Breast Cancer- The Tamable monster

Breast cancer is the most common cancers today not only in United States, but all across the world. It is estimated that 1 in 8 women in United States (almost 12%) would develop breast cancer in their lifetime. It is also estimated that in 2016 around 250,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer would be diagnosed in women in US. 

It is not well known but men also develop breast cancer; although the incidence of breast cancer in men is less than in women. This is because the breast duct cells in men are not as developed as in females. The risk of a man developing breast cancer is 100 times less than females. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2600 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed in 2016 and 440 men will die from the disease. It is usually observed that men usually being not much aware tend to neglect any lump or signs of breast cancer until it’s too late and the cancer has spread.

The statistics are indeed scary. Breast cancer seems like a big monster ready to gulp many precious lives. But the good news is that the monster is very much tamable! And the best way to do that is to SCREEN YOURSELF REGULARLY.  Doctors all over the world recommend regular breast screening for women above 40.

The aim of Breast cancer screening is to detect breast cancer at an early stage before the signs or symptoms begin to show.  Early detection of breast cancer not only improves survival rate, but the outcomes of the treatment are also much better.

Women should regularly check themselves for any lumps and look for symptoms.  However, it is important to note that self screening cannot replace medical screening.  Medical screening at regular interval catches the disease in early stages. Medical screening may include clinical examination, genetic screening, ultrasound, mammography, MRI.  Your doctor would recommend the best technique after he/ she does an examination and looks into your risk factors.

All women in UK between 50 and 70 are offered breast screening every three years. Almost 2.8 million women are screened for breast cancer every year in UK. American Cancer Society recommends that Women aged 45 to 49 years should get mammograms every year.

October is observed as Breast cancer awareness month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness about the disease.  While most women are aware of breast cancer, many are either not aware or often forget about screening themselves and encouraging others to do so. The idea of the campaign is to encourage more and more women to educate themselves about the disease and catch it in its earliest stage.

It is very important to know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and if any abnormality is detected, that should be immediately brought to the notice of healthcare professional.  Most people who have breast cancer will initially notice only one or two signs. But at the same time it is important to note that presence of signs does not necessarily means that you have breast cancer.

Following are the important signs you should look for:

• Change in How the breasts and nipples feel
• Change in the breast or nipple appearance
• Any discharge from the Nipple- particularly clear of bloody discharge

John Hopkins Medical Center states that all adult should perform self breast examination at least once a month. They state that in 40 % of the cases when women are detected of breast cancer in early stage, they have felt a lump during self examination. It is thus very important to perform self examination at regular intervals.

Self breast examinations should be performed in shower, in front of a mirror or while lying down. You should feel for any lump, hardening or swelling using the pads of your fingers. In front of mirror, visually inspect your breasts and look for any changes in the contour, swelling or dimpling of the skin or changes oin the nipples. Squeeze the nipples gently and look for any discharge.

Pink ribbon is used as a symbol for breast cancer awareness. The use of pink ribbons was started in 1991 during the race for breast cancer survivors when a well known foundation handed over pink ribbons to people participating in the race. 

We should all join hands and spread as much awareness about Breast cancer and early screening as possible and tame the monster and save precious lives. IndiCure has taken the pledge to do its bit.

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