09 Dec Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Also known a “pink ribbon day”, October 13 is the official start of the annual campaign that helps bring awareness of breast cancer, its diagnosis, treatment and sometimes palliation. This is happening all over the word in support of research, education and becoming more aware of the patients and families who have struggled with this diagnosis.
Evelyn Lauder of SELF magazine is credited with coming up with the idea for wearing a pink ribbon way back in 1992. Pink has always been considered a feminine colour and it is also thought to emphasize calmness and serenity.
Pink ribbons are worn in the month of October to express moral support for those patients and families who are struggling with breast cancer.
Breast Cancer in Canadian Women
In Canada, 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. One in 33 will die of breast cancer. Although medical science has made great strides in early detection, (due to mammography), treatment and cure, breast cancer is still a very scary disease.
According to Canadian sources (www.canada.ca) in 2019, 26,900 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and around 5000 died of it. Breast cancer is still the most common form of cancer in women after non-melanoma skin cancers (i.e. basal and squamous cell cancers which don’t kill you.)
Risk factors for breast cancer include:
- Family history (mother, sister or daughter diagnosed prior to menopause)
- Age over 50 (the majority of breast cancer is diagnosed in older women
- A family member with BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Previous breast disorders
- Early menarche (first period prior to age 11)
- Alcohol abuse
- Taking hormone replacement therapy longer than 5 years
- Menopause later than age 55
- No full term pregnancies
- First full term pregnancy after age 30
In a normal, healthy body, there is a cycle of breast tissue cells being born, growing and dying. This process repeats itself over and over throughout a woman’s life. Sometimes the cells don’t die the way they are supposed to and this abnormal growth can lead to a tumor of the breast tissue.
Image Source: National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov)
There are several different varieties of breast cancer including ductal carcinoma, lobular carcinoma and Paget’s disease of the breast. The majority of breast cancers start in the milk ducts. These cancers are usually slow growing and it might be 10 years before the tumor is big enough to be seen on a mammogram.
Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) is considered a non-invasive cancer that is highly curable. It is important not to ignore this diagnosis as often DCIS will become invasive.
The term Invasive Breast Cancer refers to a tumor which is no longer contained in the lobule or the duct of the breast and has moved outside the breast tissue often to lymph nodes.
Metastatic breast cancer has moved from breast and lymph node tissue to other organ systems. Breast cancer tends to spread to bones, liver, lungs and brain.
Current breast cancer treatment may include mastectomy or lumpectomy (breast-conserving surgery), radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. Which treatments are selected depends on a number of factors including the type of cancer, the age of the woman, the preference of the woman and the cellular markers on the tumor.
Breast cancer screening guidelines have changed several times over the last decade and are still a hot topic of debate among the experts. The current recommendations are for women who do NOT have any increased risk of breast cancer (i.e. no family history, etc.) Women between the ages of 50 and 74 should be screened every 2-3 years. It is not recommended that women younger that 50 are screened as it may do more harm than good (for example, the mammogram may suggest there is a cancer when there is not).
To learn more about breast cancer, I recommend the following websites:
This article was written by Dr Shannon Lee Dutchyn, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Canadian physician.
© October 2020