Breast Cancer Awareness
We love so many people in our life, Mom, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Daughter, Cousin, Best Friend, Office Colleague. But, do you know that 1 out of 9 women in Pakistan is at risk of Breast Cancer? And she could be any one of them. But if we regularly conduct self-examination and if Breast Cancer is detected early, then the chance of survival increases by 90%.
Here’s what you need to look out for
- A lump in the breast or Armpit
- A sunken Dip (Dimple) on the nipple or elsewhere on the breast
- Red or scaly skin on a breast that’s been there for a while
- Clear or bloody fluid comes out of a nipple
- Change in one’s breasts size/shape
Some habits raise the risk of developing breast cancer
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- Overweight and Obesity
While others lower the risk
- Physical Activity
- Healthy Diet
- Breast Feeding
- Learn how to check your breasts and talk with your doctor about any unusual changes.
Did You Know?
- Most women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors in their families.
- About 5-10% of breast cancer is hereditary, which is caused by an inherited mutation in one of several genes.
7 Ways to Reduce your Breast Cancer Risk
1. Your Family History of Cancer
- The next time you talk to your family about their family history, be prepared with these tips:
- First, share that you have learned that cancers can run in families.
- Explain that you are creating a record of your family’s history of cancer
- Encourage family members to respond in a way that is most comfortable to them
- Word your questions carefully, be a good listener, and respect their privacy
- Write down who had cancer, age when diagnosed, and type of cancer.
- Share that you have learned that cancers can run in families.
2. Minimize Radiation Exposure
- Women who have had radiation therapy to the chest area for previous cancers such as lymphoma have significantly higher odds of developing breast cancer.
- The risk of developing breast cancer from chest radiation is highest if the radiation was given during adolescence when the breasts were still developing.
3. Limit Hormone Exposure
The women’s health initiative found that long-term use of combined estrogen plus progestin therapy increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
- For each year of use, risk increases by 2.3%
- Risk is less if used for a short time <4-5 years
Studies have found that women using birth control pills have a slightly greater risk of breast cancer than women who have never used them. However, after 10 years of stopping the pill – the risk normalizes. When thinking about using oral contraceptives, women should discuss their other risk factors for breast cancer with their health care team.
4. Pregnancy/Breastfeeding
- Women who have had no children or had their first child after age 30 have slightly higher breast cancer.
- For every 12 months of breastfeeding, there was a 4.3-person reduction in the relative risk of breast cancer.
5. Don’t Smoke
- Accumulating evidence suggests a link between smoking and breast cancer risk, particularly in premenopausal women.
- Started smoking early and before the first birth was associated with an increased breast cancer risk suggesting that smoking may have a role in breast cancer initiation.
6. Reduce Alcohol Intake
- The more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of developing breast cancer.
- Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1 to 2 times the risk of women who don’t drink alcohol.
- Alcohol can increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-reporter-positive breast cancer. Alcohol also may increase breast cancer risk by damaging DNA in cells.
7. Get Moving
- Women’s Health Initiative found that women who have walked for hours a week had 18% fewer risks of breast cancer than inactive women.
- The exercise lowers estrogen level- Estrogen stimulates cell overgrowth and breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Awareness Session Organized at TUV Austria Bureau of Inspection & Certification
Every October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month to highlight the challenges and threats that breast cancer poses and celebrate new research into prevention, diagnosis, and treatment breakthroughs that could one day lead to a cure for this devastating disease.
The Breast Cancer Awareness Session held on October 29, 2021, at the TUV Austria Bureau of Inspection & Certification aimed to educate women about the importance of early detection of breast cancer and its possible treatments.
“Once I overcame breast cancer, I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.” – Melissa Etheridge.
The awareness session was based on the chances and symptoms of breast cancer in males, social stigmas, myth-busting, and a guideline on caring for females in the family who have breast cancer.