C.A.N.C.E.R.
Six letters that can suck the air out of any room. Cancer attacks any organ in our body but for women, it seems to prefer the breasts.
But what is cancer really? Simple answer, it’s cells gone rogue. A rebellion of abnormal (mutated) cells that grow and invade healthy cells. Breast cancer starts in the breast and travels into other parts of the body.
While it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of breast cancer, science knows for sure that it is due to damage to a cell’s DNA.
Risk factors could be genetic or environmental. Genetic risk factors you cannot change (just bad luck) and the environmental factors are what you can control.
Genetic Risk Factors:
Gender: Breast cancer occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men.
Age: Two-thirds of women are diagnosed with cancer after age 55.
Race: Caucasian women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women of other races.
Family History and Genetic Factors: If a close family member (mother, sister, father or child) has been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, you have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future. Your risk increases if your relative was diagnosed before the age of 50.
Personal Health History: If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the other breast in the future.
Menstrual and Reproductive History: Early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after 55), having your first child at an older age, or never having given birth can also increase your risk for breast cancer.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 Gene Mutations: Cancer is caused by genetic mutations. These BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations can increase your risk for breast cancer. There is a genetic test that can determine if these mutations are present. This is worth considering if you have a family member with breast cancer as these genetic mutations can also be passed on to children.
Dense Breast Tissue: Having dense breast tissue can increase your risk for breast cancer and make lumps harder to detect. In most states, there are laws that require physicians to disclose to women if their mammogram indicates that they have dense breasts so that they are aware of this risk. It’s important that you take note of this and ask your physician if you have dense breast tissue.
Environmental Risk Factors that you can change include:
Poor Diet and Sedentary Lifestyle: A diet high in saturated fat and lacking fruits and vegetables can increase your risk for breast cancer. Couple that with a sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity and you are well on your way to becoming overweight/obese which will increase your risk for breast cancer.
Drinking Alcohol: Frequent consumption of alcohol can increase your risk for breast cancer. The more alcohol you consume, the greater the risk.
Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): Taking combined hormone replacement therapy, as prescribed for menopause, can increase your risk for breast cancer and increases the risk that the cancer will be detected at a more advanced stage.
Early detection saves lives.
According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms.
Monthly breast self-exams help you familiarize yourself with how your breasts look and feel so you can alert your healthcare professional if there are any changes. A clinical breast exam is usually performed by a nurse or doctor to check for lumps or physical changes. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. Any suspicious findings might require further tests like an ultra-sound, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or biopsy.
One small caveat with mammograms though, is that dense tissue and tumors appear white on mammograms. Younger women usually have dense tissue so it is difficult to detect cancer in women younger than 50 with just a mammogram. Always keep records of your mammograms. Radiologists are grateful for prior mammograms to compare the recent ones against.
So, they found a ‘suspicious’ tumor or maybe you find yourself sitting across from a doctor as those dreaded six letters tumble out of their mouth. What do you do?
Breathe.
Most tumors (80%) are not cancerous; the tumors that are found to be cancerous tumors are treatable. Thanks to continuous research and donations, great strides are being made (continually) in cancer treatments. Death rates among women have declined 40% from 1989 to 2016.
While you wait, read up on healthy lifestyle changes you can make. In this age of information, there are a myriad of diet and exercise resources. If you smoke, make plans to quit. Let’s be honest, you knew it was bad for your health.
Says so right on the box.
Go for a walk, reassess your priorities, deepen meaningful relationships, calm your mind with survivor stories, meditation and prayer. Whatever you do, remember it’s not a death sentence. Do not obsess over it.
If, unfortunately, the results come back and it is confirmed that you have cancer, you don’t have to go it alone. Having the support of others is an important part of breast cancer survivorship. There are many groups and societies out there that offer free help and resources to breast cancer patients. Some of the well known groups include : American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, Fox Chase Cancer Center and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. I found an extensive list of support groups (in-person or online) at the American Association for Cancer Research.
Go with a friend to your oncologist appointments. The shock of receiving the news can make it hard for you to process or understand anything the oncologist says the first few meetings. Ask them to take notes, or if possible, audio-record the meeting (with the doctor’s permission) so you can listen later and make your own notes. Seek a second opinion if you feel the need to. Many health insurances cover it and most oncologists welcome it.
Cancer treatments and outcomes are different for everyone and no two cases are the same, but in all this don’t forget the Ultimate Physician who says:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7NIV
About The Writer:
Nana Adowa Bekoe is a praying wife, grateful daughter and a believer of miracles. As a pharmacist, she advises patients and other healthcare professionals on the safe and effective use of medications.
Born and raised in Accra, Ghana; Adowa gained her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. She is a second generation pharmacist and she is grateful for the life she has and loves to laugh (especially at herself).
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