Introduction to Breast Cancer Prevention
For so many women, there is no more dreaded disease than breast cancer. Breast cancer elicits fears related to loss of body image and sexuality, surgery, and death. As is the case for most cancers, the exact cause of breast cancer is not clearly known. Furthermore, there is currently no cure for advanced disease, and there is no definitive way of preventing it.
Breast cancer also affects men. Male breast cancer accounts for about 1% of all breast cancers. Around 330,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year in women in the U.S., while about 2,200 cases are diagnosed in men.
Breast cancer prevention is extremely important as the disorder is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide and amounts for a considerably high numbers of cases globally. Cancer of breast is highly common in females and almost one out of every eight females suffers from the disease at least once in their lifetime.
Chances of cancer recurrence are much higher in those who have gone cancer treatment in later stages. Aspects and Significance of Breast cancer Prevention Breast cancer contributes for more than 23% of the overall cancer cases worldwide and is the most common health disorder in women. Though the disease may also get detected in men, numbers of cases occurring in women are almost 100 times more than those occurring in men. This cancer targets mainly one of the two primary areas as ducts and lobules. Ductal carcinoma of breast is the most general form of cancer and is of non-invasive form in the initial stages. Lobular carcinoma is a kind of malignant growth occurring in lobules and is less common as compared to ductal carcinoma.
Ducts perform the prime function of moving milk from breast to nipple while the lobules are the main milk-generators in women's body. Cancerous infection in these regions can create other severe health disorders and the situation may worsen if the tumors begin to metastasize. Cancer of breast can be either primary or secondary in character and its intensity depends upon the location and size of tumors formed. Tumors can be cancerous or non-cancerous and proper cancer diagnosis is a must to understand proper nature and location of tumors.
Breast cancer treatments are harsh in advanced stages and may cause serious ill-effects to the victim's health. In some cases, improper pattern of treatment can become a major cause for recurrence of the disease and may directly affect the overall chances of survival of the patient. All such complications make it extremely difficult to detect and treat the tumors in time and avoid unnecessary alterations in life expectancy rate. Thus, cancer prevention is always advantageous from the victim's point of view. Age is an important aspect of cancer. People above 50 years of age should make a habit of regular medical checkup and take a serious note of any significant early signs of the disease. Formation of lumps in or near the breasts, unexpected change in shape of breasts, skin irritations near the breast areas, swelling in breasts and unusual discharge from nipples are some of the basic signs of cell abnormalities in the area and proper medical examination is recommended in such cases.
Early periods and late menopause should be consulted with a physician as they are some of the basic causes of breast cancer. Those who start with the periods before 12 years of age and undergo menopause after the age of 55 are at a high risk. Alcoholism is an important cause of the disorder and should be strictly avoided. Getting pregnant at the right age is a natural preventive measure to avoid breast cancer. Those who get pregnant before the age of 30 years are at a minimized risk of suffering from the disorder. Being pregnant more than once is even more beneficial in breast cancer prevention. The disease is more common in white people as compared to black ones. Breast cancer prevention should be taken positively even the slightest presence of abnormal cells may cause serious implications in future. Prevention should be accompanied by healthy lifestyle and nutritious dietary pattern to strengthen natural resistance of body to oppose cancerous growth.
Can a healthy diet prevent breast cancer?
Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables hasn't been consistently shown to offer protection from breast cancer. In addition, a low-fat diet appears to offer only a slight reduction in the risk of breast cancer.
However, eating a healthy diet may decrease your risk of other types of cancer, as well as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. A healthy diet can also help you maintain a healthy weight — a key factor in breast cancer prevention.