Women must take care of their health and know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Breast cancer can be treated when diagnosed at an early stage. Firstly, you need to understand that every change and every lump found in your breasts does not mean you have breast cancer, especially as your breasts are growing and changing, they’ll have lumps and bumps anyway.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in breast tissue. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes, which have many smaller sections called lobules. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the greater the chance of cure and the easier it is to treat.
Breast cancer symptoms vary widely — from lumps to swelling to skin changes — and many breast cancers have no obvious symptoms at all. Symptoms that are similar to those of breast cancer may be the result of non-cancerous conditions like infection or a cyst.
A breast self-exam should be part of your monthly health care routine, and you should visit your doctor if you experience breast changes. If you’re over 40 or at a high risk of the disease, you should also have an annual mammogram and physical exam by a doctor. The earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your chances of beating it.
When breast cancer is diagnosed at an early stage and is localised, 90 percent survive more than five years beyond their diagnosis. Early detection saves lives.
High risk factors for breast cancer include:
– No children or first child after 30 years of age.
– Starting periods early
– Late menopause
– Family history of breast cancer
– Previous history of breast cancer
– Obesity ( especially post menopause)
– High fat diet
– Prolonged use of hormone therapy with high dosage.
All women should:
– Do monthly breast self-examination, be on the alert for any changes and discuss them with your health care practitioner.
– Go for an annual physical check-up
– Go for a mammogram, especially if you are in the high risk group. A baseline mammogram is advisable for every female at age 35-39, and a bi-annual mammogram is advisable for every female after age 50.
– The best time to do a breast self-examination is after your periods, so a self- exam should be done every month to check for changes in shapes or sizes, discharge or bleeding from the nipple, skin eruption around the nipple.
For ‘how to do a breast self examination’ or for more information, visit your nearest clinic when it holds the Pink Drive campaign where there will be demonstrations on self-examination.
