Breast Cancer : The Most Common Cause Of Death Among Women Essay

{text:bookmark-start} Mammograms {text:bookmark-end} Mammograms are important to have because it not only affects women over 40, but it affects young and men also. A mammogram (also called a mammography exam) is a safe, low-dose x-ray of the breast. A high-quality mammogram is the most effective tool for detecting breast cancer early. Early detection of breast cancer may allow more treatment options. It could even mean saving your breast or your life. Mammograms are probably the most important tool doctors have to help them diagnose, evaluate, and follow women who've had breast cancer. Mammograms don't prevent breast cancer, but they can save lives by finding breast cancer as early as possible. There are four important things to know

Many people think that having a yearly mammogram is a waste time and that it 's not a solution to breast cancer. One hundred thousand women turn into their 30s lives could be saved by annual screening. But others might not be safe those who turn forty. For every 1,000 women who have a mammogram screening only 100 of them are recalled to get more mammograms or ultrasound images, 20 of them are recommended for a needle biopsy, the other 5 are diagnosed with cancer. "About 40,290 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2015 from breast cancer though death rates have been decreasing since 1989"("U.S. Breast Cancer...). The number of deaths was 21.9 per 100,00 women per year. These are the rates age-adjusted and based on 2008-2012 cases and

Currently mammography and ultrasound are basic imaging techniques for detection and localization of breast tumor. Breast Ultrasound is a typically painless medical test that uses reflected sound waves for further evaluation of a breast abnormality or a specific area seen on mammography. Ultrasound can locate and measure abnormalities or changes to determine if a breast lump is solid or filled with fluid. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast which may find tumors that are too small to feel. Women aged 40 to 74 years should have annual screening mammograms to lower chance of dying from breast cancer(2,15).Mammograms are less likely to find breast tumors in women younger than 50 years. This may

It is estimated that 40,030 deaths from breast cancer (39,620 women, 410 men) are will occur in 2013. Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Breast cancer death rates have been decreasing steadily since 1989, rates decreased by 3.0% per year in women younger than 50 and by 2.0% per year in women 50 and older between 2005 and 2009. This decline is attributed to prevention, early detection, improved healthcare services and reduced use of MHT.

What if the proper age to get mammograms would drop to the age of 50 instead of 40? According to Ph.D. Diana Zuckerman and Ph.D. Anna E. Mazzucco, this is what the “U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends” on doing (Zuckerman, Mazzucco 1). This is a big change in women, since now they may feel more comfortable with the idea of getting mammograms done, but at a later age. Mammograms have been used for a while now and they have proven to save lives of women. People might argue that mammograms are not effective, but they are if they save lives. In a women’s life, it is essential to have mammograms so they can detect abnormalities or cancers that can be developed. With this they can save their lives and protect their loved ones from a tragedy that can happen. Which is why I propose that there should be an organization that informs women on the benefits of mammograms and how they can save their lives.

In 2003, the recommendation from many health organizations for getting a screening mammogram was for women to begin at age 40, unless an abnormality was found during a self-breast exam (BSE) or clinical breast exam (CBE) prior to that age. In 2009, the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) unanimously voted to change their recommendations on when women should start having screening mammograms. At that time, the recommendation was for women aged 40-49 to make their own decision on when to have a screening mammogram; Women aged 50-74 to have biennial screening mammograms. For women aged 75+, the USPSTF could

Why are mammograms vital to one 's health? The most important reason why is because mammography detects breast cancer. "Around 12% of women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer" (BreastCancer.Org, 2016). The most common type of breast cancer is called invasive ductal carcinoma. "This type of breast cancer is found in 80% of women" (BreastCancer.Org, 2015). Invasive ductal carcinoma remains to be a serious problem for men and women, and here is why.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the US. About 40,000 women die from breast cancer each year, making it “the second leading cause of cancer death among women” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) requires insurers to “provide coverage for and shall not impose any cost sharing requirements for” preventive services which are “in the current recommendation of the United States Preventive Services Task Force” (USPSTF). Nevertheless, the ACA makes an exception for breast cancer screening by stating that the USPSTF’s recommendation regarding mammogram “shall be considered the most current other than those issued in or around November 2009”. By using this legislative tool, the federal government mandates health insurers to provide coverage for annual or biennial mammograms in women aged 40 and older (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2013).

