The official phrase for breast cancer is 'malignant breast neoplasm'. Breast cancer starts most frequently in the inner lining of the milk ducts or the lobules that provide the ducts with milk. The general term for cancers that originate in ducts is ' ductal carcinomas' and the phrase for cancers originating from the lobules is 'lobular carcinomas'.
Successful treatment depends greatly on the type of cancer, staging and the age of the patient, however the figures vary from 10% to 98%. Worldwide, malignant breast neoplasm accounts for just over 10% of all cancers in women, which makes it the second most common kind of cancer in women after skin cancer.
In 2004 (the latest figures accessible at the moment), breast cancer caused almost 520,000 deaths worldwide, which is 7% of all deaths by cancer and 1% of all deaths. One more interesting statistic is that women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men, but women have a far greater chance of recovery (mostly due to more regular screening).
October has been nominated as 'Breast Cancer Awareness Month' and the symbol used (not just in October) is the 'Pink Ribbon'. It has become a worldwide symbol of breast cancer awareness.
However, some businesses have been criticized for putting the pink ribbon on the labels of their products (see Kentucky Fried Chicken and some alcoholic drinks). The lesson to be gleaned is to check out how much that company actually donates to breast neoplasm awareness and research.
If Breast Cancer Awareness month is to do any good, the one thing it ought to concentrate on is making women aware that this kind of cancer is not a death sentence, because if it can be treated early the survival rate is very high. Even cancers that have been diagnosed 'a little late' can be treated successfully although the treatment will almost certainly be much more harsh.
All women ought to go for frequent screening by a professional - at least once a year - but they should also learn how to test their breasts themselves and get into the habit of doing the self-test every day whilst washing in the shower. You could also get a friend to help by incorporating it into foreplay.
The information necessary for self-testing is widely accessible all year round (not just in October) at your doctor's surgery or at your gynecologist's. It is also accessible in libraries, clinics, some schools and on Net. One of the main factors that you should take in to account when deciding on your plan for counteracting the threat of cancer is whether any other members of your family have had breast neoplasm or any other form of cancer for that matter.
One anxiety that numerous people in the know have is that breast cancer research is getting too high a proportion of the whole amount available for funding for cancer research. This means that more patients are dying of other types of cancer than necessary.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with the stages of ovarian cancer. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer
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