Month-long observances about human conditions are perhaps too many to remember or too common to get attention. Nevertheless, participating in an event such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) empowers you to handle serious illnesses like cancer. You can be the help to someone or spare your life from the misery of having it. After all, no one who’d like to be a breast cancer patient and it is possible to prevent this your awareness.
Observed every October, breast cancer awareness aims to make everyone well-informed, to gather support, and to at least lower down people who suffer from this cancer type. It is valuable because in a study of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), shared at GLOBOCAN 2008, the world loses 458, 000 people to breast cancer every year. Not only that, there are about 1.38 million new ones could die from it. Although it is common among women, men also can have breast cancer. And we know that not all people have access to decent treatments, which usually takes long and very expensive. Thus, Breast Cancer Awareness Month also helps to propel advocates and institutions to generate funds for their meaningful programs.
How’s your Breast Cancer Awareness?
Yes, if the cancer cells go out of control and start to form a tumor in the breast area, it’s called breast cancer. As plain as this definition may seem, it is not a real-life situation because definitely it triggers health scare. And it may also advance to late stages or steal numerous lives when there’s no awareness. So what you ought to know about this cancer type?
Malign or benign. Tumor in the breast can be benign or malign. If it’s benign it’s not life-threatening, unlike the other one. However benign tumor is also a risk factor to suffer from breast cancer if left untreated.
Hereditary or developed. The risk factors to have breast cancer can be developed or inherited. In most cases, it is developed because of things such as hormone therapy, an unhealthy diet, drinking alcohol, and a sedentary lifestyle. It can also a result of not having a kid, no breastfeeding, and taking birth control pills. Although these increase breast cancer risk, scientists say there are no exact and possibly more factors to note.
Unfortunately for other people their risk to have breast cancers is inborn. Cancer or the uncontrolled mutations in DNA can be naturally part of their body system. And these DNAs are or something they inherit from their family members.
Preventive or not. The good news is whether malign or benign and hereditary or developed, there are ways to prevent or cure breast cancer when it still treatable. That is why it is recommended to have mammography when a woman reaches 40 years old and above. Mammogram can detect the earliest form of breast cancer.
For those most likely to have breast cancer due to hereditary, may also get preventive (prophylactic) surgery or intake medicines that can lower breast cancer risk. They may also opt to have a regular check-up with their doctors to monitor their health.
Be Empowered with your Breast Cancer Awareness
Apart from preventing the risk and detecting cancer in its early stage, breast cancer awareness also helps patients to decide what treatment they need. A possibly unknown idea, there are types of breast cancer such as invasive carcinoma, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), angiosarcoma, and phyllodes tumors. Thus the treatment depends on the type and stage of cancer. So it can be treated by chemotherapy, immunotherapy or other medications.
On the other side, being attentive to the movements about breast cancer make patients have solid support they need. The battle against big c is a long journey, but it doesn’t need to be a lonely one. Having people to give them the right information, inspiration, and motivation will make them go further till they win against cancer. And you can be the support they need with your concern and breast cancer awareness.
Learn more at Beautypreneur Ph.