Especially in recent years, all health organizations focused and invested in bringing awareness to breast cancer and the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Breast cancer and awareness are the center point of Triwi Global here.
We thought it might be nice and appropriate to discuss what we know about the issue. What is breast cancer? What are the common symptoms?
What should we do to understand whether we have it or not? This article focuses on these questions mainly.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast seems like a political issue sometimes. Society has a lot to say about our breasts, do we wear them properly or not, do we take care of them or not... However, it's totally a medical organ that we have. It can be found in both gender and it's an organ we use to pump milk, understand our hormonal cycle, etc. Breast cancer itself is a disease found in breast tissue where certain cells change due to mutations and duplicates faster and more uncontrollably than normal cells. These multiplied cells are called tumors when they create tissue on their own.
In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer increased a lot however the fatality rates are changing according to a lot of variables which is another interest. A few of these variables are; the way of living, habits of eating, genetic predisposition, awareness among society, income, and educational background.
What Are The Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
In breast cancer treatment and recovery, early diagnosis is crucial. A major proportion of diagnosed women, consult to doctor after feeling something bizarre on their breast at home which gives us a signal.
Early diagnosis starts at home.
That's why we are developing a smart bra to help women to conduct the correct self-breast exams in a safe environment. So what are the symptoms of breast cancer? Which symptom should give us a signal to go to a doctor?
The stiffness at any part of the breast that can be identified with hand
Asymmetry between two breasts
Cavitation of breast surface especially on nipples
Color changes of breast surface, scratch, eczema, and visible wounds
Peak d'orange at the surface of breasts
Abnormal swelling and pain in breasts
Running nipple with different color (yellow...)Meme başında oluşan farklı renklerdeki akıntılar,
Swelling at underarm and pain
The symptoms we listed above are the symptoms generally women notice at home and go to the doctor for further diagnosis. If you have one or more than one symptoms on this list, you should take action for further diagnosis.
However, one of the common myths is that all pain and swelling or abnormal thing going to be cancer, which is not true. Because of this common myth, people get anxious and even sometimes postpone their appointments being afraid to learn the bad news. But the good scenario is that generally, these doctor visits reveal usual cysts, etc.
In all cases, to get a proper diagnosis we should go to the doctor to check our breasts because even if it's cancer when it's early diagnosed breast cancer has a 95% of 5-year survival rate.
What To Do To Learn If We Have Cancer?
Health organizations around the world suggest women, starting at age 20, get a self-breast examination each month, and by starting at age 40, get mammograms in a year.
After every self-breast examination, noting the stress and any abnormality, and going to the doctor with those notes is crucial to accelerate and improve the early diagnosis process.
It's not possible to detect cancer without having clinical screening so even if a breast surgeon does the examination they will consult for a mammogram or further screenings.
How Can We Protect Ourselves From Breast Cancer?
Cancer is not a disease that spreads or can be protected by increasing immune responses by supplements. We cannot protect ourselves from cancer however we can be aware of it and reduce our risk of developing breast cancer. Some of the things that increase the chances of getting breast cancer are;
Being a woman
Being a menopausal woman at age 50-60
Having a breast cancer relative history
Having the first period earlyı
Having a late menopause
To never give birth
Giving birth after the age of 30
Not to breastfeed
Having long-term hormonal therapy
Use of alcohol and tobacco
Having a high-fat diet
Lack of movement
What To Do To Stay in the Early Diagnosis Stage?
The best and optimum way is to change our everyday behaviors with a healthy diet change and daily exercise. Then the self-breast examination after 3 days of the last day of the period. To write every abnormality down and go to the doctor at a high awareness stage.
There’s a lot of excellent information here. It’s great that you explain that breast cancer can happen to men too - many people think it’s something only women can have as our breasts are larger and more visible. I’d like to know more about the smart bra. This is something that intrigues me. How does it work? Where is it available? Your advice - get to know yourself, check yourself often and if there’s any anomalies go to the doctor to get checked - is spot on. Thank you.