Why is Breast Cancer Awareness Important?

Awareness of Breast Cancer can save lives because many cases are detected too late to be cured and Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women, increased awareness can help the entire society.

What is breast cancer?

As the name suggests, Breast Cancer begins as a form of tumour in the breast and later it can spread in the surrounding area or travel to other parts of the body. Breast cancer mostly affects women however can rarely affect men too.

Did you know

One in 28 Indian women is likely to have breast cancer in their lifetime.

One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 4 minutes.

One woman dies of breast cancer every 13 minutes.

Who gets breast cancer?

Moreover, certain genetic, environmental, and personal factors may contribute to the development of breast cancer.

Additionally, an overweight woman with a strong family history, who has had a long menstrual history [early periods (before 12 years) /late menopause (after 55 years)] & had childbirth after 30 years of age is at a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

There are some factors which cannot be changed like:

• Increasing age
• Family history of cancer
• Genetic mutations
• Dense breast tissue
• History of cancer
• Exposure to radiation

While few factors can be very much controlled like

• Smoking and alcohol consumption
• Control weight
• Choosing not to breastfeed or less breastfeeding
• Birth control pills
• Hormone replacement therapy

Types of breast cancer

Breast cancer can be:

• Invasive (invades surrounding tissue or spreads farther)
• Non-invasive or carcinoma-in-situ (confined to ducts/lobules)

Warning signs of breast cancer

A painless lump in or near the breast that feels different from the rest of the breast tissue is the most common symptom. The other symptoms may:

• Change in the feel of the breast, shape, contour, or size (affected breast becoming larger)
• Difference in skin texture (thickening, scaly, inflamed, redness, ulceration, puckering, or dimpling)
• Change in the look/position of the nipple
  • Inverted, retracted, or deviated
  • Rash on/around the nipple
  • Discharge from the nipple (blood-stained/clear fluid)
• Constant pain in the breast or underarm

Signs and symptoms

Breast cancer most commonly presents as a painless lump or thickening in the breast, women must find an abnormal lump in the breast and consult a health practitioner without a delay of more than 1-2 months even when there is no pain associated with it seeking medical attention at the first sign of a potential symptom allows for more successful treatment.

Generally, symptoms of breast cancer include:

• a breast lump or thickening;
• alteration in size, shape or appearance of a breast;
• dimpling, redness, pitting or other alteration in the skin;
• change in nipple appearance or alteration in the skin surrounding the nipple (areola) and/or
• abnormal nipple discharge.

Moreover, there are many reasons for lumps to develop in the breast, most of which are not cancer and as many as 90% of breast masses are not cancerous.

Management of Breast cancer

Diagnosis involves symptomatic evaluation, clinical examination followed by Imaging tests (Mammography, Breast Ultrasound scan) and biopsy for microscopic analysis additionally, the treatment includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy for early stages of palliative treatment given in the advanced disease to prolong survival & improve quality of life.

5 Tips for Breast Cancer Prevention

• Early detection is key to protecting against breast cancer, and it includes self-examination, clinical examination by a doctor, and regular mammography starting at age 40 with a baseline scan at age 35.
• Moreover, eat a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables
• Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight and keep stress at bay
• Breastfeed for at least 1 year (breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer)
• Additionally, avoid smoking & excessive alcohol consumption

Additionally, lifestyle changes, early detection through screening, and advanced treatment have the immense potential to prevent cancer and improve outcomes and survival rates.

Breast Cancer Awareness in India

Indian women need to be aware of both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for breast cancer to adopt appropriate practices for prevention. There is an urgent call for more effective nation- and state-wide cancer literacy programs, as well as engagements with community-level organizations and the health system, with wide variations in the state-level burden, a coordinated, intensive health promotion intervention program on risk factors, prevention, screening and management for breast cancer is prudent.

Training on the latest evidence regarding breast cancer risk factors should be offered to healthcare providers and community workers to raise their cancer literacy so they can then transmit this knowledge to other sections of society, continuing medical education programs with enhanced emphasis on breast cancer in the curricula of nursing at institutional level and other healthcare training institutions should be a priority for womens health in the country.

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Reference:

1. Madhukumar S, Thambiran UR, Basavaraju B, Bedadala MR. A study on awareness about breast carcinoma and practice of breast self-examination among basic sciences' college students, Bengaluru. J Family Med Prim Care. 2017 Jul-Sep;6(3):487-490. doi: 10.4103/2249-4863.222026. PMID: 29416994; PMCID: PMC5787941.
2. Gupta A, Shridhar K, Dhillon PK. A review of breast cancer awareness among women in India: Cancer literate or awareness deficit? Eur J Cancer. 2015 Sep;51(14):2058-66. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2015.07.008. Epub 2015 Jul 29. PMID: 26232859; PMCID: PMC4571924.