Do you know that breast cancer is a major global health problem and the leading cause of death among women of all ethnic backgrounds? According to Cancer Research Malaysia, there are estimated of 1.6 million new cases are diagnosed worldwide in 2015 and 560 thousand women will die of breast cancer. As a woman, what do you need to know about breast cancer?
What is breast cancer?
A woman’s breast consists of fat, connective tissue, lobules, tiny glands that produce milk for breastfeeding. In cancer, the body’s cells multiply uncontrollably, which is the excessive cell growth that causes cancer. There are two types of breast cancer: invasive breast cancer and non-invasive breast cancer.
Invasive breast cancer: Cancer cells break out from inside the lobules or ducts and invade nearby tissue, increasing the chance of spreading to other parts of the body.
Non-invasive breast cancer: Cancer is still inside its place of origin and has not broken out. However, these cells can eventually develop into invasive breast cancer.
Does age affect breast cancer?
With 5,000 Malaysian women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, most of them are aged between 30 to 60 years. And the true fact is nearly half of those affected are under 50 years old. Age can be a risk factor that causes breast cancer, the risk increases with age. At 20 years, the chance of developing breast cancer is 0.6 percent. By the age of 70 years, the figure goes up to 3.84 percent.
Symptoms:
First symptoms of breast cancer are usually an area of thickened tissue in the breast or a lump in the breast or in an armpit. Although some lumps can be benign, if you spot a lump, do see a doctor right away. Breast pain can happen if you have cancer. If you feel pain for both of the breast for a period of time, do check with a doctor. Skin changes include puckering, dimpling, rash or redness of the skin of the breast are some examples of symptoms too.
Although there is no sure way to prevent breast cancer, some lifestyle decisions can significantly reduce the risk of breast and other types of cancer. Women should carefully think of the risk and how to maintain a healthy body in order to avoid breast cancer.
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Read also: Girls, these are the causes of breast cancer you need to know!
