Braving Away Breast Cancer with Awareness
Breast cancer is one of the most terrifying illnesses known to humanity. It is basically a type of tumor created in the glands that produce milk and the ducts or tubes that carry milk from the breast to the nipples. It commonly comes about when cells in the breast develop strangely and sweep over hale and hearty cells. This type of cancer is known to exist in both genders, where it is commonly found among women and very rarely noticed in men. Women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer have to go through various severe stages, like initially the denial of the disease, the depression, the torment, the demanding treatment and finally the anxiety of hoping that the cancer would not return.
Detection or symptoms of breast cancer
People can undoubtedly detect if they have attracted the deadly cancer by performing certain measures. They should self-examine their breasts and be on a lookout for any sudden changes in the skin tone and texture of their breast and the nipples. When cancer strikes the body, unusual little lumps seem to appear, which are called tumors and if these slight lumps are ignored and neglected, they gradually harden as the cancer develops in the breast causing pain to the individual. In the initial stages, it is also common to find the skin flattening along with discharges from the nipples.
The ideal occasion to carry out a breast self-exam would be a week after the period finishes when the breasts are not swollen and tender. As for women who have reached menopause, it would be ideal for them to perform an assessment on their breasts on a particular day in each month. Here listed below are some of the symptoms that people should look for when performing self-examination.
- Any irregularity in the size, shape and color of the breasts
- Relative posture of nipples
- Observable unusual lumps or swelling on the breast or even armpits
- Discharge of fluids or blood from the nipples
- Any rash, irritation or redness on the breasts
- Flattening, indenting, depressed or bulging of the skin
Important initial steps that need to be taken
On noticing, any of the systems mentioned above the individual must make an appointment to see a medical doctor who would examine the patient and perform the necessary test to verify if the disease exists and what stage it has developed in the breast. In addition, if a positive reply arrives from all the tests that have been carried out, it is vital that the patient undergoes some sort of consoling program where they are educated on the disease and the various treatments.
Treatments of breast cancer
Patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer are normally treated with surgery and further treatments to get rid of the tumor cells. The patients depending on the stage that the cancer has developed in their breast would have to undergo some or all of the three basic treatment processes that include:
- Surgery: which involves the patient to go under a scalpel and have the tumor removed. Here a radical or simple mastectomy or lumpectomy would be performed on the patient
- Radiation therapy: Where the individual has to go through a process of having radiation penetrated to the breast and effected areas along side it
- Chemotherapy: a process of destroying the cancer cells with certain powerful drugs
It is true that all of the treatments have side effects and so scientist are continually trying to come up with other treatments and therapies to easy the treatment process of breast cancer.
Stages of Breast Cancer
About the distinctiveness of the various stages of breast cancer patients should understand that there are basically five stages where the medical practitioners have determined for breast cancer, namely 0, I, II, III and IV.
- Stage 0: where the cancer cell is restrained in the milk duct and does not have the chance to spread around.
- Stage I: when the size of the tumor if found to be less than two centimeters in diameter
- Stage II: is identified when the tumor is larger than two centimeters and smaller than five centimeters
- Stage III: when the cancer cells have extended and reached one to ten lymph modes in the body
- Stage IV: this is the most crucial stage where the cancer has spread across the body above and beyond the breast to various organs of the body like the brain, bone, liver, lungs and so on.
To determine the development of the cancer in a patient doctors perform invasive and non-invasive testing processes. They administer certain tests like biopsy, positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography or X-rays, MRI’s, ultrasounds, mammograms depending on the results they are targeting. By performing the above-mentioned tests, the doctor can easily be able to determine the stage of the breast cancer and advice on the treatments.
Side Effects of Breast Cancer Treatment
It is well known that not everyone around the world would like to get sick and have to undergo various treatments especially if they are diagnosed with breast cancer, the most frightening disease known to civilization. Although there are certain treatments to get rid of this alarming threat to the patient, the techniques utilized have certain side effects.
When surgery is performed on breast cancer patients, the main side effects that would be involved would be pain, tenderness, bleeding, allergy and even infection. As the surgery involves the removal of the breast and incision of nerves, the patient may experience numbness, certain odd sensations in the chest, arm, underarm and shoulder that may linger for weeks to months.
During the radiation treatment process, the main side effects are fatigue, redness, tenderness, itchiness and dryness around the area where the radiation was administered. During this process, the radiation oncologist always recommends that the patient implement an appropriate skin care treatment as well.
When the breast cancer patient undergoes the chemotherapy process, they will experience certain side effects like hair loss, vaginal discharge, irregular menstruation, hot flashes and at times blood clots when Tamoxifen is used as the hormonal treatment. When Herceptin a biological treatment is administered to the patient, they will experience some pain, headaches, vomiting, breathing issues, nausea and weakness. There have been cases where people have had their heart contaminated eventually leading to heart failure.
Coping with breast cancer treatments
The toughest part with undergoing the breast cancer treatments is coping with the situation. It is true that the patient would have excess stress, anxiety and fright whilst undergoing the various treatments. At this point of time, the patients should be well informed of the entire treatment process and they should be encouraged and informed of the various pros and cons of the treatment as well. They should be well supported by family, friends and other acquaintances, as it would be hard to deal with the sickness on their own. Some of the best ways of coping with the situation is by eating healthy foods, distracting the mind from the issues, acquiring knowledge about breast cancer, attending breast cancer groups, staying fit by performing certain exercises and seeking spiritual means of reducing anxiety, stress and depression.