2008 Woodie Awards
Increase your Breast Cancer Awareness
Michelle Callender
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To date, breast cancer has claimed over a hundred thousand lives of men and women. It is the number two cause of death related to cancer in women following lung cancer. The cause is unknown; however, possible attributing factors have been formulated.
Genetics play a valuable role in detecting who is at risk for breast cancer. Ten percent of cases of breast cancer are associated with two genes. The role of these genes is to maintain normal breast cell growth and to prevent cancer cell growth. If these genes are abnormal or have any mutations, there is an increased risk for developing breast cancer. It has been shown that most men and women diagnosed with breast cancer have abnormalities of these genes, and have a family history of breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer. Even though genetics do play a role in breast cancer, most men or women do not have any family history of the disease.
Some factors that do not decrease your risk of breast cancer include being a women or an African American. Women have a higher probability of developing breast cancer than men. However, more men are being diagnosed, primarily because they are aware that they too can get breast cancer and are being tested. Still, men only make up one percent of breast cancer diagnosis.
Other risk factors that can increase the likelihood of breast cancer are associated with alcohol consumption, smoke intake, and weight.
Alcohol consumption, according to some statistics, can increase the chances of breast cancer. For example, by the age of 80, the amount of women that would be diagnosed with breast cancer would be 88 percent if they didn't drink at all, 10.1 percent if they have two drinks a day, and 13.3 percent if they have six drinks a day. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of getting breast cancer by seven percent for every additional ten grams of alcohol consumed over the nutritional daily allowance. This is a small amount however, compared to women who have given birth to one to two children and did not breast feed. Smoking increases the chances of breast cancer if you smoked a pack a day for eleven years, began smoking at a very young age, or before the birth of your first child. Breast cancer's link to estrogen, a hormone in the female body, makes obesity dangerous because fat tissues produce estrogen, adding to the risk.
Early detection is very important. Early detection of breast cancer can be found by completing a breast self exam (BSE) or through a yearly doctor's appointment. Two components of the BSE is assessing for the way the breasts look and how they feel and can be conducted in the shower, while lying in bed, or standing in front of a mirror. It is important to check only one breast at a time.
To assess how the breasts look, stand in front of a mirror with your arms relaxed at your side. Look at your breast from different angles for dimples or changes in the skin. While doing this, change the position of your arms and hands; place your arms over your head and then on your hips.
The purpose of assessing the way the breast feels is to detect the presence of any lumps or bumps. Even though lumps may be normal for some men or women, it may also be an early warning sign for others. The proper way to feel your breast for a BSE is to use the three middle finger tips and move them in a spiral motion from the outside to the inside of the breast. Apply light to medium pressure in order to feel various layers. It is important not to raise your hand while feeling the breast, to decrease the chances of missing a spot. At the end, squeeze your nipples to check for any discharge.
If you do find any dimpling, lumps, bumps, or discharge from the nipples, it is important to schedule an appointment with your doctor in order to get a mammogram (an x-ray of the breast) scheduled.
If diagnosed with breast cancer, different treatment options are offered depending on the stage of breast cancer and the doctor. Different treatments include local or regional therapy, systemic therapy, immune therapy, and anti-angiogenesis therapy, the latter of the two being fairly new treatments.
Local or regional therapy specifically targets the breast and lymph nodes opposed to the entire body or other organs. Systemic treatment gets rid of cancer cells that may have spread and offers two different types of therapy: hormonal therapy and chemotherapy. Hormonal therapy is usually given as a pill and acts by reducing the amount of estrogen produced in the body or by blocking estrogen's effect. Chemotherapy interferes with the cancer cell's ability to reproduce and function. Immune therapy works similarly to vaccinations, by imitating the body's immune system for fighting the disease. Herceptin is inserted into the blood stream for this therapy. Anti-angiogenesis therapy stops the growth of new blood vessels that carry nutrients to the cancer cells. Cancer cells cannot survive without nutrients, so stopping nutrients from getting to the cells will cause the cells to die. This treatment is only available through clinical trials and is still being tested.
The treatment received depends on the stage of cancer. There are five different stages of breast cancer. The first stage is called 'O Stage' and has no evidence of cancer cells breaking out of the breast tissue and spreading to neighboring tissues. In the second stage, Stage I, cancer cells are breaking out of the breast tissue and invading surrounding tissues. There are no lymph nodes present at this time and the tumor measures up to two centimeters. In Stage II, the tumor measures at least two centimeters and up to five centimeters or has spread under the arm on the same side of the affected breast. The lymph nodes, however, have not yet stuck together. Stage III is divided into subcategories, IIIA and IIIB. In IIIA, the tumor is larger than five centimeters or the lymph nodes have begun to attach to each other or the surrounding tissue. In IIIB the cancer has spread beneath the breast, under the ribs and inside the middle of the chest. This is the most aggressive stage of breast cancer. During Stage IV, the breast cancer spreads to the underarm, lungs, liver, bone, or brain.
Detecting breast cancer when it is in its early stage minimizes the risk of it becoming incurable. Once the cancer begins to spread to other organs, more tests and surgeries have to be done to try to stop it. When found in the early stages, stage one and stage two, it is easier to fight the disease, which increases the chance of survival.
If therapies aren't able to cure breast cancer, a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or axillary lymph node dissection may need to be performed. A lumpectomy is the removal of part of the breast containing the tumor and normal tissue surrounding it. Usually after lumpectomy is performed, men and women will receive five to seven weeks of radiation to eliminate any cancer cells that may be present in the remaining breast tissue. During a mastectomy the entire affected breast is removed, whereas during an axillary lymph node dissection only lymph nodes from the underarm are removed.
Recovering from breast cancer is an important part in survival. It is important to learn how to stay healthy and to get tested to decrease any chances of having a reoccurrence.
Foundations and supporters have been trying to increase breast cancer awareness by organizing breast cancer walks and raising money. Pace University's on campus bookstore sells breast cancer t-shirts with a logo on it for as little as $12.98. They are also selling pens and different candies that contribute to the cause. In addition, fanny packs, breast cancer post-its, and more are available. Bracelets are also sold online and are inexpensive. Purchasing any product or making a donation helps increase awareness and fund research.
Because of research and awareness, breast cancer's mortality rate has declined by four percent in one year, between 2003 and 2004. The rate continues to decrease. In a few decades lives taken from this disease will hopefully only be in the hundreds as opposed to in the thousands. Supporting breast cancer awareness and survivors will help us reach this realistic goal.
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