Essay Example on What Are the Stages of Breast Cancer?

Introduction

Breast cancer is considered to be a form of cancer that mainly affects women and tends to particularly affect the breast cells. In most cases, breast cancer tends to begin in the small confined areas of the gland that produce milk or in the ducts that carry milk to the nipple (Kroenke et al. 36). Breast cancer can grow huge in the breast and spread through the existing channels to the lymph nodes or through the bloodstreams to other organs. Breast cancer can be grouped into various stages based on how big the tumors are and how spread they are. To stage the cancer, the doctor needs to determine various factors that include: whether the cancer has spread to the surrounding cells, how big the tumor is if the lymph nodes are involved and whether the cancer is non-invasive or invasive (Iorio et al. 63). Breast cancer cases and deaths are considered to be rampant particularly in the middle and low-income families as compared to the high-income families. Breast cancer is brought about by various key factors that include, increased age, inherited cancer genes, obesity, radiation exposure, and drinking alcohol. The key signs and symptoms of breast cancer include; experiencing pain in the armpits, rashes around one of the nipples, redness of the breast skin, inverted or sunken nipples and changes in breast size. The aim of this study is to discuss the issue of breast cancer.

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Literature Review

In the recent past, the issue of breast cancer has been affecting most women in the united states. For instance, in the year 2017, approximately 252,710 new breast cancer cases were reported in the united states while there were approximately 40610 women who died, as a result, the disease(Gotzsche et al. 22). In America, breast cancer tends to be the second common type of cancer that is diagnosed in women after the skin cancer condition which is also considered to be the second contributor of cancer death after the condition of lung cancer. In most cases., the risk of acquiring breast cancer tends to increase with age. According to reports, in a woman aged twenty years, the probability of developing cancer in the next decade is considered to be approximately 0.6% while at seventy years the probability of a woman to get breast cancer tends to go up to 3.84% (Kroenke et al. 55). In the united states, breast cancer cases among women below the age of forty years are usually less than 5%, however, the rates tend to increase after forty years and tend to reach the peak at the age of seventy years (Kroenke et al. 65). According to reports one in every eight women tends to develop breast cancer (Iorio et al. 123). While approximately two-thirds of women suffering from breast cancer are usually between the age of fifty-five years and above, the rest are between thirty-five to fifty-four years(Chuang et al. 48).

The probability of a woman to die due to breast cancer in the united states tends to be approximately 2.7%(Gotzsche et al. 15). most of these deaths usually occur in low and middle-income families due to lack of access to various services that include, screening services, and the prevention and treatment services. women in the middle and low-income families usually lack capital to seek breast cancer screening and treatment services which facilitate early detection and prevention of the condition since access to the services is considered to be very expensive. On the other hand, women from the high income families are not also immune to breast cancer instead their only advantage is that they usually have access to the screening and prevention services and they also have enough capital to undergo the right treatment, this helps to significantly reduce the cases of breast cancer deaths reported among the high-income families. Therefore, in the United States, women from middle and low-income families are at greater risk of breast cancer infections and deaths as compared to high-income families.

The Solution to the Increased Breast Cancer

Early Detection

Early detection of breast cancer cases tends to play a key role in reducing the expected impacts of the disease. For instance, in case, the condition is detected early enough it can be easily treated as compared to when it is detected in its acute stages. There are usually two main early detection methods, this include, first, breast cancer screening. This tends to be the application of a screening test in an asymptomatic population. The aim of screening is to identify the population with abnormalities that indicate signs of breast cancer. The only method of screening that has proven to be effective is mammography screening. According to research, mammography screening programs can reduce breast cancer mortality cases by approximately 20%, therefore the introduction of this screening method in the community will be very crucial in reducing the number of breast cancer cases expected annually (Gotzsche et al. 57). To ensure that the entire population particularly those from the low and middle-income families are able to access these screening services, the American government should subside the costs or even offer free cancer screening services to those who cannot afford it. This will ensure that all cancer cases are detected in advance thus also reducing the number of deaths.

