Happy October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month! This month is not only about celebrating Halloween but also honoring the survivors, supporting the warriors fighting for their lives to beat cancer, and remembering those we’ve lost. This is the time to come together as a community to spread and raise awareness and be attentive to prevention and early action. Breast cancer is a type of cancer that forms in the breast, in some cases, not just in one but both breasts. A misconception is that breast cancer only occurs in women, but men are able to develop this cancer as well.
Do not fear, not all lumps in your breast indicate cancer; they can be benign, such as cysts or fibroadenomas, but it is best to check with a specialist and health care provider to ensure what exact lump you have in order to provide the correct care. Although they are not cancer, they have the ability to increase a woman’s risk of developing cancer in the future.
The breast is an organ that sits on top of the ribs and chest muscles, and each breast contains glands, ducts, and fatty tissues. Women are able to produce breast milk to feed newborns through glands called lobules; when cancer develops in these glands, they are known as lobular cancer. Ducts come out from the lobules and stream the milk into the nipple, which is considered the common place for breast cancer to start, known as ductal cancer. The fatty tissues referred to as the stroma surround the ducts and lobules to maintain their place, identified a less common breast cancer known as phyllodes tumor. Once breast cancer spreads into the blood, it becomes cancer cells and begins to get carried out through other parts of the body.
Understanding how breast cancer develops and spreads showcases the importance of taking the next step of early detection and prevention. It is recommended that starting at age 40, women should regularly get checked for breast cancer. Screening can begin as early as 30 years old, although breast cancer can occur in less than 1% of all cases, but can still occur if it is a genetic risk factor. From 1975-2020, screenings have saved around 4.75 million lives. There are different types of tests offered, such as mammograms, breast magnetic resonance imaging, and a clinical breast exam. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast, one of the best ways to detect breast cancer early, allowing it to be easier to treat. Mammograms have the ability to find cancer before they are big enough to feel or reveal symptoms. Routine mammogram screenings have been proven to decrease the rate of death from breast cancer.
Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) functions with magnets and radio waves capture pictures of the breast, which work alongside mammograms to screen women who are at higher risk of developing breast cancer, likely through carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. MRI is not regularly used for women at average risk because it often shows “abnormal” areas that are not cancer due to its high sensitivity, which can result in unnecessary biopsies and stress.
A clinical breast exam involves a physical exam of the breast done by a health care provider commonly during a yearly medical check-up. It is recommended for women to have clinical exams every one to three years starting at the age of 25 and every year starting at the age of 40.
Breast cancer awareness month is more than fundraising and wearing pink — it’s about knowledge, prevention, and unity. Understanding your anatomy and recognizing potential risk factors can encourage early detection and save lives for generations to come. Together, we can implement the change of a future where breast cancer is not a threat but instead a conquered challenge. This October and beyond, let us spread awareness, uplift others, and stay united; together we are stronger than cancer.
