BREAST CANCER AND YOU; RISK FACTORS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

The present woman is more learned and reliable than any
other time in recent memory about the dangers of breast cancer. This is
particularly valid for women more than 40 years old, who have crossed the limit
of expanded breast cancer growth.

Age is so essential to the advancement of breast cancer
growth that about 76% of women who have it have no other hazard factors other
than age. Be that as it may, all women, paying little mind to age or race, need
to recognize the danger of having it. All women are in danger.

Risk
Factors

Women who have never smoked a day in their entire lives
can develop breast cancer.  Women who
have been always been health conscious can also develop it.  In fact, nearly one woman out of eleven will
experience breast cancer.  A staggering
statistic by anybody’s standards!

An estimated 211,000 new cases of breast cancer was
diagnosed this past year.  Even with the
increased awareness programs, early detection through annual mammography
screening and instruction for self-examination, breast cancer remains a leading
cause of death for women.

Breast cancer, like other forms of cancer, is a disease
of the cells.  In all, there are about
fifteen different types of breast cancer. 
Some are more serious than others, but the one common factor each shares
is that neither the cause nor the cure has been found. 

 There are four
recognized developmental stages of breast cancer:

(1.) State 0: Cancer cells are present in either the
lining of the milk glands (lobules), or in the tubes (ducts) that link the milk
glands to the nipple.  No cancer cells
have spread to the nearby fatty tissue.

(2.) Stage 1: Cancer has spread to nearby fatty tissue in
the breast.  Tumor size is about 1” or
under; no cancer cells are present in surrounding lymph nodes.

(3.) Stage 2: Size of tumor is 1” to 2” in diameter;
cancer cells may have also spread to nearby lymph nodes.

(4.) Stage 3: Cancer is locally advanced.  Tumors are approximately 2” or larger in
diameter, or tumors of any size have spread to lymph nodes under the arm or in
the chest (above or below the collarbone).

(5.) Stage 4: Metastatic, advanced breast cancer.  The cancer has spread from the breast and
lymph nodes to other parts of the body.

Early detection of breast cancer remains a woman’s best
chance of survival, and women of all ages should take advantage of all the
resources available.

Every woman should:

1.) Become educated about the risk factors associated
with breast cancer.

2.) Become knowledgeable about the types, stages, and
symptoms of breast cancer.

3.) Learn the correct procedure for self-examination tests,
and perform them routinely.

Long-term use of oral contraceptives, early menstruation,
late first full-term pregnancy, exposure to high doses of radiation – puberty
through childbearing years, and inherited genetic mutation can all increase a
woman’s risk of acquiring breast cancer.

Women 40 years of age and older should also

1.) Have an annual mammography screening.

2.) Become educated about increased age-related risks
associated with breast cancer.

Recent studies confirm that risk of breast cancer in
midlife increases with regular consumption of alcohol, hormone replacement
therapy, weight, and body mass distribution.

During self-examination, look for a lump or thickening in
the breast, a discharge from the nipple, scaliness on the skin or around the
nipple, a change in shape, color, or texture, and dimpling or puckering.

In the event that you recognize a lump, don’t freeze.
Around 85-percent of all lump end up being nonmalignant. Make a meeting with
your specialist for a progressively exhaustive examination, and tests.

Treatment for breast cancer today is frequently less
radical than in years past, and chances for survival much better when the tumor
is found early.