Breast Cancer Facts
Some Breast Cancer Facts You Should Know
If you or someone you know suffers from breast cancer, facts will help you dispel myths about this disease.
• Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer that women get, except for skin cancer with no melanoma. It is the number one cause of cancer death in women of Hispanic ethnicity in the United States. It is the second most common cause of death in American women who are white, American Indian and Asian. Cancer affects more than 1 woman in 8, over the course of her lifetime.
• In 2004, the last year that full statistics are available for, breast cancer facts include the startling fact that not only were 187,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer, but also 1800+ men were diagnosed with it. In that same year, almost 41,000 women and over 360 men died from breast cancer.
• If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, facts are important to know, so that you can fully understand what you're dealing with. Breast cancer is in actuality a growth of breast cells which is not controlled. Mutations in normal calls can cause them to grow into tumors. Normally, tumors begin in or around the cells responsible for producing milk, or draining milk.
• Breast cancer facts conclude that it is always caused by an abnormality in the genes. This sounds like it's always hereditary, but actually only about five to ten percent of cancer is due to something you inherited from your mother or father. Most breast cancers are caused by the wear and tear of the body as you age, not by heredity.
• Breast cancer has historically been treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Those methods are still used today, but there are also hormonal and targeted therapies that are used now, and that have met with promising results. Holistic treatments have also been used, usually in conjunction with traditional methods.
• Sitting in the waiting room of a chemotherapy treatment center, it used to feel like you were looking into the face of death itself. But breast cancer facts have become more available, and many more women are surviving breast cancer.
• Also important during and after your treatment, you need to pay close attention to your nutrition, because some foods can enhance your life expectancy, and others can be counter-productive to your treatment. Information on websites including breast cancer facts can help you deal with managing pain, fatigue and bone health, and also help you deal with menopausal symptoms and side effects of your treatments.
• You can take control of some of the risk factors associated with breast cancer. Facts to help you control your risk include keeping your weight at a healthy level, and making decisions on your other medications with solid information. Many more women and men are beating breast cancer, and with early detection and successful treatment, you can do the same.