BREAST CANCER: FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE
Breast cancer is a disease that eaten away the health and psyche of
many women for many years. A growth of abnormal cells growing in the
breast is a good indication of breast cancer. It is not just one
abnormality but many abnormalities that develops in the milk ducts as
well as other milk duct producing areas of the breast. Like virus, these
cancerous cells are very contagious and make all the cells surrounding
them cancerous as well. A common concern among women is the scare and
possible diagnosis of breast cancer. It is a disease that we avoid or
try to avoid like the plague. There is an estimated 2 million women that
have been already diagnosed and treated for this disease. Staggering,
huh? According to the American Cancer Society, there is an expected
40,000 women who may pass away this year alone due to losing their fight
with breast cancer.
One of the best defenses against breast cancer is early detection.
Typically survival rates for breast cancer are very good when detected
and treated in the early stages. Later detection of breast cancer that
has progressed generally leads to lower survival rates. Now that more
women have begun to take more control of their own health we have seen
improvements in surviving and winning the fight against this very
debilitating disease. What has become almost a fad is the monthly breast
self-examination that women are able to do for themselves at home. In
recent years, women have developed the buddy system to make sure it
becomes a regular habit every month – similar to working out at the gym
with a buddy. In addition to the self-examinations, you should also get
a breast examination from a physician as well as mammography. If an
abnormality or “lump” is detected, then your doctor should order what is
a called a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. A biopsy is a procedure that
takes all or a part of the lump or mass is removed and then sent to a
lab for analysis. It will be analyzed to determine if the lump is cancer
and malignant, which means it is extremely destructive or harmful type
of cancer. A malignant cancerous mass can spread over your body like a
wild fire if left untreated. A malignant cancer can be life threatening,
and although removed, can also grow back. So, you and your physician
have to work closely together to protect and maintain your breast
health. After various tests have been performed, the physician can
determine where the cancerous mass is located, the stage of development,
the extent of the spread, and how well it may respond to treatments. It
is important to keep the cancer from spreading to the lymph nodes that
is essentially like a irrigation system for your body – once in this
area of the body, it is more likely to spread to the other far reaching
areas of your body.
Once the particulars have been found, there are several ways to treat
the cancer. These range from surgery to a lumpectomy (which would only
remove the lump) to a mastectomy (which would remove the entire breast).
The use of the mastectomy would be the last resort decision for any
physician, but most importantly the patient. Depending on the type of
breast cancer, the patient may also receive additional treatment along
with surgery. Different factors about the cancer such as the size, the
possibility of it spreading, and the stage of the cancer helps the
physician the best treatment for the patient. There are a variety of
ways to treat which include the most common chemotherapy, radiation,
hormone therapy, and biological therapy. |
