By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 11 Oct: The number of women suffering from breast cancer is constantly increasing, due to lack of awareness and changing lifestyles. The month of October is celebrated all over the world as the Breast Cancer Awareness Month to bring awareness of breast cancer among women. In India, every year the number of women suffering from breast cancer is thirty out of every one lakh. The average is increasing.
According to Dr Sujata Sanjay, Director, Gynaecologist & Obstetrician, at the Sanjay Maternity Centre, if one feels lumps, swelling or any kind of change in the breast, then the doctor should be contacted. Dr. Sujata says, there are 4 stages of breast cancer. If the cancer is in the first stage, then the patient is expected to recover up to 80 percent. In the second stage, there is a possibility of recovery of 60 to 70 percent. Treatment becomes a bit difficult in the third or fourth stage of cancer. If some of its symptoms are identified in time, then treatment becomes easy. Different symptoms of breast cancer are found in different women. Women can do breast examination themselves. Lumps in the breast, changes in the shape or skin of the breast nipples, hardening of the breasts, blood or fluid coming from the nipples of the breast, pain in the breast, lumps in the armpits are also symptoms. Although not every lump in the breast is cancerous, it is very important to get it checked.
According to Dr. Sujata Sanjay, increasing weight along with alcohol, smoking, tobacco, especially after menopause, increases the risk of breast cancer in women. This is because more hormones in the body are released from the fat tissue, getting pregnant at an older age and not breastfeeding the children are among the main causes. Therefore, it is important that women keep their weight under control, decide the time of conception, and breastfeed their children for at least 6 months, thus reducing the risk of breast cancer. The cause of breast cancer can also be genetic, but it is found only in 5–10 percent of women. Changing one’s lifestyle excessively can also be a cause. High-cholesterol foods such as fast food such as burgers, French fries, red meat increase the risk. Mammography should be got done once a year after the age of 40. Biopsies make the identification and treatment easies.
Maintaining fitness by choosing options like gardening or swimming also helps. Adequate Vitamin D presence in the body with low BMI acts against breast cancer.
