“Knowing it exists is not enough. Get informed. Pass it on”

Introduction

The month of October is recognized internationally as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The earlier you get tested, the earlier you can be treated to avoid the spread of this dreadful disease.

While there are many other types of cancer, the most common cancer case is breast cancer which is also the leading cause of cancer deaths among women.  Because death can take place as a result of breast cancer, it is important you become aware and do what is necessary to survive this battle should you encounter it

Stages of breast cancers

There are five stages of breast cancers. Stage 0 is non-invasive breast cancer and there is no evidence of cancer cells in the body. Unlike Stage 0, Stage 1 is invasive breast cancer and is divided in two categories Stage 1A and Stage 1B. In Stage 1A the tumor is measured up to 2 centimeters and it does not spread outside of the breast. Stage 1B there is no tumour in the breast but rather small groups of cancel cells larger than .2mm. Stage 2 also has two categories. Stage 2A and Stage 2B. Stage 2A no tumor in the breast but can be found in the lymph nodes. The tumour can be less than 2cm and up to 5cm. In Stage 2B, the tumor is greater than 5cm but cannot reach the lymph nodes. Stage 3 has three subcategories, Stage 3A, 3B and 3C. In 3A, no tumour is found in the breast but in 4 -9 axillary lymph nodes. Stage 3B is inflammatory and the breast is red, swollen and warm.  In Stage 3C, the tumour has spread more than 10 axillary lymph nodes. In stage 4, the cancer has spread to other organs such as lungs, liver and brain.

Causes of breast cancers

No one really knows the root cause of breast cancers however, a damage to a cell’s DNA does cause breast cancer.  The risk of drinking alcohol can also lead to breast cancer but of course there are people who drink alcohol and never got breast cancer.

Symptoms of breast cancers

The initial symptom may be a lump in your breast. However, other symptoms of breast cancers are as follows; swelling in your underarm pit; swelling of your breast and pain in the nipple area.

Prevention of breast cancer

It may be difficult to prevent breast cancer but it benefits to detect it early therefore get tested on a regular basis. If you have breast cancer, some women remove both breasts to prevent the spread from one breast to the next. Another prevention of breast cancer like any other disease is to eat healthy. Do not smoke and do not drink alcohol. Always exercise.

Conclusion

While it is true that breast cancer is common among women, in rare occasions, men can also get breast cancer therefore the best thing to do is to get tested. Even if you do not have the symptoms still get tested. Sometimes, women are too late in the stages of breast cancer for corrective measures. However, do not be discouraged because there are cases where people were in stage 4 and were able to recover and are still alive today.