Breast cancer remains a major cause of concern for the women and much less so for men. Breast cancer is an uncontrollable growth of breast tissue, causing enlargement of and damage to the breast. In severe cases, breast cancer can spread to other tissues, causing damage.
What causes breast cancer?
Unfortunately, as with other abnormal growths otherwise called cancers, the cause of breast cancer is not known but there are recognized risk factors:
Genetic risk: Defects in the gene encoding the breast tissue can lead to cancer. If you have a family member with this genetic defects or a family member with breast cancer, your risk of getting breast cancer increases.
Diet and a sedentary lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle is a minus all the time, being linked with many non-communicable diseases. So, get active and go in order to reduce your risk of breast cancer. Diet rich in red meat and low in fiber increases your risk of developing breast cancer.
Alcohol consumption: Excessive consumption of alcohol is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Likewise, cigarette smoking increases your chances of developing breast cancer. So, stay safe and stay off alcohol to reduce your risk of breast cancer.
Overweight and obesity: Obesity and being overweight are twin catastrophes that threaten several aspects of our health. The duo has been fingered in the development of several non-communicable diseases, including cancers.
Protective Factors against Breast Cancer
It is believed that the hormones associated with pregnancy and childbearing offer protection against breast cancer. In fact, scientists say not getting pregnant at all increases your body’s exposure to estrogen, which induces breast cancer. And in lowering your risk of breast cancer, early starters usually have a lower risk.
Further, breast feeding has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Now, it could be breastfeeding by a baby or spouse, regular massage of the breast lowers the chances of having uncontrollable cancerous growth develop in the breast tissue.
How is breast cancer treated?
Breast cancer treatment depends on several factors including the stage and severity of the cancer. After careful examination by teams of medical experts, the appropriate treatment of breast cancer is selected, and these include:
Surgery: This is a procedure to cut out and remove the cancerous tissues. How much is removed depends on surgical assessment of the stage of the cancer.
Chemotherapy: through using special medications to shrink the cancerous cells and tissues or to kill them outrightly. Chemotherapy often goes often follows breast cancer surgery.
Radiotherapy: this treatment involves using high powered x-rays to kill the cancer cells. It is adopted especially for widespread cases in order to increase the chances of survival.
Hormone therapy: through starving cancer cells of cancer-promoting hormones, cancer cells could shrink and eventually die off.
Biological therapy: this treatment method works through boosting the body's natural immunity to enable you fight cancer cells.
Take-home message:
Breast cancer is one of the most common and deadliest cancers in women. While breast cancer can occur in any woman of reproductive age, it is common in those older than 50. Know your risk of breast cancer today and adopt changes needed to lower your risk. In the event that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, there are several effective treatment methods that could increase your chances of survival.