Secondly, creating early awareness of the early symptoms and signs of breast cancer to the population to facilitate early treatment and diagnosis. The government should initiate breast cancer programs in the society that are aimed at educating women on some of the key signs of breast cancer. The main symptoms that they should know about include. experiencing pain in the armpits, rashes around one of the nipples, redness of the breast skin, inverted or sunken nipples and changes in breast size. Creating awareness about these signs will enable the women to conduct self-breast examination thus enabling them to detect any slight changes in their body that may indicate that they may be developing breast cancer. Early identification of these signs will enable them to seek medical treatment before the condition gets worse thus reducing the breast cancer mortality rate.

Dietary Improvement

The risk of getting breast cancer tends to increase with the consumption of foods that are rich in fats and also have low fiber content. Consuming food with reduced fat content usually reduce the risk of getting breast cancer mainly through a hormonal mechanism. Consuming a high carbohydrate and low-fat diet tends to reduce the mammographic breast density and the serum estradiol levels thus minimizing the risk of acquiring breast cancer. To ensure that the population, particularly the women are observing proper dietary practices, the government should take the initiative of educating the population on the kind of foods that they should consume and the correct amount of fats they should have in their meals. Reduced fat consumption will help minimize cases of obesity which tends to increase the risk of getting breast cancer.

Improving Lifestyle Factors

The lifestyle factors tend to be the key contributors or causes of breast cancer in the united states. Some of the lifestyle factors that most people should try to observe include, first, limiting the alcohol intake level. The higher the alcohol consumption, the higher the risk of developing breast cancer. Women should minimize their alcohol intake level to reduce the risk of breast cancer attacks. Secondly, engaging in regular physical exercises. Physical exercises usually help to regulate the general body weight which tends to be one of the risk factors of breast cancer. The healthy adults should engage in seventy-five intensive aerobic activities at least once every weak or at least one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic activities(Chuang et al. 50). Thirdly, avoid smoking. According to research, there is a huge link between breast cancer and smoking mainly in premenopausal women (Chuang et al. 43). The government should take the initiative of educating people on the importance of observing these lifestyle factors and the risks involved.

Conclusion

Breast cancer is a key issue that has been affecting most women in the United States particularly the older adults. Breast cancer tends to be the second common type of cancer that is diagnosed in women after the skin cancer condition which is also considered to be the second contributor of cancer death after the condition of lung cancer. The middle and low-income families are at a greater risk of breast cancer attack and deaths as compared to the high-income families. Some of the reasons why the low and middle-income families are at greater risk include; lack of screening services, and the prevention and treatment services. The vulnerability of the Low and middle-income families is increasing the number of cancer cases across the country, therefore the government should take the appropriate measures to ensure that they are well protected. The risk factors of the condition include; increased age, inherited cancer genes, obesity, radiation exposure, and drinking alcohol. The signs and symptoms that indicate one has breast cancer include; experiencing pain in the armpits, rashes around one of the nipples, redness of the breast skin, inverted or sunken nipples and changes in breast size. To regulate the increasing risk of breast cancer, people should implement various strategies that include Improving lifestyle factors, Dietary improvement, and early detection.

Works Cited

Chuang, HanYu, et al. "Networkbased classification of breast cancer metastasis." Molecular systems biology 3.1 (2007): 140. https://doi.org/10.1038/msb4100180

Gotzsche, Peter C., and Karsten Juhl Jorgensen. "Screening for breast cancer with mammography." Cochrane database of systematic reviews 6 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001877.pub5

Iorio, Marilena V., et al. "MicroRNA gene expression deregulation in human breast cancer." Cancer Research 65.16 (2005): 7065-7070. Retrieved from http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/65/16/7065.full.pdf

Kroenke, Candyce H., et al. "Weight, weight gain, and survival after breast cancer diagnosis." Journal of clinical oncology 23.7 (2005): 1370-1378. Retrieved from https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2005.01.079