Information On Breast Cancer

The official phrase for breast cancer is 'malignant breast neoplasm'. Breast cancer originates most often in the inner lining of the milk ducts or the lobules that provide the ducts with milk. The general term for cancers that originate in ducts is ' ductal carcinomas' and the phrase for cancers originating from the lobules is 'lobular carcinomas'.

Successful therapy depends hugely on the type of cancer, staging and the age of the patient, however the figures vary from 10% to 98%. Worldwide, breast cancer accounts for just more than 10% of all cancers in women, which makes it the second most frequent kind of cancer in women after skin cancer.

In 2004 (the latest figures available at the moment), breast cancer caused almost 520,000 deaths worldwide, which is 7% of all deaths by cancer and 1% of all deaths. One more interesting statistic is that women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men, but women have a far greater chance of recovery (usually due to more frequent screening).

October has been nominated as 'Breast Cancer Awareness Month' and the symbol used (not just in October) is the 'Pink Ribbon'. It has become a global symbol of breast cancer awareness.

However, some businesses have been criticized for putting the pink ribbon on the labels of their products (see Kentucky Fried Chicken and some alcoholic drinks). The lesson to be learned is to check out how much that company really donates to breast cancer awareness and research.

If Breast Cancer Awareness month is to do any use, the one thing it should concentrate on is making women aware that this kind of cancer is not a death sentence, because if it can be treated early the survival rate is very high. Even cancers that have been caught 'a little late' can be treated successfully although the treatment will probably be much more severe.

All women should go for regular screening by a professional - at least once a year - but they should also learn how to test their breasts themselves and get into the habit of doing the self-test every day whilst washing in the shower. You could also get a friend to help by incorporating it into foreplay.

The knowledge necessary for self-testing is widely accessible all year round (not merely in October) at your doctor's surgery or at your gynecologist's. It is also accessible in libraries, clinics, some schools and on Net. One of the main factors that you should take in to account whilst deciding on your strategy for counteracting the threat of cancer is whether any other members of your family have had breast cancer or any other form of cancer for that matter.

One anxiety that many people in the know have is that breast cancer research is receiving too high a proportion of the whole amount available for funding for cancer research. This means that more patients are dying of other types of cancer than should be.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with the stages of ovarian cancer. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer