The U.S. has the highest rate of breast cancer in the world. One woman out of eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in her life.
Of all the cancers women can get, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death by cancer in women. Only lung cancer kills more. This year, over 40,000 women in the U.S. will die from breast cancer.
It is extremely important for a woman to do self-examinations on her breasts once a month. This will familiarize her with the feel of her breasts and make it easier for her to detect a change. The symptoms of breast cancer include: a lump in one or both breasts, hardening of the breast, a change in the shape of the nipple and/or discharge coming from the nipple. Breast cancer is not necessarily painful at first though some women feel heat and/or pain.
Mammograms should be done every two years beginning at 40 years of age. Mammograms are the best way to detect early stage breast cancer. It is because of mammograms and self exams that breast cancer is found early on and the fatality statistics have dropped in the last few years.
Diagnosing breast cancer in its earliest stages often makes it possible for a woman to have other treatments besides mastectomy. Not only will she be more likely to survive breast cancer, but she will also be more likely to come through without the loss of a breast.
The treatments for breast cancer vary according to the stage, size and type of cancer. The treatments we have now are hormone therapies, chemotherapies, radiation, mastectomy and lymphatic tissue removal. Some women have both of their breasts removed to be sure the breast cancer does not come back.
Chemotherapies and radiation can make a woman feel nauseated to the point of vomiting for days on end, over tired and weak. Other side effects from cancer treatments include lowered immunity and depression. Cancer takes its toll, not only on the physical self but on the emotional and mental self as well.
Women are not the only people who get breast cancer. Though it is not common, men can and do develop breast cancer, too. When this happens, their course of treatment is the same as those of women.