Support &Advocate

Days are set aside to commemorate different things, mark anniversaries and so forth. When a whole month is set out to create awareness, you know it’s serious and people mean business. October was made the official breast cancer month in 1984 and the movement has grown in leaps and bounds as women religiously support each other. I think it is the only time women are not being their own enemies. If it is detected early enough, it can be controlled

Since inception of World Breast Cancer Awareness Month (WBCAM), women oriented organizations, mostly, have consistently made it their sole aim to promote breast cancer awareness. All over the world, women are enlightened on how to take charge of their own breast health. Mainly, self-breast exam being the easiest and cheapest way to help women detect any changes in their breasts for early detection.A mammogram is recommended annually for women from 40 years to 70. A cancer's stage is a crucial factor in deciding what treatment options to recommend, and in determining the patient's prognosis. 

Breast cancer is not a foreign ailment as it is the most common malevolence in women worldwide both in developed and underdeveloped countries. Most of those who succumb are from low- and middle-income countries, where most women with breast cancer are diagnosed in late stages due mainly to lack of awareness on early detection and barriers to health services.

You have either lost a friend or a relative or know someone who is suffering from it. There’s a probability of 1 in 8 women developing breast cancer in her lifetime.  A minority of these cases are hereditary say less than 10%. Breast cancer most commonly develops in cells from the lining of milk ducts and the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. There are more than 18 other sub-types of breast cancer. Some cancers develop from pre-invasive lesions.

Men also suffer from Breast Cancer, however in very rare cases. This occurs mainly at the age of 65 and above. There have been a few cases of younger men suffering from breast cancer between the age of 20 -90. “The American Cancer Society estimates that each year, about 1,990 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed and that breast cancer will cause approximately 480 deaths in men. A man’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about one in a thousand.” –Sy Kraft (B.A) , Medical News Today.

Compiled by Tracy Gesare

Source Wikipedia, WHO, WebMD