What you never knew about breast cancer

 No one really knows why cancer happens in one individual and not in the other. But experts believe it may be caused by changes in genes. The modification in the gene—that results in cells splitting rapidly and growing out of proportion—can be inherited or acquired [from aging, environmental factors and lifestyle], says Dr Foluso Ademuyiwa, […]

 No one really knows why cancer happens in one individual and not in the other. But experts believe it may be caused by changes in genes.

The modification in the gene—that results in cells splitting rapidly and growing out of proportion—can be inherited or acquired [from aging, environmental factors and lifestyle], says Dr Foluso Ademuyiwa, medical oncologist and associate professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.

Breast cancer is the commonest cancer among women—and just being a woman is a risk in itself. In fact, one in every eight women worldwide will develop breast cancer. Aging, personal history and family history of cancer also increase risks. So do your genes: 10% of breast cancer is hereditary.

On top of all that, things with no business with cancer can also increase risks. Think recent problems with hormonal contraception or the hormone replacement therapy women undergo after menopause. Getting radiation to treat a condition as Hodgkin’s disease also increases your risk.

Being black makes you less likely to develop breast cancer but more likely to die from it. And blacks get a deadlier form of breast cancer than whites. Not having children or choosing to have them later in life—say over 30—also increase your risks. Risk factors also include starting period early, having a high number of periods, long period in life, and late menopause.

The density of the breast is also a factor for black women as they tend to have higher breast density. Use of alcohol is one risk, and not breastfeeding is another.

Too much information for any woman to handle, and you are right to be worried. Changing your lifestyle where possible minimises the risks that can be modified. Not all. You simply have to be on the lookout, says Ademuyiwa.

Here’s why.  Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in the sheer number of people it affects or kills, and it is the greatest killer of women worldwide.

But it is preventable and also 100% curable, once the cancerous tissue is found and excised. That stops the cancerous cells from swimming through the bloodstream to deposit in other locations where it threatens life-sustaining organs. 

“The breast is not a life-sustaining organ [like the heart, lungs, liver, brain], and it [the cancer] can be fully cured,” says Ademuyiwa.

Screening is crucial. A self exam once a month makes you aware of the texture and shape of your breast, so you can note any changes and seek medical attention once you notice what you know looks odd. But it is not a test in itself.

“The cornerstone for management of breast cancer is to create awareness,” says Dr Chris Otabor, chief medical director at Alliance Hospital, which rolled out a programme for women to screen for breast cancer.

“Fourteen thousand women die every year from breast cancer and, to a large extent, a good number can be prevented if women know what to do early.”

During clinical exams, trained clinicians could pick up irregularities a woman might miss during self exam. A mammogram is quite expensive but it becomes useful. High-sensitivity tests like magnetic resonance imaging are even more expensive.

 “If breast cancer is picked up early, we will not need chemotherapy, radiotherapy. Just taking out the cancer in a simple surgery can help. Early detection is the message we need to pass to our women,” says Otabor.

“If we pick it early, it will save lives, save cost.”