daniel chigunwe
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Health Buzz
As we continue to commemorate breast cancer month this October, it is important to keep the message alive.
Breast cancer can be treated if detected early!
Globally, there were 2,3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths in 2020 alone.
In the five years to the end of 2020, there were 7,8 million women alive who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.
In Zimbabwe, the National Cancer Registry 2018 annual report shows that breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women after cervical cancer and accounts for 8 percent of all cases.
However, most cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage as patients tend to delay seeking medical care. The reason why women tend to delay seeking medical help sometimes is lack of knowledge. Many have no access to the informational adverts or the awareness campaigns.
Breast cancer mostly affects women above the age of 40 but men and younger women are not spared. But early diagnosis remains the best chance any person can have of surviving breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localised stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99 percent.
“Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms. It is recommended to learn more about breast self-examination to increase chances for early detection,” notes the American Cancer Society.
Experts assert that the stage at which breast cancer is diagnosed is important for the survival of most patients.
Statistics show that in Zimbabwe, majority of patients are diagnosed at stage three or stage four when the cancer has already spread.
However, if screening is done regularly, it can help to detect cancer at stage one, that is before it has spread to the lymph nodes.
With mammography, the cancer can actually be picked up at stage zero!
Mammography is the only way to detect breast cancer before it has spread to lymph nodes and up two years before it can even be felt. Cancer treatment is expensive for most patients, which is why it is important for it to be detected early before it spreads and becomes more difficult to treat.
While there are many people who have survived breast cancer, there are many others who are not aware that they have breast cancer or that they are at risk of getting it.
Many do not know that they can actually check for lumps on their breasts before visiting a doctor. Here are some facts about breast cancer and how it can be detected and treated.
Who is at risk?
Being a woman is a risk factor in itself and the older one gets, the higher the risk. Women with a family history of breast, ovarian, melanoma, or pancreatic cancer may be at increased risk, especially women with a family member diagnosed before the age of 50 years.
While it is not always that a woman with a family history of breast cancer will get it, it is important that they make an effort to know that family history and get screened regularly.
Women can also make some changes to their lifestyles to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. Drinking alcohol is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer so reducing alcohol intake can help reduce the risk.
Being overweight after menopause also increases breast cancer risk so women should strive to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer
Breast cancer most commonly presents as a painless lump or thickening in the breast. It is important that when women find an abnormal lump in the breast, they should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Generally, symptoms of breast cancer include a lump or thickening of the breast, alteration in size, shape or appearance of a breast, dimpling, redness, change in nipple appearance or alteration in the skin surrounding the nipple or abnormal nipple discharge. Breast cancer can present in a wide variety of ways, which is why a complete medical examination is important. Advanced cancers can erode through the skin to cause open sores. Breast cancer may spread to other areas of the body and trigger other symptoms. Often, the most common first detectable site of spread is to the lymph nodes under the arm although it is possible to have cancer-bearing lymph nodes that cannot be felt.
Over time, cancerous cells may spread to other organs including the lungs, liver, brain and bones. Once they reach these sites, new cancer-related symptoms such as bone pain or headaches may appear.
Treatment
Breast cancer treatment generally consists of surgery and radiation therapy for control of the disease in the breast, lymph nodes and surrounding areas.
In the past, all breast cancers were treated surgically by mastectomy (complete removal of the breast) but now a smaller procedure called a “lumpectomy” or partial mastectomy, in which only the tumour is removed from the breast. In these cases, radiation therapy to the breast is generally required to minimise the chances of recurrence in the breast. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) has an objective to reduce global breast cancer mortality by 2,5 percent per year, thereby averting 2,5 million breast cancer deaths globally between 2020 and 2040.
WHO says by providing public health education to improve awareness among women of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and, together with their families, understand the importance of early detection and treatment, more women would consult medical practitioners when breast cancer is first suspected, and before any cancer present is advanced.
“Public education needs to be combined with health worker education about the signs and symptoms of early breast cancer so that women are referred to diagnostic services when appropriate,” the global health body says.
It therefore becomes important for all women to be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel. Any change, no matter how trivial it seems, deserves further evaluation by a healthcare professional.
After the age of 40, women should strive to get a mammogram every year. It only takes a few minutes to be screened for breast cancer, but it can take years to fight off the disease. Getting screened to ensure early detection is always the better of the two.
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