Let's Talk About Breast....Cancer That Is

Their are many words in the English language that conjure strong emotions, but none so much as the word cancer. Six letters, used in any other word or order wouldn't bring as much fear as this word does. We hear about it all the time, no doubt know people who have had it or still have it. It is, unfortunately, a part of our lives, and weather it is technology informing and picking up on it earlier or life style reasons, cancer is the gate crasher to many of our parties.

So what is cancer?

We hear about it all the time, but do you know what it actually is? Cancer is a disease of the bodies cells. The cells grow and multiply in a controlled manner but if their is a glitch in this process, a mistake in the genetic blueprint, cancerous cells are produced. So, in other words, cancer cells are mutant cells in our bodies.

Breast Cancer: The following is information on breast cancer from the Pink Ribbon Day website

As cancerous cells can arise from almost any type of tissue cell, cancer actually refers to about 100 different diseases. Breast cancer starts in the ducts or lobules of the breast. Cells lining the ducts or lobules can grow out of control and develop into cancer. Some breast cancers are found when they are still confined to the ducts or lobules of the breast. This is called pre-invasive breast cancer. The most common types are ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS).

Most breast cancers are found when they are invasive. This means the cancer has spread outside the ducts or lobules of the breast into surrounding tissue. There are several types of invasive breast cancer:

• Early breast cancer: contained in the breast but may have spread to one or more lymph nodes in the armpit.
• Locally advanced breast cancer: may have spread to places near the breast, such as the chest (including the skin, muscles or bones of the chest), but the cancer isn’t found in other areas of the body.
• Metastatic breast cancer: the cancer cells spread from the breast to other areas of the body, such as the bones, liver or the lungs. It may also be called advanced breast cancer.

Facts:

By the age of 85, 1 in 9 Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 1 in 730 for men. That's right, men can get breast cancer too

It is estimated that 12 700 Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. 2500 of these will lose their battle

As a woman you should be aware of your breasts and constantly monitor them. Look for any changes, lumps or bumps, puckering, weeping, anything that has changed. The best time to check your breasts, is the same time every month, so after your period.

Pink Ribbon Day is October 24th. To find out more information or how you can take part, please click on the above link.