KOCHI: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, affecting more than 10 million women worldwide. In this breast cancer awareness month, an annual campaign was conducted all over the world to increase awareness of the disease.
KNOW YOUR BREAST
Breast cancer originates from the lobes or the ducts of the breast. Normally, changes in breast can occur during pubertal development, reproductive age during pregnancy and that occuring at menopausal state.
Breast awareness means being familiar with the normal look, feel of your breast and understanding the normal changes your breasts undergo with time and advancing age. Always make sure you not only examine the breasts, but also the arm pits and upto the collar bone.
WARNING SIGNS
The changes that you need to watch for are a new lump in your breast or armpit, any new change in size or shape of breast, dimpling of skin over breast, redness or flaking of skin in and around nipples, inverted or sunken nipple, discharge from nipples. All these findings need not necessarily be cancer but always meet your doctor without delay.
SCREEN YOUR BREASTS
Screening of breast cancer is most effectively done using mammogram. It helps in early detection of breast cancer even before any signs or symptoms cancer manifest. Women above 40 years of age should undergo mammogram once in two years and clinical breast examination once in a year. Regular screening has reduced the number of women who die from this disease by 30 per cent.
However, certain females are at higher risk of breast cancer as compared to normal population especially those with their first-degree relatives (first degree relatives include mother, sister or daughter) diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. They should carry out more frequent screening programmes.
EARLY DIAGNOSIS
Treatment of breast cancer is highly successful when diagnosed in the early stages. The five-year survival rate ranges from 84 per cent for early disease to just 18 per cent for advanced cancers.
Early identification of the disease assures effective treatment, longer survival and better quality of life.
END OF THE JOURNEY?
Being diagnosed with breast cancer today is entirely different as from what it was about 3 decades ago.
Prior to 1970s, the only option for a woman diagnosed with breast cancer was to undergo a radical mastectomy where the whole breast along with nipple, lymph nodes in arm pit and chest wall muscles were removed.
However, over the last 20 years, the surgery for breast cancer has become more and more conservative. Moreover, breast reshaping and reconstruction are increasingly done to rebuild the breast.
Each patient will have a variety of concerns specific to them. The field of oncology has entered the era of personalised medicine where treatment of each patient is tailored such that maximum benefit is offered at minimal toxicity.
BIG SALUTE TO THE SHE-RO
With the advent of better screening and treatment modalities, women diagnosed with breast cancer are living long. They are the SHE-RO who have courageously and passionately fought and conquered breast cancer.Breast cancer survivors face a number of physical and psychological challenges while returning to normal life and attaining a new balance. Supporting them and giving them the optimal care is a major challenge the medical community is facing today.
DOES THE STORY END HERE?
Today the women diagnosed with breast cancer have a much brighter future. Though breast cancer still affects a lot of women it kills few. While much has been achieved, much more needs to be learned. Many women still develop recurrence and succumb to the disease.
The story of breast cancer remains incomplete and we look forward to the news that breast cancer has become a preventable disease.
The author is consultant Medical Oncologist, KIMS Cancer Center, Thiruvananthapuram. (Views expressed are her own.)