Breast Cancer Awareness Month

mimmii7777
Nov 7, 2020
3 min read

Being that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I would like to dedicate this post to this cause.

While more people are surviving a breast cancer diagnosis than ever before, it’s still the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women.

Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts. After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. It can occur in both men and women, but it's far more common in women. Breast cancer survival rates have increased, and the number of deaths associated with this disease is steadily declining, largely due to factors such as earlier detection, a new personalized approach to treatment and a better understanding of the disease.

Symptoms

A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
Change in the size, shape or appearance of a breast
Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
A newly inverted nipple
Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin
Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange

Causes

Doctors know that breast cancer occurs when some breast cells begin to grow abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass. Cells may spread (metastasize) through your breast to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body. (mayoclinic.org)

Genetics

Doctors estimate that about 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to gene mutations passed through generations of a family. A number of inherited mutated genes that can increase the likelihood of breast cancer have been identified. The most well-known are breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which significantly increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

Risk Factors

Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:

Being female.
Increasing age.
Having a personal or family history of breast conditions or breast cancer.
Inherited genes that increase cancer risk. The most well-known gene mutations are referred to as BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Radiation exposure.
Obesity.
Beginning your period at a younger age. Beginning your period before age 12 increases your risk of breast cancer.
Beginning menopause at an older age. If you began menopause at an older age, you're more likely to develop breast cancer.
Having your first child at an older age. Women who give birth to their first child after age 30 may have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Having never been pregnant. Women who have never been pregnant have a greater risk of breast cancer than do women who have had one or more pregnancies.
Postmenopausal hormone therapy. Women who take hormone therapy medications that combine estrogen and progesterone to treat the signs and symptoms of menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer decreases when women stop taking these medications.
Drinking alcohol.

Ways to help somebody battling cancer:

Support them: Cancer is a difficult journey to say the least and just being there to comfort someone can make a huge difference in their life.

Donate: Donating even a small amount of money is helpful to fund research to better detect, diagnose and treat those with breast cancer and help ensure that people affected by this disease, including families and caregivers, get the support they need.

Thanks to advances in research, almost 9 in 10 women with breast cancer will now survive at least 5 years past their diagnosis --but there is still much work to be done.

Although the month of October ended seven days ago, I still wanted to spread awareness about this cause and I urge you to do the same.

That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay safe and until next time!

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