BREAST CANCER

Cancer can be defined as a disease whereby there is an uncontrolled division of abnormal  cells in a particular part of the body and these cells are able to invade other  tissues.There are different types of cancers but breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women.
The earliest sign of breast cancer is a  small rounded painless lump in the breast. Of course, every lump found in the breast is not necessarily cancer but every lump needs to be investigated. A woman examining her breasts after her monthly menstruation, as well as having a doctor examine her breasts every year are both ways of detecting lumps early, but they are not as effective as doing a MAMOGRAPHY . MAMOGRAPHY  is a method of breast examination using a very small dose of x-rays which is  not dangerous to the woman. Medically, it is recommended that women from the age  of 40 do a  mamography once a year. Also, women who are at higher risk  of developing breast cancer  should have a mamograghy  at intervals.

WOMEN AT HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING BREAST CANCER;
1. Women  who any member of their family had breast cancer especially before the age of 40.
2. Women who have never been pregnant before.
3. Women who had their first child after the age of 30.
4. Women  who started menstruating before the age of 12.
5. Women who menstruated after the age of 50.
6. Women who their previous mamograms showed abnormalities.
7. Women with very lumpy breasts.
The good news is that  after a woman has had a mamogram done  and the lump is confirmed to be breast cancer, it is usually at an early stage and can be treated and cured.
Early breast cancer detection can be treated through surgery. The lump is removed and radiotherapy is used to clear possible cancer from the lymph nodes in the armpit. Another option is to remove the entire breast.
Treatment after surgery depends on a number of factors;
1.Age
2. Pre-menopausal or Post-menopausal
3. Where the cancer cells are located.
4. The size of the tumours
5.How the cancer cells respond to the female sex hormones.