I hope you still remember what the month is all about?
For the benefit of doubt, it's still THE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.
Normally, you see celebrations just taking a day for instance world kidney day, world hypertension day, Christmas and so on and so forth but for breast cancer, it's a full month for the awareness campaign and there's a reason for that.... Probably because it is the world number one cancer 🤕.
Don't worry, I won't bore you with Medical jargons, hehehe, hence, Let's make the learning easier for all of us using an outline...
Cancer is an abnormal growth mostly malignant that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis (simply means spreading) throughout other body parts.
There are some features that makes a growth to be termed a cancerous growth and they includes:
- Growth Autonomy:
Unlike normal cells that are restricted by the extent of the generation and transmission of growth signals to trigger cell division, cancer cells override this mechanism and keeps on growing without restriction with or without the presence of growth factors.
- Avoid Cell death/Apoptosis:
In the normal body system, cell growth is equalled cell death and this helps in maintaining cellular homeostasis but coming to cancer cells, they bypass this mechanism and keeps growing without dying.
- Cell Immortality
Everything dies at a certain point in time as we all know but for cancer cells, they keep on living with no plans of dying.
- Angiogenesis/ Neovascularization
This basically means forming new blood vessels. When cancer cells start growing, they don't rely on the already existing vessels but rather they form their own vessels as they require enough oxygen and nutrients to grow.
- Tumor Metastasis
Just like the when other cells and organs grow within their restricted space, cancer cells find it difficult to be contained in one space and will love to spread their wings to other spaces and structures and this is the last hallmark of carcinogenesis.
Staging of a cancer basically means a criterion used to know the extent the cancer cell have gone.
Grading of cancer is a criterion used to know the extent of differentiation the cancer has undergone.
These two terms basically helps in the management of the patient and help the doctors to speak one language and that's why with just the information above from your doctor in Nigeria to your doctor in USA, he can start treatment from where your previous doctor stopped without having to undergo the stress of starting afresh to get a diagnosis, hence, saving you cost too.
Now let's talk about Breast Cancer proper.
Breast cancer is an abnormal growth meeting the outlined features listed above happening in the breast.
Breast cancer happens more in females but occurs in males too.
This is the most commonest cancer not only in Nigeria but in the whole world at large.
These are factors that when present, predisposes the bearer to having breast cancer.
They includes;
Female gender
Genetic mutations especially BRCA1 AND BRCA2
Increasing age
Obesity
Family history of breast cancer
History of radiation exposure
Hormone replacement therapy
Smoking
It is important to note that incidence of breast Cancer has occured even in patients who have no risk factors.
These are signs and symptoms that can be elicited or you can see when someone presents with breast cancer.
They includes:
A painless breast lump
Change in morphology of the breast (size and shape)
Nipple discharge that may or may not contain blood.
It is important to note that not all lumps seen on the breast are cancerous as some of them might be benign and is treated by surgical excision of the lump.
PICTURE CREDIT TO FAMSA
Regular breast examination which will help you detect abnormalities for early presentation at the hospital.
Cervical cancer screening and cervical pap smear to avoid secondary cancer originating from other sources.
Regular exercise to maintain a healthy weight
Breastfeeding your baby helps also.
Unlike the notion people have about cancers not been curable, it's a lie aS Cancers can be cured permanently but then one of the greatest challenges especially in developing countries like ours is late presentation.
Most patients don't present to the hospital until the cancers has gotten to stages 3 and 4 and has possibly metastasized to other body parts making it very difficult to treat, hence, leading to giving the patient palliative care.
The two mainstay of treatment are;
Mastectomy surgery to remove the breast tumour.
Chemotherapy
Breast cancers are very common in the world especially among females, sometimes there are no triggers to their occurrence but then you should just try as much as possible to prevent the risk factors you can.
COME AND LEARN THE PROPER TECHNIQUE OF DOING BREAST EXAMINATION
What makes it more interesting is that we have a webinar tomorrow... Yes, tomorrow been October 14, 2023 where breast examination will be thought properly by a doctor.
PICTURE CREDIT TO FAMSA
Here is the zoom link,
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wIOipn3bQkuvr5eN35W2Ng
you can register and clear your schedule so you come and learn adequate ways of breast examination...
Remember: Early presentation to clinic saves us all
Together, you and I will beat breast cancer
This post was prompted by HiveGhana Community but I was writing exams then and couldn't meet their deadline and also by the recent campaign an Association, FAMSA ( Federation of African Medical Students Association) I am a member in did few days ago and still doing till the month ends... It's breast cancer month anyways, hehehe.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day.
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