Useful Health Tips

Even in the presence of initiatives like pink ribbon, a large number of women keeps falling prey to breast cancer every year. Researches show that in more than 50% of cases of breast cancer in the developing countries, it is often ignored and allowed to reach the terminal stages. In the year 2018 alone, more than 210,000 women parted this world after facing the cruelties of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a serious problem. It is a serial killer which targets one in every eight women. So let’s stand together against it and find out a way to stop it in its paths.

In stopping the blood cancer from killing and putting an end to its rising death tolls, the first and foremost thing is to know about its occurrence right from the start. It gives us an upper hand over cancer. To enable that, we need to look for its symptoms.

Breast Cancer Symptoms

Presence of an abnormal mass or lump on the breast is one of the most common symptoms of breast cancer. These lumps mostly come as small painless ones. However, tender and painful lumps aren’t uncommon either.

Other than that, some prevalent symptoms include:

• Breast or nipple pain
• Discharge from the nipple (other than milk)
• Skin irritation
• Swelling of all or part of a break
• Pain in armpit
• Change in skin texture of break i.e., dimpling (as the skin of an orange)
• Change in shape or size of the breast

These are just some of the most common symptoms. There may be many specific symptoms too which vary from case to case and person to person. So if you feel the presence of any of the above symptoms or a significant abnormal change in your breast, it would be well suited to opt for your personal doctor.

Breast Cancer Treatment

In the unfortunate situation that the doctor confirms the presence of breast cancer, there is no need to lose hope thinking that it’s the end. Cancer and especially, the breast cancer, is treatable owing the excessive research in medical sciences in recent times. In fact, if you manage to catch your cancer at Stage 0 through regular checkups, there is hundred percent survival chance for you.

In order to treat cancer and get rid of it altogether, the following treatments are mostly used:

1. Surgery

The tumor and tissues surrounding around it are removed through surgery and is called lumpectomy. In
severe cases of breast cancer, if cancer has spread throughout the breast, the whole breast may have to
removed which is called mastectomy.

2. Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy involves uses of high energy particles. These high energy particles are targeted onto the
cancer cells to kill them.

3. Chemotherapy

In Chemotherapy, the doctors use certain strong drugs to kill the cancer cells. Its side effects include hair
loss, nausea, and early menopause, etc. So the common hair loss that we see in cancer patients is often due
to this treatment.

4. Targeted Therapy

It is a breast cancer treatment in which, different drugs may be used which vary from case to case. These
drugs may work by strengthening the local immune system or by blocking the growth of cancer cells.

5. Hormone Therapy

Breast cells are affected by hormones of the endocrine system. In this therapy, certain drugs are used which
alter the production of specific hormones like estrogen and stop cancer cells from growing.

Author Bio: Simon Jones is a cancer specialist working with a cancer center in France. If you’re looking for cancer care in France, he’ll help you out.