Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast cancer awareness raises attentiveness and increases community's knowledge about breast cancer. Being breast aware is crucial for your own health benefit as you learn how your breasts should look and feel. You also learn about symptoms and prevention of breast cancer. Hence the following brief enlightens about breast cancer.
How do I identify Breast Cancer?
Invasive cancers are further broken up into a number of sub-types, each of which can either be dangerous or easy to treat. These cancers start in different areas of the breast and have different effects. An example of invasive cancer is Inflammatory Carcinoma. This type of cancer causes the breast to become red and inflamed. As the skin thickens, small bumps also start appearing on the surface. In 90% of cases, Inflammatory Carcinoma spreads to the lymph nodes. It is very aggressive and can only be treated with chemotherapy.
Non-invasive cancers are tumours that doctors are starting to find more often as women go for more mammograms (X-rays of the breast). These tumours are the early stages of more serious cancers. The most common type of non-invasive cancer is Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). Most women diagnosed with this cancer can be cured through surgery.
Symptoms
- A lump in a breast that feels firm but does not hurt
- Pain in the breast or on one side of the body
- Abnormal change in breast shape or size
- Changes in skin colour or texture, like redness or a dimpled appearance
- A clear-to yellow green discharge from the nipples
Prevention
The easiest way to detect breast cancer is for women to perform self-examinations every month. This should be done by feeling whether there are any lumps and by looking at the overall shape of the breast, with and without a mirror. Click here for an explanation and illustration of how to conduct a self-examination. In the event that a lump is found, consult your doctor immediately.
Show your support for breast cancer by putting on a pink ribbon!!
Links:
Department of Health (Gauteng)
Last Updated: 11 October 2011
