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October is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month". If you are a woman and think that your chance of contracting breast cancer is one in a million, the fact is that one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. About 180,000 American women develop breast cancer each year only. It kills nearly 46,000 American women each year. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among American women. Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. Every 12 minutes, a woman dies of breast cancer in America. Breast cancer is the most common malignancy. The United States has the 9th highest incidence of breast cancer. Belgium has the highest. Approximately 2,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2018. The risk of breast cancer in humans for life is about 1 in 1,000.
Older women are more likely to develop breast cancer. Breast cancer rates are low in women under 40 years of age. Less than 5% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States are under 40 years of age. Rates increase after age 40 and are highest among women over age 70.
In the United States, the median age of breast cancer diagnosis in women is 62 years old. The median being the average value of a group of figures, half of the women were diagnosed before the age of 62 and the other half after the age of 62. the diagnosis varies according to race and ethnicity. Black women tend to be diagnosed earlier than white women. The median age of black women is 59, compared to 63-year-old white women.
Breast cancer is considered a woman's disease, but men can also develop a form of breast cancer. Every year, more than 400 men die of breast cancer.
The incidence of new cases of breast cancer is slightly lower in African American women than in white women. But breast cancer mortality is higher among African-American women. Breast cancer mortality was 39% higher in African-American women than in white women. One of the main reasons for differences is when a woman is screened by mammography. Women who do not have health insurance are much less likely to have a mammogram than women with health insurance. In 2013, only 38% of women without health insurance had a mammogram in the last 2 years. Seventy per cent of people with health insurance have had a mammogram in the last two years.
Although lack of health insurance is one of the main causes of disparities in breast cancer screening in the United States, other factors also play a role. Even among the women mentioned above with confidence, only 70% have recently had a mammogram. The Affordable Care Act requires all new health insurance plans since September 2010 to cover annual mammograms (excluding fees) of women aged 40 and over. The rule may not be in effect now.
The incidence of breast cancer continued to increase by about 2% per year. The death rate from breast cancer has decreased. This decrease is thought to be the result of earlier detection and improved treatment. But 2% of autopsies performed in 2003 showed undiagnosed breast cancer. This means that many more women have breast cancer and do not know it.
Breast cancer occurs when a group of cells grows and divides more than it should, thus forming masses called tumors. Some tumors do not spread to other parts of the body but may interfere with bodily functions and require removal. These are known as benign tumors. Malignant or cancerous tumors invade and destroy normal tissue, then detach from the original tumor and migrate to other parts of the body, thus forming other malignant tumors. Breast cancer can spread from the lymph nodes to the lungs, liver, bones and brain.
Most breast cancers start in the ducts (ducts), some in the lobules (lobular) and the rest in other tissues. Almost all breast cancers start in the breast ducts or lobules. Since it is glandular tissue, they are called adenocarcinomas. The two main types of breast adenocarcinomas are ductal carcinomas and lobular carcinomas.
According to the radiologist, Dr. Elizabeth Patterson of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, cancer is an attempt by abnormal cells to overtake normal cells and spread. The incidence of breast cancer among African American women is lower than that of the general population, says Dr. Patterson, but the mortality rate is higher. According to a National Cancer Institute study, African-American women are 2.2 times more likely to die of breast cancer than their white counterparts. Black women generally have more aggressive breast cancer and have shorter survival times than white women. It was estimated that when comparing black and white women with breast cancer, black women had a 70-90% higher risk of breast cancer deaths than white women, which was independent of the stage of cancer diagnosis.
Some studies have argued that the difference in breast cancer mortality between black and white women reflects different standards of care for women with different incomes. Statistically, this statement may be true, but it does not answer the question of why black women have more aggressive breast cancer than white women, or the question of why breast cancer mortality rates have increased. increased more rapidly among young black women than among young people. white women.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among African-American women. The incidence of breast cancer among women under 40 was higher in black women than in white women. The incidence of breast cancer increases in both black and white, but young black women contract more breast cancers and die more often than young white women.
