Essay Sample on Breast Cancer: Early Detection and Awareness for Women's Health

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most form of cancer, which affects women. Breast cancers are life-threatening tumors that develop in one or both breasts. It can either be invasive or non-invasive. Breast cancer is a health risk for women. Creating awareness of the disease is important because of its high incidences. According to Mayo Clinic Staff (n.d), test procedures such as physical breast exam, mammogram, ultrasound, taking samples for biopsy, and magnetic resonance imaging are used to diagnose breast cancer.

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Ways to Reduce Breast Cancer Health Risk

There are various ways to prevent breast cancer. One way to reduce the health risk is through lifestyle changes. Hashemi, Karimi, and Mahboobi (2014) mentioned that women can reduce the risk of breast cancer by changing their behavior in regards to diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use. Besides, Howell et al. (2014) indicated for women who are at risk of breast cancer, chemoprevention or preventive therapy is important in preventing breast cancer. According to the authors, using medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene, exemestane, and anastrozole are used in chemotherapy. Jin (2019) added that such medications block the effects of estrogen on the breast tissues, which reduces the risk of cancer.

Educational Activity

The title of the education program is "Breast Cancer-Awareness to Prevent." The target audience will be women in families. The goals of the program would be to educate women in families about the prevention strategies of breast cancer. The teaching strategies would be lectures and discussions. Nevertheless, some challenges are uniquely associated with promoting health and preventing breast cancer. Evans (2011) mentioned challenges associated with screening where many women lack the insurance to go for breast cancer screening where they could be advised on preventive measures. Most women are usually diagnosed late with breast cancer resulting in limited treatment options and high mortality rates.

Plan

The program will focus on creating awareness on breast cancer and ways to prevent it. The duration for the activity would be one month in the town's conference hall. Participants in the program will be assessed on the educational activity about their knowledge of breast cancer. Also, they will be evaluated through individual tests to determine if they have breast cancer. Some of the methods for diagnoses would include physical exam, mammography, and breast ultrasounds. Also, participants will be advised on ways to prevent breast cancer such as making lifestyle changes and using preventive therapies.

References

Evans, P. (2011). Breast cancer screening: Successes and challenges. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, vol.62, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.20137

Jin, J. (2019). Medications to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 322(9):900. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.12858

Hashemi, S. H., Karimi, S., & Mahboobi, H. (2014). Lifestyle changes for prevention of breast cancer. Electronic physician, 6(3), 894-905. doi:10.14661/2014.894-905

Harvie, M. N. (2014). Risk determination and prevention of breast cancer. Breast cancer research: BCR, 16(5), 446. doi:10.1186/s13058-014-0446-2

Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d). Diagnosing Breast Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/breast-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352475