Let’s Say No to Breast Cancer

It can be easily found that the breast cancer is being talked about in the newspaper or on TV nowadays. Established statistics shows that 13 out of every 100 can expect to develop breast cancer over the course of an entire lifetime, about 80 years on average, in the United States, a cruel fact which panics most women strongly. It is proved that gender (being a woman) and age (growing older) is the top two causes for breast cancer. Even though the fact of having been a woman and the irreversible trend to grow old put women at much greater risk for breast cancer, it doesn’t mean that we have our hands tied. By figuring out the risk factors, watching for signs and symptoms, and running out of unhealthy habits , we can stay abreast of breast cancer and then make a difference. Encouraged by the desire and appreciation of life, we can at least do the two things: monthly self examination and annual mammograms. Self examination , let it be an indispensable part of your monthly health care routine. In some cases, the first sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast that you can feel. A painless and hard lump with uneven edges is more likely to be cancer, but sometimes it can be tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to have anything unusual checked by your doctor promptly. Released by the American Cancer Society, any of the following unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer: •    swelling or pain of all or part of the breast •    pain or turning inward of the nipple •    redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin •    a nipple discharge other than breast milk •    a lump in the underarm area •    skin irritation or dimpling Annual mammogram , since the above changes also can be signs of less serious conditions that are not cancerous, and the fact is, breast cancer may not cause any symptoms initially, or a lump may be too small for you to feel or to cause any unusual changes you can notice on your own, so a periodic mammogram (x-ray of the breast)and physical exam by a doctor is vital, especially when you are over 40, at a higher risk for the disease. Please keep in mind that the earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your chances of beating it.

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