Breast cancer

Breast cancer

Introduction

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer (after skin cancer) among women of various ethnicities and races. How much do you think you know about this dreaded disease? Not all that much, yes? Well then. Here are seven interesting facts about breast cancer that you probably didn’t know:

 

1. Breast cancer has been called the “nun’s disease”

This was due to the surprisingly high number of affected nuns since the 1700s. Similarly to all non-reproductive females, nuns have an increased chance of breast cancer. Additional cancers they may die from include uterine and ovarian cancers.

A woman’s chances of getting these cancers increase with each menstrual cycle she experiences. Healthy mothers, on the other hand, have a significantly lower risk of getting these cancers.

There’s a link that connects reproduction to breast cancer. The hormones released during breastfeeding and giving birth offer mothers a high level of immunity.

 

2. Men can get breast cancer too

Scratch the thought that the male species is immune to this killer disease. Women are not the only ones with breast tissue. Men can get cancer too, but such cases are sporadic. Experts report that a man’s lifetime chance of contracting breast cancer stands at approximately 1 in 1,000. How so?

Breast cancer begins with out-of-control breast growth. Well, the breast duct cells in men are less advanced than those of the fairer sex. Therefore, the growth of their breast cells is hindered due to the low production of female hormones.

 

3. Most women now survive breast cancer

Only in developed countries, though. The level of progress in regards to breast cancer treatment in recent years is simply impressive. There has been a rapid change in surgery, management, radiation, prevention, and so on.

Survival rates in industrialized countries such as Japan, the US, or Sweden are over 80 percent. This is because of the considerable decline in death tolls in recent years. Low-income countries can’t keep up with the high-end technology and advanced research.

For that reason, the odds of survival in such countries stay below 40 percent.

 

4. Most breast lumps are benign

Benign simply means ‘not cancerous

‘. Lumps in the breast(s) don’t always equate to breast cancer. Breast lumps are commonly caused by:

• Fibroadenoma – a sizeable lump that frequently occurs during puberty. That’s not to say that it can’t develop in more mature ages.
• Breast cyst – It targets mainly the elderly. It’s basically a fluid-filled sac that quickly develops as the breast grows with age.

Proper examinations are necessary even when most breast lumps may not directly point to breast cancer. It may be something more serious than breast cancer. Early check-ups save lives.

 

5. Breast cancer is more common in the left breast than the right

The left breast is more vulnerable to cancer by five to ten times percent more than the right. Scientists refer to this as contralateral breast cancer. It is prevalent in women of all ages.

Funny enough, the entire left side of the body is five percent more prone to a type of skin cancer known as melanoma. A definitive explanation for this is yet to be established.

Plenty of risk factors are associated with this occurrence. These could be nutritional influences, hormonal, environmental, and genetic.

 

6. Drinking enough water is essential to cancer treatment/prevention

Water supports most of the functions in the body. Some of the body functions include boosting joint health, maintaining standard body temperature, and flushing out harmful toxins. Water helps a lot in the prevention of cancer. It’s also an essential nutrient in the nourishment and detoxification of your body.

It’s essential to drink plenty of water during chemotherapy. The treatment, coupled with the medications, may bring adverse side effects that may lead to severe dehydration. Drinking plenty of water during your treatment helps to make the recovery process a lot smoother.

 

7. Shift work may increase the risk of breast cancer

Women who work in long-term shifts (nurses, flight attendants, etc.) have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. This is the case, especially if the women in question work during pre-menopause (under 50 years).

The risk goes as high as 80 percent for women who work shifts above 10 hours. The connection between night work and breast cancer is yet to be fully established. A possible explanation is that they’re regularly exposed to light that affects the functions of certain hormones in the body.

 

Conclusion

Never be swayed by findings from various studies, health products or lifestyle choices. There’s always something new every day that dictates what increases or decreases your risk of breast cancer. The key to staying healthy is pretty simple: rely on your common sense and adopt a broader view on wholesome living.