Learning About Breast Cancer
Learning about breast cancer can help you prevent getting breast cancer or save your life with early detection.
What is breast cancer?
It is a condition where cancer forms in your breast cells. Thanks to research funding and an increase in awareness of breast cancer, the survival rate for breast cancer has increased. Early detection is key to surviving breast cancer, which means regular checkups are essential for survival.
Symptoms
- Getting a newly inverted nipple.
- Redness or a pitting over your breast’s skin.
- Change in appearance, shape, and size of a breast
- Thickening or a breast lump different from its surrounding tissue.
- Changes to the skin over your breast, you may notice a dimpling.
- Crusting, peeling, scaling, or flaking on the pigmented area of the skin surrounding your nipple.
When to see your doctor
Finding a lump on one’s breast, even if the mammogram came out as normal recently should necessitate a doctor’s visit.
Causes
Abnormal growths in breast cells cause you to develop breast cancer. The cells divide faster than healthy cells and eventually turn into a mass that spreads rapidly to other parts of your body.
This type of cancer often starts within the milk-producing ducts of your body. It may also start in the other parts of your cells or tissue in your breast. Findings suggest that hormonal, environmental, and lifestyle factors may increase your chances of getting breast cancer. It’s not fully understood why some people with no risk factors develop cancer and why other people with risk factors never develop cancer. It may be a complex interaction between your environment and genes.
Risk Factors
Having one or more breast cancer risk factors does not guarantee you will get breast cancer. In fact, some women with no risk factors still get breast cancer.
- Being a woman significantly raises your chances of getting breast cancer.
- The older you are, the more likely you are to develop breast cancer over the years.
- Having breast cancer in one breast can also increase your chances for the other breast
- A family history of breast cancer from your immediate family.
- Inheriting some gene mutations may also increase your chances of getting breast cancer.
- Radiation therapy in your chest can increase your chances of getting breast cancer when done to you as a child or young adult.
- Never getting pregnant.
- Obesity
Prevention
Here are some measures that may help you lower your risk of getting breast cancer.
Breast cancer screenings
Talk to your doctor about breast cancer screenings to detect cancer early and save your life. There are different detection tests for breast cancer, and you and your doctor will have to decide which is best for your case.
Self-examination
Check your breasts for lumps and irregularities regularly to know when to go to your doctor’s office for an appointment.
Exercise most days
Exercising 30 minutes regularly can help your body get stronger to ward off breast cancer.
Healthy weight
You need to shed pounds if you are overweight because being overweight raises your chances of getting many cancers, not just breast cancer.
Eat healthily
A healthy diet can help prevent breast cancer because some foods have vitamins and nutrients that may lower your risk of getting breast cancer.
Diagnosis
Here are some examples of tests to find out if you have breast cancer.
- A Breast exam will have your doctor check lymph nodes in your armpit and breasts for abnormalities.
- Mammograms are X-rays of your breast that detect anomalies early to save your life.
- Ultrasound uses sound waves to create a picture of your breasts. It can check the internal structures of the abnormal growth of your breasts.
- Biopsies are the only sure way to check for breast cancer in your body. It involves getting a needle and using it to collect a tissue sample to test in a lab.
Treatment
The treatment your doctor suggests will depend on several factors such as cancer size, stage, and the current state of your health.
Surgery
There are different types of surgeries you can choose from, such as removing your tumor, breast/s, and lymph nodes.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy exposes you to high-powered energy beams such as protons and X-rays to kill your cancer cells.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to destroy your cancer cells. This treatment is often given before and after surgery to lower the chances of your cancer returning. It is also given if your cancer has spread to other parts of your body.
Other Treatments
Cancer of any kind requires extensive treatment that causes pain and discomfort, but you have options to minimize the intensity of the side effects. Natural treatments when taken with cancer treatments can minimize your discomfort. Dr. Cook offers acupuncture and herbal prescriptions to minimize the discomfort from your radiation and chemotherapy.
Breast cancer is a difficult condition, but learning about it can help you detect it early for easier treatment. Getting treatment can be painful, but Dr. Cook can help relieve your pain from cancer treatments with her natural treatments.
Book an appointment now for natural pain relief from cancer treatments!