Facts and Figures
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a disease, which causes the death of 40 out of 100,000 women in Nigeria every year. It is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. In the United States, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes, and one woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes.
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor in the breast. If untreated, the tumor(s) may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or blood stream.
Breast cancer is not contagious. Any woman, even men, can develop this disease. You can develop breast cancer at any age. However, it becomes more common as you get older, with 75 per cent of cases occurring in women 50 years and over. A woman does not need to have a family history of breast cancer to get the disease. In fact, five to ten per cent of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.
Signs or symptoms of breast cancer
The changes or symptoms that every women should know and look for include:
- any new lump or lumpiness, especially in just one breast;
- a change in the size of your breast, whether smaller or larger, or the shape of your breast;
- a new nipple discharge;
- changes to your nipple such as crusting, ulcer, redness, inversion or turning-in of the nipple;
- changes in the skin of your breast such as redness or dimpling;
- an unusual pain that doesn't go away.
Remember, most breast changes are not going to be due to anything serious, but some will be caused by breast cancer. Finding it early is the most important thing.
How to look for changes?
Every woman is familiar with the normal look and feel of her breasts. A woman gets to know the look or feel of her breasts when washing her body, showering, dressing and looking into the mirror. No body knows your body like you. If you find a change, see your GP immediately.
Remember, most breast changes are not going to be due to anything serious, but some will be caused by breast cancer. Finding it early is the most important thing.
The earlier breast cancer is detected, the better the chances are of survival. Early detection of breast cancer can make a huge difference to the likelihood of a woman living a long and health life.
Click here for information on breast cancer statistics.
Early Detection is Essential
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