The Author reports that the new recommended age for mammograms, by the United States Preventative Services Task Force, has changed from 50 to 40 to reduce the harm from over screening and overtreatment. It also reports that self-breast examinations are no longer recommended on a regular basis. This recommendation comes from evidence that there are no major benefits of early screenings and that only “one cancer death is prevented for every 1,904 women” screened, age 40 to 49. Conversely, there is evidence that frequent early screenings can lead to overtreatment

Three-quarters of all breast cancer patients are not in any of the groups considered at increased risk for breast cancer, indicating that not all risk factors are understood. As a result, doctors recommend that every woman should familiarize herself with the techniques for monthly breast self-examination. X-ray examination of the breasts, a technique called mammography, can detect tumors before they are large enough to be felt and increase the odds for successful treatment. The American Cancer Society recommends that women over age 40

Some of the newer imaging tests can detect disease in early stages before the patient can show any other symptom. With that information the doctor would decide where they would want to go from there since they have the diagnosis before it gets out of hand. Even with the sooner diagnosis of a disease it doesn’t always make a difference in the outcome, other times it does depending on the diagnosis. With the improvement of the technologies mammograms have helped bring down the death rate of breast cancer to 34% (See diagram 1). The only problem is that studies show that many woman are not getting screened for breast cancer (See diagram 2).

Therefore, a number of studies have depicted the need for BC screening/early detection in LMICs to prevent early deaths of women presenting with late stage at diagnosis. Yet, many complex issues harvest in the context of planning and implementation of BC screening in LMICs. So far, mammography has remained the main examination of BC screening throughout the world. Adequate evidence exists from some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that mammography screening is associated with significant reductions in BC mortality. But in order to be effective, mammographic screening programs must be of high quality, with appropriate targeting and of sufficient frequency. In LMICs, BC incidence is lower and occurs more in younger age groups when breast tissue is dense. Promoting a need for another, more appropriate screening examination to take place. Also, there is a lack of resources for implementing any population level screening programs using mammography. Running a mammographic screening program becomes impossible and pointless in LMICs since the costs are too high and the benefits are insignificant. Maximum cost-benefit can only take place if screening is done in an age group which has a sufficiently high incidence of BC and sufficient

Breast cancer is one of the prominent causes of death amongst women of all ages and ethnicities. However, not many people are informed that men also are at risk for breast cancer. Many non-profit organizations such as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, sports teams, food advertisers and celebrities promote the pink ribbon as an international symbol for breast cancer that is used to express moral support for women but not men. Unfortunately less research and promotion of breast cancer in men is publicized due to common stigma that only women, suffer from this type of cancer.

Breast cancer accounts for one third of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States (Cauley, et al., 2007). The first sign in the process of this disease is a lump that forms around the breasts. For this reason, it is necessary to get the yearly mammograms once a woman reaches a certain age. Also, monthly self-examinations can aid in finding breast cancer early. If this condition is found early enough, chances of survival are abundant. Most women who get breast cancer are older than 50 with 86% of the deaths occurring in this age group (Cauley, et al., 2007). Postmenopausal women have a higher risk for breast cancer, because the risk increases when levels of endogenous estradiol rise (Cauley, et al., 2007). Breast cancer is the most common cancer that occurs in women. This epidemic has a higher incidence rate among white women than in African American women, but African American women have a higher mortality rate (Breast Cancer Risk Factors, 2010). White women are more apt to develop this disease than any other ethnicity. However, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African American women (Breast Cancer Risk Factors, 2010).

Through these screenings, prognosis improves when breast cancers are discovered in their earlier stages. Better access to health care for all citizens owing to Singapore’s economic growth and urban development too, allowed for earlier detection (Jara-Lazaro, Thilagaratnam, & Tan, 2010). Life expectancy of breast cancer patients hence have improved quite spectacularly with early detection and successful treatments that delayed cancer deaths (Beesley et al., 2008). This means that more people have lived with and survived breast cancer (Jara-Lazaro, et al., 2010).