- Detect breast cancer in women
- Six risk factors: You can avoid this to better protect yourself
- BH-Mythos: What’s up?
- Treatment of breast cancer: How good are the chances of recovery?
Politician Corinna Miazga was only 39 years old. She “died following a long battle with her serious illness,” explained her party colleague Tino Chrupalla on Sunday (February 26, 2023) on Twitter. Corinna Miazga died of breast cancer. She is not alone with her illness. In Germany, around 66,800 women and 770 men develop breast cancer every year. This makes it the most common type of cancer in women. However, everyone can do something to reduce the personal risk and to recognize the warning signs in good time.
How do you recognize breast cancer?
It still reigns largely uncertain as to why breast cancer develops in the first place. Everyone agrees that it is a change in the genetic material that can cause a normal cell to change into a malignant tumor cell. This can then multiply unhindered and form into a tumor.
Breast tumors usually occur in the upper, outer part of the breast. Here is the left breast affected slightly more often than the right. Initially, the cancer causes little pain or discomfort. Therefore, women should pay close attention to certain signs that may indicate possible cancer. Since breast cancer has a better chance of being cured the earlier it is detected, you should not hesitate to see your gynecologist if you do following symptoms appear:
- Lumps in the breast: These can only be felt from a size of 1-2 cm. They cannot be moved, feel firm and are usually not painful. It is important to mention that not every lump necessarily means cancer, but it is important to always clarify palpable findings medically.
- Changes in the nipples: If the nipple is pulled in at one point or there are depressions, this might be a sign. You should also take a closer look at skin changes or secretions, especially if they are bloody or only occur on one side.
- Change in breast size: Most women have different sized breasts. However, if this difference in size occurs once more, this is a reason to see your doctor. The different behavior of the breasts when raising your arms is also a sign that you should clarify.
- Skin abnormalities: Another possible warning sign of breast cancer is indentations and other noticeable changes in the breast. Likewise abating redness and inflammation.
- Swelling in the armpit: Swelling and lumps in the armpit can indicate lymph node metastases. However, they can also occur with infections.
Further For information on symptoms and signs, see this article.
Movement is said to be important, especially following diagnosis
It is well known that exercise and a healthy lifestyle are beneficial. However, exercise is said to have a massive impact on healing, especially following a breast cancer diagnosis Gynecologists online Reported in early March 2023. A team of researchers examined over 13,000 participants with invasive breast cancer as part of a study.
For up to 30 years, around 9,000 patients reported every two years how and when they exercised following their cancer diagnosis. In summary, it can be said that those women who were more active were able to positively influence the course of the disease. It wasn’t regarding doing a lot of sport. Just three hours of brisk walking a week reduced overall mortality by 27%.
“This shows the potential of comparatively moderate physical activity. Women don’t have to run a marathon or exhaust themselves in the gym,” says dr Renée T. Fortner from the DKFZ, leader of the study. “They’re already benefiting from training sessions that anyone can incorporate into their everyday lives.”
Lowering the risk of breast cancer: These are the 6 avoidable risk factors
Even if it has not yet been finally clarified why breast cancer develops, it is already known that too individual lifestyles and environmental influences affect the risk of developing breast cancer. This 6 avoidable risk factors can reduce your personal risk of breast cancer:
- Nourishment: Above all, a high-fat diet is viewed critically.
- overweight: Obesity also increases the risk of breast cancer. This is especially true for women following menopause.
- Too little movement
- Alcohol: The more alcohol a woman consumes, the higher the risk of getting sick. The cause of the carcinogenic effect is probably acetaldehyde, a compound from pure alcohol that has been proven to be carcinogenic and is produced by metabolism. Alcohol also influences the female hormonal balance and leads to increased estrogen levels.
- Smoking
- Hormone: The female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone can promote breast cancer. These are often used for hormone replacement therapy during menopause. This also includes hormone products such as the pill or the hormone spiral.
Amazon book tip: Cancer cells don’t like raspberries – foods once morest cancer
There are also some other influences that depend on various factors, such as whether a woman has had children and if so, how many, whether she has breastfed for a long time or only for a short time and when a woman had her first and last menstrual period. In rare cases, hereditary stress also plays a role. In regarding five to ten percent of cases there is such a hereditary burden.
Important: While there are things you can do to lower your risk, getting breast cancer is not a question of “guilt” or wrongdoing.
The Bra Myth: What’s It?
There are still many untruths and misconceptions regarding breast cancer. So also that wearing underwired bras is also a risk factor that increases the risk of breast cancer. However, this is wrong.
It is said that underwired bras clamp off the lymph channels and thus prevent the removal of harmful cell waste. This is said to lead to an increased risk of cancer. A study published in the American Cancer Journal “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkes & Prevention”but shows that no link can be made between breast cancer and underwired bras.
This result was confirmed by another study. At the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, 1,500 women with and without breast cancer were asked regarding their carrying habits.
Nevertheless, it makes sense to ensure that your bra fits well and is comfortable to wear and to seek advice accordingly.
Treatment options for breast cancer
Breast cancer treatment aims to permanently cure the disease or stop the tumor from spreading. The type of therapy depends, among other things, on the type of tumor, the stage of the disease, the age of the patient and whether the growth of the breast cancer is promoted by female hormones.
Various medical specialists are involved in the treatment. It is recommended to contact a certified breast cancer center and have the treatment planned there. There are several treatment options, but they should be used individually:
- Operation
- radiotherapy
- chemotherapy
- Antihormontherapie
- Targeted therapy (including but not limited to antibody or immunotherapy)
Are you interested in the topics of “cancer diseases”, “prevention” and “treatment options”? You can find more information here:
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