Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a yearly global health campaign organised by major charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and, to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.

The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness. It symbolizes hope for the future and the charitable kindness of individuals and businesses who widely support the breast cancer movement. It aims to evoke unity in women who presently have breast cancer.

What to look out for

Screening tests can help find cancer in its early stages before any symptoms appear, so go for your annual mammograms. Because mammograms do not find every breast cancer, it is important for you to be aware of changes in your breasts and to know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

Symptoms of breast cancer

The most general symptom of cancer of the breast is a new lump or mass. A painless, hard mass that has irregular edges is more likely to be cancer, but breast cancers can be tender, soft, or round. They can even be sore. It is very important to have any new breast mass, lump, or breast change checked by a health care professional.

Possible symptoms are:

  • Swelling of all or part of a breast
  • Skin irritation or dimpling (looks like an orange peel)
  • Breast or nipple pain
  • Nipple retraction
  • Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
  • Nipple discharge (other than breast milk)

Your doctor should also check swollen lymph nodes. Things other than breast cancer can cause any of these symptoms, so if you have them, get them checked out by your health care provider.

Men also get cancer of the breast

Male breast cancer, which is rare, is generally overlooked. The third week of October has been established as “Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week”.

Men have a small amount of breast tissue, so they can get the same types of breast cancers that women do. The primary danger is that breast cancer in men is frequently diagnosed later than breast cancer in women. This may be because men are less likely to be doubtful of something strange in the breast are. Also, their small amount of breast tissue is harder to feel, making it more difficult to catch these cancers early. It also means tumors can spread more quickly to surrounding tissues.

It’s rare for a man under age 35 to get breast cancer, but his chance of getting breast cancer goes up with age. Men aged 60 to 70 are more likely to get breast cancer.

Other things that raise the odds for male breast cancer include:

  • Breast cancer in a close female relative
  • History of radiation exposure of the chest
  • Enlargement of breasts (called gynecomastia) from drug or hormone treatments, or even some infections and poisons
  • Taking estrogen
  • A rare genetic condition called Klinefelter’s syndrome
  • Severe liver disease, called cirrhosis
  • Diseases of the testicles such as mumps orchitis, a testicular injury, or an undescended testicle

Diagnosis and Treatment

The same techniques that are used to diagnose breast cancer in women are used in men: physical exams, mammography, and biopsies.

Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, biological therapy, and hormone therapy are used to treat breast cancer in men and women. The one major difference is that men with breast cancer respond much better to hormone therapy than women do.

Can teenagers get breast cancer?

Breast cancer is extremely rare in teens. For teenage girls, the most common type of breast lump is usually just part of normal breast growth. Lots of girls and women have fibrocystic breast changes.

For further information, and to support a good cause, go check out:

The Breast Health foundation has a multitude of information on breast cancer, self-examinations and treatment options and provides support for breast cancer survivors.

The Pink Drive tackles breast cancer by means of promoting awareness.

CANSA fosters good health all year round and provides support and helpful information regarding breast cancer.

Wear your pink ribbon in October to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021!

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