When I asked Dr. Patterson why black women tended to die more often after the diagnosis, she said, "There are many reasons. African-American women tend to seek treatment during the later stages of the disease process. Denial is a big problem that leaves time for the disease to spread to other parts of the body. "
Many myths prevent women from seeking treatment. These include the misconception that "cancer is a death sentence", "once the surgery is done and the cancer exposed to the air, it will spread like wildfire" and many women do not believe not that there is a cure for cancer. Dr. Patterson believes that these myths exist in part because there is no very visible African-American model that can show that cancer can be cured and that you can resume a normal lifestyle. Studies show that African American women do not consider cancer to be one of their diseases. Many older women believe that the myth says that there is something wrong with touching their own bodies. There is also a lack of awareness about the importance of mammographic testing and lack of access to the health care system, said Dr. Patterson. The survival rate is very good when breast cancer is detected and treated early, says Patterson. On an encouraging note, she noted that young African-American women are more aware and are more likely to self-test.
We do not know what causes breast cancer or how to prevent it. It is known that the risk of developing cancer is higher in some women whose mother, sister or other close relatives have had cancer. White women are slightly more likely to have breast cancer than African-American women. But African Americans are more likely to die from this cancer. Although Asian, Hispanic and American Indian women are less likely to contract breast cancer, studies show that there has been a sharp increase in the number of these women developing breast cancer. Researchers are looking for answers by researching the possible roles of heredity, the environment, lifestyle, and a high-fat diet in breast cancer development.
A risk factor for cancer is anything that increases the risk of cancer. Some cancer risk factors, such as smoking, can be controlled. Others, such as a person's age or family history, can not be changed. Having a cancer risk factor, or even several risk factors, does not mean that a person will have breast cancer.
Women are at risk of breast cancer if they:
• are over 40 and above 50 years old
• you have ever had breast cancer on one breast
• have close relatives who had breast cancer before the age of 50 or menopause
• take menopausal hormone therapy (estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestin) for at least 5 years after menopause
• started menstruating (had her first period) at an early age (before age 12), was late menopausal (after age 55) or had never had children
• have a predominantly dense (non-oily) tissue on a mammogram (breast x-ray)
• after menopause, are obese.
• are physically inactive throughout life
• did not have children or had their first child after the age of 30
• take 2 to 5 glasses a day and have about 2 times more risk than women who do not drink alcohol
• smoke
Women with one or more of these risk factors should examine their breasts monthly. A health professional should also examine them regularly, even if the women themselves find most of the bumps.
The most common sign of breast cancer is a lump or thickening that does not go away and does not change the feeling. Keep in mind that four out of five masses are benign and non-cancerous. Another sign to look for is swelling, puckering or padding, redness and pain in the skin or nipple discharge. The nipple can be sucked into the chest, change shape, bleed or become crisp. Generally, early breast cancers are painless, but if you experience pain and tenderness throughout your menstrual cycle, you should tell your doctor.
According to Dr. Patterson, once the cancer is diagnosed, the treatment becomes personalized based on the patient's age, risk factors, type of injury and treatment preferences of the individual. A small lesion (less than one millimeter) has the highest cure rate. Treatment of a small lesion may include lumpectomy (removal of size and surrounding tissue margins), lymph node biopsy of the armpit (to ensure that the cancer has not spread), and radiotherapy. Depending on the severity of the cancer, a combination of treatments may be used, explained Dr. Patterson. These may include radiotherapy, lumpectomy, partial, modified or complete mastectomy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Patterson said we need to talk more about it and be forthright about the disease. If you have a family member or someone in your life who is suffering from breast cancer, encourage them. Family members need to know what diseases or diseases their loved ones have contracted. This can be particularly important in terms of detection. When you hide diseases, you may expose your family members to increased risk because they are not aware.
Each woman should have a basic mammogram between the ages of 35 and 39 to help detect changes that occurred later. Between the ages of 40 and 50, a woman should have a mammogram every two years. If you are over 50, you should have a mammogram every year.
Breast cancer is not a death sentence and treatments are not stressed either, Dr. Patterson. If you are dealing with a person with breast cancer, she advises: "Support yourself and remember that magic word, love. If I had to tell you what to do to prevent breast cancer, I would say that you are reducing your risk. Eat a balanced diet, exercise, do not smoke and live in a smoke-free environment, reduce your exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, and have regular health checkups. "
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