Things you should know about breast cancer

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the breast cells. The cancer forms itself in the lobules of the breast ducts. The cancer occurs when there are changes or mutations in the genes that regulate the growth of cells. The mutations then let the cells divide and multiply in an uncontrolled way. 

The cancer cells that are uncontrolled tend to invade the other healthy breast tissue and travel to the lymph nodes under your arms. This then helps the cancer cells to move to other parts of the body.

Below are a few things that every woman needs to know about breast cancer.

1. Pay attention to breast rashes

Breasts rashes can mean many things but most importantly they could mean that you have inflammatory breast cancer which is an aggressive cancer that shows up as a rash. Its symptoms include swelling, pain or at times itchiness, severely enlarged pores on the breast, redness on the breasts. Inflammatory cancer is often misdiagnosed as skin infection or mastitis because they all look like a rash. When you get treated for a rash and it does not respond to the antibiotics in five days see your doctor for cancer tests.

2. Hormone replacement therapy fuels cancer growth

A lot of women undergoing menopause use hormone replacement therapy to deal with the symptoms of menopause like mood swings and hot flashes. Even though the therapy does not cause breast cancer, oestrogen which is a female hormone found in the replacement therapy, causes an increase in the growth of cancer cells. If you already have cancer cells, using hormone replacement therapy speeds up the rate at which the cells grow and the disease matures by about a decade, meaning it speeds up the process. 

3. Dense breasts need special screening

A lot of women have dense breasts i.e. their breasts have high proportions of glandular tissue that contain milk producing cells and have fibrous tissue as compared to fat. Even though some people believe that dense breasts can increase the risk of cancer, age and weight are important risk factors that must also be considered. Having dense breasts also makes it harder for radiologists to detect cancer cells which is why women with dense breasts need an ultrasound or an MRI as follow up testing.

4. Get breast exams and mammograms early

When a woman hits 18, they should start having annual breast exams done by a doctor and have a mammogram annually when you turn 40 years old. Self-breast exams should also be done monthly after your periods when your breasts are least tender. When you notice any swelling, lump, nipple discharge or nipple inversion you should alert your doctor immediately and get tests done to ascertain what the problem is.

5. Family history is only part of cancer risk

The most common misconception about breast cancer is that people assume they are at risk of getting breast cancer if they do not know their family history of the disease.  According to research, only about 12 percent of people who get diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of the disease. The biggest risk factor that women need to be aware of is hormone replacement therapy popularly known as HRT and living a sedentary lifestyle.