pelf-ism is contagious

This post is published in conjunction with the Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please note that information presented in this article was extracted and adapted from various sources in the Internet, and that you are advised to consult your doctor for more information.

Admittedly, I am not one of those who religiously examines herself for abnormalities on her breasts partly because I wasn’t given a proper (and formal) lesson on how to do it, and partly due to ignorance. You know, those thoughts that sound like, “It will never happen to me..” However, the more I research for my Breast Cancer Awareness posts, the more I realize that performing breast cancer examinations (BSE) every month not only increases the survival rates of a patient (due to early detection), in fact, it is quick and FREE, it is hassle-free which means no help is needed at all, and you get to know your breasts!

OK, so how do I perform BSE?

1. Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips. If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor’s attention:

   * dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
   * a nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)
   * redness, soreness, rash, or swelling

2. Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.
3. While you’re at the mirror, gently squeeze each nipple between your finger and thumb and check for nipple discharge (this could be a milky or yellow fluid or blood).
4. Next, feel your breasts while lying down. Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. Be sure to feel all the breast tissue: just beneath your skin with a soft touch and down deeper with a firmer touch. Begin examining each area with a very soft touch, and then increase pressure so that you can feel the deeper tissue, down to your ribcage.
5. Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower.

For more information on breast self examinations, please visit these sites:

• The Five Steps of a Breast Self-Exam @ BreastCancer.org
• Breast Self Exam
• Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer @ MayoClinic
• How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam @ American Cancer Society
• Breast Self-Exam @ WomensHealth.gov

More on the Breast Cancer Awareness series:

• Breast cancer?! What?!
• Breast cancer-related statistics
• Breast cancer: Examine yourself
• Risk factors for breast cancer
• Breast cancer symptoms
• Breast cancer treatments
• Breast cancer news

This post is published in conjunction with the Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please note that information presented in this article was extracted and adapted from various sources in the Internet, and that you are advised to consult your doctor for more information.

Did you know that:

• each year over 200,000 thousand women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States and over 40,000 women die from this disease every year?
• an estimated 470 males die from breast cancer every year?
• one in every eight women in the United States develops breast cancer?
• the causes of breast cancer are not yet fully known although a number of risk factors have been identified?
• breast cancer can be diagnosed with self- and physician- examination of the breasts, mammography, ultrasound testing, and biopsy?
• there are many types of breast cancer that differ in their capability of spreading (metastasize) to other body tissues?
• treatment of breast cancer depends on the type and location of the breast cancer, as well as the age and health of the patient?
• The American Cancer Society recommends that a woman should have a baseline mammogram between the ages of 35 and 40 years? Between 40 and 50 years of age, mammograms are recommended every other year. After age 50 years, yearly mammograms are recommended.

More on the Breast Cancer Awareness series:

• Breast cancer?! What?!
• Breast cancer-related statistics
• Breast cancer: Examine yourself
• Risk factors for breast cancer
• Breast cancer symptoms
• Breast cancer treatments
• Breast cancer news

This post is published in conjunction with the Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please note that information presented in this article was extracted and adapted from various sources in the Internet, and that you are advised to consult your doctor for more information.

What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk). It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare (accounts for about 1% of all cancer deaths in men).

Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place. Sometimes, this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.

Tumors can be benign (rarely life-threatening) or malignant (generally more serious than benign tumors and may be life-threatening).

When breast cancer cells spread, the cancer cells are often found in lymph nodes near the breast. Also, breast cancer can spread to almost any other part of the body. The most common are the bones, liver, lungs, and brain. The new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones are actually breast cancer cells. The disease is metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.

While the majority of new breast cancers are diagnosed as a result of an abnormality seen on a mammogram, a lump or change in consistency of the breast tissue can also be a warning sign of the disease.

The increase in awareness of breast cancer risk in recent years has led to an increase in the number of women undergoing mammography for screening, leading to detection of cancers in earlier stages which significantly improves their survival rates.

With advances in screening, diagnosis, and treatment, the death rate for breast cancer has declined by about 20% over the past decade, and research is on-going to develop even more effective screening and treatment programs.

More on the Breast Cancer Awareness series:

• Breast cancer?! What?!
• Breast cancer-related statistics
• Breast cancer: Examine yourself
• Risk factors for breast cancer
• Breast cancer symptoms
• Breast cancer treatments
• Breast cancer news