The Fight Against Breast Cancer

Did you know that breast cancer is among one of the most common diagnosed cancers in the US? It is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, no matter what race, it is still one of the top.  About 230,000 women are expected to be diagnosed and about 40,000 women are expected to die from breast cancer.  Women are not the only ones at risk, men can be too with about 2,000 being diagnosed in the US, and about 400 dying from breast cancer (in 2012).

Come join the fundraising 5K walk event, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Saturday, October 10th 2015 at Liberty Park - 500 East 900 South Salt Lake City, Utah.

For more information visit: http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=MSABC_CY15_FindAnEvent

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it is to help recognize the threat that breast cancer is prevalent, especially among women in the US.  It is to help those who are fighting cancer and what we, as a community, can do to help them and future individuals as well.  We want to help them recognize early signs of breast cancer, how you can check, and what to do from there.

Recognize the Signs:

According to the America Cancer Society, some signs and symptoms are:

• Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no distinct lump is felt)
• Skin irritation or dimpling
• Breast or nipple pain
• Nipple retraction (turning inward)
• Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• A nipple discharge other than breast milk

If any of these symptoms are found then please report to your doctor for a proper screening and possible diagnosis.

Help to Reduce the Risks and Fight Early Breast Cancer:

According to the CDC the steps you can take to try to lower risks are:

• Keep a healthy weight.
• Exercise regularly (at least four hours a week).
• Get enough sleep.
• Don’t drink alcohol, or limit alcoholic drinks to no more than one per day.
• Avoid exposure to chemicals that can cause cancer (carcinigens).
• Try to reduce your exposure to radiation during medical tests like mammograms, X-rays, CT scans, and PET scans.
• If you are taking, or have been told to take, hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you.
• Breastfeed your babies, if possible.

Another way to help is to get a breast cancer screening.  If cancer is detected earlier enough, it is easier to remove/and or treat.  The different ways that you can check are through mammograms, clinical breast exams, and breast self-exams.  Also, be aware that if breast cancer runs in your family, then you are at higher risk for breast cancer.

Steps for a Breast Self-Exam according to the American Cancer Society:

1.       Lie down on your back and place your right arm behind your head.

2.       Use the 3 middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast.  Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.  Use the 3 different pressure levels to feel all the breast tissue (light, medium, and firm).  If anything feels out of the ordinary then notify your doctor.

3.       Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone (sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone (clavicle).

4.       Repeat on your left breast with left arm behind your head and using your right hand.

Cancer is a sensitive topic to our community and is something that we as individuals can help fight, even for those who do not have it does not mean we cannot help.  With support and resources that the community provides, it can help those who have cancer.