Women´s Health Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer and Women’s Health

Breast Cancer is defined as “a group of solid tumor malignancies arising in the tissues of the breast” (Sarah Crawford, Richard Alder, 2013) in human and other mammals. It can happen to both men and women. For women, breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death. According to National Cancer Institute, in the United States, the 2014 estimated new cases and deaths of female from breast cancer are 232,670 and 40,000, respectively. For male, it’s 430 deaths out of 2,360 new cases. From these numbers, we can see that women in the U.S. are greatly affected by breast cancer, thus, it’s not difficult to imagine the impact on a worldwide level. Although these numbers look frightening, people can actually survive from breast cancer if it is detected early and treated properly, so it is extremely important for all of us, especially women, to have a better understanding of breast cancer.

Causes

Usually, normal cells die when they are old or damaged, newly grow cells will replace them. However, if something goes wrong, there may be too many new cells when the body only needs a few of them, and the body can’t get rid of old cells, it builds up a mass of tissue called tumor. There are two types of tumor, begin or malignant. Begin tumors are usually not harmful to human body, however, malignant tumors could be life threatening. This type of tumors will invade organs and tissues around them, travel through blood vessels or lymph vessels, attach to other tissues and destroy them. Malignant tumors arise in breast tissues and cause breast cancer.

There are two functional tissues in breasts: the lobes and ducts. Milk is produced in lobules inside lobes and then travel to nipples through ducts. Around 80% ...

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...learned a lot about breast cancer, I think prevention and early detection are critical. First, we need to learn more, information can be found in National Cancer Institute website and many medical journals. It’s important that we do self-examination periodically. By identifying risk factors, we will be able to take preventative steps accordingly. If breast cancer does occur, we need to stay calm and take necessary steps. If the tissues need to be removed, they should be. Many women show a lack of confidence after the major surgery because they do not have real breasts. This situation needs to be changed. Angelina Jolie, the celebrity, was brave enough to make the choice of removing breast tissues. She believes that the results of breast reconstruction can be beautiful, so should the rest of us. Also, family support during the treatment will make a huge difference.