Recognizing And Battling Breast Cancer
Sue Jan
Breast cancer occurs due to the irrepressible growth of cells
in the breast that invades the nearby tissues and spreads
throughout the body. These collections of irrepressible growth
of tissue are called tumors or malignant tumors. However, not
all tumors are cancerous.
Breast cancer has been diagnosed in large numbers in North
America and Europe. In 2001, about 200,000 cases of breast
cancer were diagnosed in the United States alone. Every woman
has a 1 in 8 risk of developing breast cancer, but the risk of
dying from breast cancer is much lower, barely 1 in 28.
The risk of getting breast cancer is generally higher among
older women, women with a family history or previous history of
breast cancer, women who had radiation therapy in the chest
region, women who started their periods before 12 years old,
women who had menopause after 50 years old, women who never had
children or had them age 30 or older, or women with genetic
mutation. In recent times genetic mutations for breast cancer
have become a hot topic of research.
The breast cancer tumor has the following symptoms: lump or
thickening that appears on the breast or underarm, changes in
the breast's shape, nipple turned inwards followed by colorless
discharge, red or scaled skin or nipple, or ridges on the breast
skin.
If a woman experiences any of these symptoms, it does not
necessarily mean she has breast cancer. In such a case she
should undergo a breast cancer personal check-up. It is
estimated that 95% of breast cancer is detected through
personal check-up. The breast cancer personal check-up includes
checking for lumps in the breasts after each menstrual period,
puckering the skin, and checking for nipple retraction or
discharge. For consistent result, every woman should do a
breast cancer personal check-up at the same time every month.
Various other techniques such as mammography, thermography,
ultrasonography, computerized tomography scan etc, can also
help detect breast cancer.
Breast cancer treatments include surgery that removes cancerous
tissues, with breast conservation therapy (BCT) being one such
surgery. Other breast cancer treatments include chemotherapy,
radiotherapy, hormonal therapy and biologic therapy.
Radiotherapy is a common breast cancer treatment, and radiation
treatment and chemotherapy may follow surgery to ensure the
destruction of the stray cancer cells.
Even after undergoing many or all of these breast cancer
treatment measures, unfortunately almost half the women suffer
from a recurrence of the disease.
About The Author: If you are searching for ways to battle
Breast Cancer, visit Susan's site at
http://www.breast-cancer-survivor.info . Susan also enjoys
writing on a wide range of topics at
http://www.sports-and-recreation-hub.info.
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