Risk Factors, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

In recent years, breast cancer becomes a common disease for women. Breast is constituted with the development of millions of tissues or cells. This cancer is observed when a particular cell or tissue begins to multiply and acting out of control and finally form a tumor. After lung cancer, it is the most serious disease that people suffer a lot.

There are some risk factors of breast cancer. They are-

1. Older age: Women with older in age are more likely to have this disease. It is seen that 25 % of breast cancer patient are under the age of 50. Half of the patients diagnosed with this disease are between 50 and 70. Next 25 % patient is over 70 years old.

2. Overweight of the patient: Obese women have more chance of having this cancer.  The more weight you have, the more likely to have this disease.

3. People who do not follow a balanced diet and take alcohol much daily are fallen into the victim of this disease.

4. Women who take baby at older age or take birth control pills for 5 years or more under the age of 35 or not giving birth at all in life have the chance of this disease.

5. Family history is another risky factor for this disease. In western countries, inherited factor is responsible for 10 % of breast cancer .If the mother or sister is a patient of breast cancer, the chance of having this disease is higher..

6. Women who use medical treatment like radiation therapy around the breast earlier or hormone replacement therapy (HRP) increases the risk of this cancer.

7. Women whose period started earlier or having late menopause after the age of 55 are likely to have this cancer.

Symptoms of breast cancer:

Generally breast cancer is not painful and women don’t feel any discomfort at the first stage of this disease. Women who don’t have any symptoms are diagnosed with breast screening. This disease can firstly be noticed by observing a lump in the breast. This lump can be seen when a woman examines her breasts or while applying lotions or washing the breasts.

A change in the skin area around breast is another symptom of breast cancer. Nipple irritation, pain or turning inward, changes the size and shape of breast are the symptoms of this disease.

The following tests doctors may prescribe for the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.

1.Mammography or mammogram is a low dose X-ray system that takes imaging for the early detection and diagnosis of this cancer. Full-field digital mammography and Computer aided detection are the two recent advances of Mammography.

2.Ultrasound is another medical test through which the position of the tumor can be precisely located.  When ultrasound is added to Mammography 28% more breast cancer are detected. It uses the sound wave and builds a picture of the breast tissue or cell.

3.When it is required to get more information about the breast lumps, then your doctor may prescribe a core needle biopsy. For taking small tissue samples from a breast lump, a core needle, or hollow core needle is used. A trained doctor can examine this in pathology lab. 

4.Blood tests:  Blood test of the patients is done to see the state of liver and kidneys and the presence of cancer in producing chemicals in the blood.

Early detection of this cancer reduces the risk of this disease. The best prevention is breastfeeding. Study shows that women who breastfeed their babies once in life have less risk of breast cancer. Women having more than one child are in safe position.

Breast cancer disease affects the women because of the lack of awareness. We should have proper knowledge about the disease, its symptoms. When the cancer is detected, it should not be neglected. Government and social organization should arrange mass awareness program to educate the people of this fatal disease.