October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is also termed as the breast cancer awareness month in America. Every year in the month of October an international health campaign is organized by the major breast cancer charities to increase awareness about this disease. Apart from increasing the awareness about this disease, these charities also raise funds for research and advance cure of this disease.

Facts about breast cancer

There are certain facts about breast cancer that one must know to be more aware of the disease. Breast cancer is most prevalent among Canadian women. It is estimated that around 23,200 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and about 5000 will die due to breast cancer in Canada alone in the year 2011.

The Canadian cancer society has been raising funds to support the research for breast cancer and also to support the patients who are suffering from this disease.

Mammograms are used to detect breast cancer even at a very early stage, when there is no lump formation in the breast. It is advised by doctors that women who are above the age of 45, must do a mammogram every two years to reduce the chances of developing this disease.

Breast cancer is curable in the first and second stage (it depends on the diagnostic report) but early detection is always best. There are various types of breast cancer chemotherapy to treat this disease.

Causes of breast cancer

Certain change in the DNA makes normal breast cancer cells to turn into cancer cells. There may be a possibility that some inheriting DNA may lead to mutation and increase the risk of cancer. This is one of the reasons as to why breast cancer is a hereditary disease in some families.

Certain risk factors increase the chances of this disease. Risk factors like smoking, drinking, unhealthy life style and hereditary factors increase the chances of this disease. There are other factors that also increase the chances of this disease, however these are unavoidable factors for example;

Gender

Even men are exposed to chances of getting breast cancer but it is 100 times more common in women.

Age

As a woman grows older she has more chances of developing breast cancer. Woman above the age of 45 are at high risk rate.

Genetic factors

5% to 10% of the breast cancer cases are genetic. Women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at higher risk of  developing this disease. If mother or sister of a woman has breast cancer, it increases the risk of that woman developing breast cancer. It is important to note here that despite this fact 85% cases of the breast cancer do not have any genetic link of the disease.

Personnel history of the cancer

A woman who had developed cancer in one of the breast has greater chances of developing it in her other breast.

Race

White women have higher chances of developing breast cancer as compared to African American women. But a fact to be noted here is that African American women have greater chances of dying from this disease as once the tumor develops, it grows faster in African American women. The reason behind this is genetic.

To know more about the reasons behind the development of breast cancer please consult your doctor.

Types of breast cancer chemotherapy drugs

There are major three types of breast cancer chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast cancer.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy

This treatment is given to shrink the size of the cancerous tumor. It is given before surgery.

Adjuvant chemotherapy

This breast cancer chemotherapy is given after the surgery to minimize the risk of its recurrence.

Palliative chemotherapy

It is used to control the cancer cells which have spread beyond the breast. It is not used to cure although.

 The best way to prevent breast cancer is early detection. Know more from your doctor about this.