What is Pink October?
October is the month dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness, the month where across the world we remind each other about the impact of breast cancer. Throughout this month people, institutions, NGO’s, companies and monuments adopt the pink colour as a way to give strength to the campaign for prevention and awareness about the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The idea is not only to commemorate breast cancer survivors but also to contribute to the reduction of mortality.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is amongst the four most common types of cancers worldwide. These include lung, bowel and prostate cancer. Put simply, just like any other cancer, breast cancer results from DNA mutations. In this case it targets cells in the breast tissue. Abnormal cells in the breast begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way and eventually form a growth/lump (tumour).
Some lumps are cancerous but many are not. Cancerous lumps are called malignant whereas lumps that are not cancerous are referred to as benign. What makes malignant tumous different is that they can spread to other parts of the body while benign tumours do not. Cancer cells can break away from the site where the cancer originated. These cells can travel to other parts of the body and end up in the lymph nodes or other body organs causing problems with normal functions.
Breast cancer most commonly starts in the cells that line the milk ducts of the breast. It mainly affects women but men can get it too. Cancer cells develop because of multiple changes in the persons’ genes. These changes can have many possible risk factors such as:
lifestyle habits
inherited genes
being exposed to cancer-causing agents in the environment
being 55 years or older
smoking
obesity
alcohol use
radiation exposure and hormone replacement therapy
These all can play a role. In most cases, there is no obvious cause.
What are the stages of cancer?
Stage 1 or 2 means that the cancer has not spread very much. Thus, it is in close proximity to the breast tissue.
A higher number (such as a stage 3 or 4) means it has spread further. Stage 3 means that the cancer may have invaded nearby tissue and lymph nodes, but it has not spread to distant organs. It is sometimes referred to as locally advanced cancer.
Stage 4 is the highest stage. This is when the cancer has spread to areas further away from the breast such as bones, liver, lungs or brain. Stage 4 breast cancer is also called metastatic breast cancer.
The cancer stage is very important when it comes to choosing the appropriate treatment for the person. Breast cancer is most often diagnosed in adults over the age of 50, but it can occur at any age.
Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:
A breast lump (which may feel as small as a pea ) or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
Change in the size, shape or appearance of the breast
Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
A newly inverted nipple
Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin
Redness or pitting of the skin over the breast, similar to the skin of an orange
A marble-like hardened area under the skin
Blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from the nipple
Some people don’t notice any signs of breast cancer at all. That’s why routine mammograms are so important.
Treatment
There are several breast cancer treatment options. These include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy and targeted drug therapy. The treatment plan is tailored toward the specific needs of the individual. Usually a single type of treatment is administed however it is not uncommon to receive a combination of different treatments.