearance of the nipple such as the nipple turning inwards
- nipple discharge
- scaling of the skin in the nipple and slight redness
- occurrence of ridges in the skin of the breast
What are the screening tests that are used for diagnosis?
Mammograms
This is perhaps the most common screening instrument used for breast cancer. These are actually simple x-rays taken of the breasts. If there are abnormal parts found in the first x-ray, another x-ray is conducted, this time in magnified form and concentrating on the part where the abnormality was found. So far, mammograms have been quite effective in detecting tumors in the breast even before they are felt through self-examination.
The machine can also detect the presence of calcium deposits which is said to be one of the earliest signs of cancer. Mammograms have in fact been so effective in detecting the problem that undergoing regular mammogram tests can actually lower one’s risk of dying from breast cancer by as much as 30 percent. Women who are beyond the age of 40 should have regular mammogram tests.
The same goes with women who have had family history of the disease. These demographics are recommended to the have a clinical exam done every year. People who are between the ages of 20 to 39 are advised to have the exam done every three years.
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