It is reported that in every four minutes, an Indian woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and it accounts for 25% to 32% of female cancers across the country. Yet, there is a lack of awareness among Indian women about breast cancer. With Indian women putting their health and wellness on the backburner, timely diagnosis and treatment can get hampered. It’s time you gain knowledge about this disease and prevent it with advice from doctors.
Dr Holla says, “One of the best tools used to screen women to check for breast cancer is a mammogram. Women between the age of 40-44 should start getting annual breast cancer screening with mammograms. Women between the age of 45 – 54 are advised to do a mammogram once a year. Women over the age of 55 can continue yearly screening or switch to getting screened once every 2 years. And women less than 40 years should undergo an annual sono-mammogram instead of mammogram for screening. Women should be familiar with the benefits of screening, its limitations and potential harms linked to breast cancer.
Dr Holla explains, “Breast cancer comes with its own set of symptoms just like any other disease. The five signs that one can watch out for are: – A new lump in the breast or in the underarm area – Thickening or swelling in parts of the breast – Redness or flaky skin around the nipple – Nipple discharge with blood – Pain in the nipple area”
“Advances in science have led to the identification of different subtypes of breast cancer. Simply put, all breast cancers are not the same. DCIS is a pre-invasive stage of breast cancer. Other histologies include Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, and Phyllodes Tumour. In addition, some breast cancers are hormone-positive, some are HER2 positive, some triple positive and some triple negative. These markers are important in deciding the future treatment of breast cancer”, says Dr Dangi. Dr Holla explains, “There are two categories of breast cancer that are invasive and non-invasive. Under these categories, there are 4 types of breast cancer.
Dr Holla says, “Treatments generally depend on the type of cancer and the stage of cancer you are in, which will be diagnosed by the doctor. Most common treatments for breast cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and radiation therapy. The most common treatment is surgery which involves removing the tumour and its nearby margins. These include lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, radical mastectomy and reconstruction.”
“Small lifestyle changes impact our everyday health in great ways. A few things that can be done are limiting alcohol consumption, avoiding smoking, keeping your weight in check, remaining physically active, breastfeeding your child, avoiding exposure to radiation and environmental pollution, and limited dose and duration of hormone therapy.