Spreading breast cancer awareness could save lives. Knowing the risk factors, ways of prevention, signs and ways of treatment will help you go through with it!
Breast cancer kills millions of women in a year. This happens due to negligence and inability to notice the early symptoms. Moreover, due to misinformation, people don’t understand fully the seriousness of this type of cancer; in fact, many don’t know that not only women can have this type of cancer, but men as well.
Risk factors for breast cancer development
Cancer develops due to genetic factors, unhealthy lifestyle and insufficient self-care. Today, people are obsessed working and trying to make something out of their lives. On the other hand, there are also those who are living to the fullest, drinking, smoking and partying, that don’t even stop and think for a second what that kind of life can bring later.
Leading a healthy life is the best option. However, not everyone can afford a healthy life or has time for it. It’s not necessarily always the case, but usually these types of people who cannot lead a healthier life due to whatever reason are at the most risk.
Spreading breast cancer awareness is not easy, and history proves it. God knows how many organizations are trying to do their best in order to achieve it, but unfortunately, there are still so many breast cancer victims all over the world.
Breast cancer prevention
As mentioned previously, taking good care of yourself should be your priority. Walking, running, exercising, you name it – whatever is affordable for you, do it. You don’t need to spend money on running; you just go and do it. Also, a healthy diet can not only prevent but could cure breast cancer as well. Eating the proper food will destroy the cancerous cells and will make you even healthier than before.
The best nutritious food that will protect you from breast cancer is: broccoli, green tea, salmon, olive oil, soybeans and garlic. Each of these foods has been proven to help in cancer treatments, but is of particular importance in cancer prevention.
- Broccoli contains sulforophane and idoles, compounds which stop cell growth.
- Green tea has epigallocatechlin gallate, a molecular nutrition which is useful in stopping the formation of bad, cancerous cells.
- Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and a lot of vitamins, making it the most powerful weapon against cancer growth.
- Olive oil, on the other hand, contains powerful antioxidants that ward off the free radicals triggering cancer offset.
- Soybeans are especially efficient in preventing breast cancer because they inhibit the cancer growth associated with estrogen.
- Garlic contains compounds that prevent breast cancer and fights off cancerous cells.
Early signs of breast cancer
What all women assume when talking about breast cancer is that it starts with a lump. Actually, that’s not always the case. There are types of cancer, for example, the inflammatory breast cancer, which shows symptoms on your breast skin. Yet, even though some women notice some discoloration, rashes or similar skin problems, they ignore it and move on.
That’s why spreading breast cancer awareness is essential. These tiny teeny signs that actually scream breast cancer are ignored in most cases. Some women, and men, don’t even look at their breasts as time passes; they’re too busy and they’re in too deep.
Noticing the early breast cancer signs can literally save your life; this is because some breast cancers grow aggressively and if noticed too late, there’s no hope. Here’s a list of all breast cancer symptoms:
Skin changes
As we mentioned, inflammatory breast cancer shows signs on skin. This is because the cancerous cells grow into the lymph vessels, not into the breast. That’s when discoloration or texture changes happen.
Lumps
This is the most known and obvious sign of breast cancer. A lump can actually be the tumor; you can touch the tumor. However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, lumps appear due to hormonal imbalance or a cyst. Nonetheless, you should get checked because these other two problems should not be ignored as well.
Swelling and redness
If you notice swelling, redness, pinkish or purplish shade on your breast immediately get checked. When your breast looks like a big bruise, that’s never a good sign; it’s simply abnormal.
Infection-like symptoms
This is the most misinterpreted sign, as doctors first think of it as a simple infection. And that’s understandable because the symptoms are very infection-like. The only way doctors could determine what the real cause of the symptoms is, is by taking cell samples from the breast and examining them.
Change in look (shape and size)
Unusual, quick and sudden changes of the structure of the breast probably signal breast cancer. If both or one of your breasts starts changing shape or becomes smaller or bigger, it means that you have breast cancer. In addition, the changed breast might become heavier and firmer than before.
Pain in the armpit or/and the breast
Pain in the breast is not the only pain you’d feel if you have breast cancer. A pain around the area of the armpit and a little bit lower from your breasts, as well as in your shoulder, is a common breast cancer sign.
Inverted nipple
If your breasts have never turned inward so far, and suddenly start doing that, it might be a breast cancer sign. This phenomenon is called inverted nipples and usually happens on only that one breast that has a growing cancer.
Change in color of the nipple
Not only change in color of the breast but also of the nipple can signal breast cancer. If your nipple starts changing color, immediately do a mammography. Most often this nipple discoloration is accompanied with nipple pain.
Discharge coming from the nipple
There’s a normal and abnormal discharge. Normal discharge could be yellowish, white or clear. Abnormal discharge usually occurs in only one nipple, without you touching it or stimulating the discharge. Beware if you see bloody discharge; that’s always a breast cancer symptom.
Breast cancer awareness – What happens on the treatment?
There are 5 standard treatments that are used in the case of breast cancer: surgery, radiation, chemo, hormone and targeted therapy. Surgery, of course, is a must, and depending on the stage and type of the cancer, it might be only the cancer removal, but in some cases it might be a total mastectomy (removal of the whole breast). Chemo and radiation are also optional depending on the stage and type of the cancer. Hormone therapy is given to block the function of the hormones, thus stopping the cells from growing and spreading. Targeted therapy is done by injecting drugs that attack the bad cells without harming the good cells.
Nevertheless, these are standard procedures that each cancer patient goes through. However, eating healthy, sleeping, exercising and drinking a lot of liquids provides benefits as well. You cannot fully relay on these treatments; you must take matters in your hands as well. All of these treatments can harm your body and organism, so you need to feed it with nutrients and make it stronger and powerful in order to be able to improve.
Support is also a key in going through breast cancer. Support groups or the support of your loved ones is of definite help and it’s extremely important. No one can go through with this by themselves. And most importantly spread the breast cancer awareness; remember, even if you’re not a breast cancer victim you are a potential patient. Spreading breast cancer awareness can save millions of people all around the world.