Breast Cancer : A Dangerous Type Of Cancer

“Cancer” is the name for a group of diseases that start in the body at the cellular level. Even though there are many different kinds of cancer, they all begin with abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These abnormal cells lump together to form a mass of tissue or “malignant tumor”. Malignant means that it can spread to other parts of the body or Metastasize . If the breast is the original location of the cancer growth or malignant tumor, the tumor is called breast cancer. (American Cancer Society, 2014, as cited in cbcf.org)

The Real Awareness of Pink Ribbon Month: A critique of Robin Hilmantel’s “The Problem with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

Over the past decade breast cancer has become one of the most predominant diseases in the United States. Breast cancer starts out as a malignant tumor in the tissues of the breast which is formed from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal breast cells. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. (Stephan, 2010)

The term Pinkwashing was created by Breast Cancer Action. It was a part of their Think Before You Pink campaign. Pinkwashing or pinkwasher is an organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product however they produce and sell products that are linked to disease. An example of Pinkwashing would be KFC’s “Buckets for the Cure”, since high intakes of fried and barbequed meat can cause breast cancer.

We have all seen the pink ribbons. They have become a national, if not international symbol for breast cancer support and awareness. Breast cancer knows neither racial boundaries nor age restrictions. Females of all ages and ethnicities can develop breast cancer and it is the leading most common cancer among women. Calling attention to this often fatal disease is important by supporting its victims, families and friends of victims, as well as raising funds for breast cancer research. Though males are not immune from developing a breast cancer, for the purposes of this paper, this paper will be limited to information relating breast cancer in females.

Generally speaking, throughout the United States, Cancer is a public health concern that has a significant impact amongst both men and women. At the same time, Breast Cancer indicates development of a tumor from cells in the breast known as a malignant tumor. Breast Cancer can begin at two different points, either the cells of the lobules, that are milk-producing glands, or the ducts, a channel draining milk from the lobule to the nipple (“What is Breast Cancer,” 2016). Specifically speaking about Breast Cancer among women, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016), it is the most common cancer, regardless of ethnicity or race. Under those

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in American women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). However, regular screening and mammograms can help reduce the mortality rates of breast cancer patients (LaPorta, et al., 2017). Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include lumps, abnormal changes to the nipple, abnormal discharge from the nipple, or change in color of the breast or part of the breast (Asuquo and Olajide, 2015). There are many factors that can put women at risk of developing breast cancer, the two most common being growing older and being female (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Other risk factors can include things such as a

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women in the United States. A mammogram, is a simple test done with x-ray, to screen women for abnormalities of the breast. Over the past six years, the guidelines put out by various healthcare organizations have changed multiple times on when women should begin screening mammograms. Based on statistical data collected by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), 20 percent of women go without a screening mammogram for their own various reasons, of which may be lack of insurance, lack of time or lack of knowledge as to when they should be getting a screening mammogram done due to the recent changes in recommendations. The utilization of annual screening mammograms beginning at age 40 will continue to help reduce the incidence rate of women with breast cancer, or catch it early enough so that treatment can be sought.

Ehrenreich’s “Welcome to Cancerland” narrative resists becoming normate, she is critical of the economics and gendering surrounding breast cancer in mainstream culture biomedicine. Ehrenreich states that “more so than in the case of any other disease, breast cancer organizations and events feed on generous flow to corporate support (45).” Ehrenreich writes that “it is the very blandness of breast cancer, at least in mainstream perceptions, that makes it an attractive object of corporate charity and a way for companies to brand themselves friend of the middle aged female market” (48). Corporations make a profit while also appearing to care for individuals with breast cancer. The events sponsored by corporations engage with breast cancer on a surface level, much of the “ultra feminine theme of the breast cancer “market place” is “a response to the treatments’ disastrous effects on one’s looks” (46). The mainstream often does not recognize the treatment effects, environmental causes, the long-term psychological, physical, and social impact of people who survive or live with the disease, which Ehrenreich states. Furthermore, the focus on the appearance of women show that the breast cancer market reinforces patriarchal ideals and normative modes of gendering that Ehrenreich resists. Ehrenreich states that like the marketplace, the breast cancer industry largely profits, it is a $12-16 billion industry in surgery and treatments (health care centers, chemotherapy, radiation, drugs, and other options enforced by the biomedical industry) (51). Ehrenreich notes that one-third of Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, twenty-five percent of Komen of money is spent on advertising for races (51). The survivors who participate in races or purchasing breast cancer merchandise “are the best possible advertisements for routine screening mammograms, early

There are many different diseases that terrorize the human race every day. Of all of these sicknesses, one of the most devastating is breast cancer. Breast cancer touches all types of people all over the world each day. It is actually the second most common cancer amongst women in the United States. One in every eight women in the United States has some form of breast cancer and currently, the death rates are higher than any other cancer with the exception of lung cancer. Cancer is defined by the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary as “a malignant tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis.” Therefore, breast cancer is a disease of

Breast cancer is a disease in which certain cells in the breast become abnormal and multiply uncontrollably to form a tumor. Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. (Only skin cancer is more common.) About one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. Researchers estimate that more than 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in U.S. women in 2015. Cancers occur when a buildup of mutations in critical genes—those that control cell growth and division or repair damaged DNA—allow cells to grow and divide uncontrollably to form a tumor. Breast cancer can be caused by inherited genetic factors. These genetic

Breast cancer constitutes the second most prevalent cancer most common among women of the world with an estimated 1.62 million reported cases in 2012 which constitutes 25% of all cancer cases and ranks fifth among mortality due to cancer (Ferlay et al., 2015). In the United States, according to American Cancer Society an

Audience Link: There is a large amount of men and women who are diagnosed with breast cancer everyday but they usually don’t know how it forms and ways it can be treated. Breast cancer is a very serious disease that shouldn’t be taken likely. Even if you do not have breast cancer, chances are that you know or will

One out of eight women around the world develops the most common disease called Breast Cancer. In the United States, about 200,000 women suffer from this disease and it causes more than 40,000 death each year. Breast cancer is a cancer cell (malignant tumor) that forms in the breast. The cancerous cells grow in the breast and then invade the healthy cells and the surrounding tissues of the breast and it can also spread into other parts of the body. Breast cancer is more common in women but men can also get it too. One of the reasons that males are less likely to develop breast cancer because males have less estrogen and progesterone hormones which is a higher risk of breast cancer cell to grow. There are many risks factors that can cause

Pinkwashing is the systematic marketing of products with pink ribbons or other pink motifs within brand design, which gives the appearance of the company’s intention to give some part of the profit towards breast cancer causes. Ironically, the money made from this marketing will often not significantly benefit somebody with breast cancer. The pink ribbon was originally created by the Susan G Komen foundation yet anybody can use this symbol, because there is no intellectual copyright on it. Pinkwashing is term was first coined by the organization called breast cancer action, whose mission is to “Breast Cancer Action’s mission is to achieve health justice for all women at risk of and living with breast cancer” (Breast Cancer Action 2015).