Taking a Look at Breast 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)

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

In today’s society, women are not getting their mammograms done because they feel they are not necessary or because they are afraid of the results of the mammograms. Since women do not get their mammograms done, they are exposed to breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, women who get mammograms, reduce about “15% to 20% in mortality from breast cancer” (“National Cancer Institute” 1). If women would increase the rate of getting mammograms, there will be less deaths in women.

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

In an article by Tupper and Holm (2015) a review of literature is performed on the pros and cons of mammography screening. Experts disagree on the usefulness of routine screening and some feel that routine mammograms cause more harm due to over diagnosing. It is estimated that 1 in 6 cancers are over diagnosed by mammograms causing undo harm to the patient who is receiving therapy for a tumor that would never probably bother them. Other experts argue that cancer rates are down due to increased screenings. Tupper and Holm (2015) address arguments on both sides of the controversy along with providing information on how to educate patients so that they can make an informed decision on screening and decreasing risk

Early detection of breast cancer requires early diagnosis of women with breast cancer symptoms, and in addition can include more intensive breast cancer screening in women without recognized cancer symptoms. When properly collected and documented in hospital-based, regional or national cancer registries,

Highlights from the 2016 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Conference (NCCN) indicated there was agreement on the efficacy of film mammography screening (Bevers, Bibbins-Domengo, & Oeffinger, 2016). However, The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the NCCN disagreed on two items: when to begin screening (40, 45, or 50 years of age) and frequency of screening, annual versus biennial (Bevers, Bibbins-Domengo, & Oeffinger, 2016). The NCCN recommends annual screening to begin at 40 years of age after counseling for risks and benefits. Regarding reliability and validity, the USPSTF formulated its’ current recommendations based on eight randomized controlled trails and over 200 observational trials. The NCCN argues that the studies used by the USPTF were done in the 1970s and 1980s using single view scans and older techniques. The NCCN further argued that when studying real world observations using current state-of-the art mammography equipment, and adjusting for confounders, the mortality reduction is closer the 35% in certain populations, as opposed to, the 18% mortality rate cited by the USPSTF (Bevers, Bibbins-Domengo, & Oeffinger, 2016). With regards to benefits, the NCCN argued that women screened are less likely to be diagnosed with advance stage breast cancer, and

In today’s society many women are not getting their mammograms done because they feel like they are not necessary or because they are scared of the results of the mammograms. Since women do not get their mammograms done they are more exposed to breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, women who get mammograms reduce about “15% to 20% in mortality from breast cancer” (“National Cancer Institute” 1). If women would get their mammograms the rate number increase and there will be less deaths in women.

Recently the age at which women should start getting mammograms has increased having a negative effect. Research shows that approximately 17% of breast cancer deaths could have been prevented if women aged 39-49 years of age had regular mammography screenings.6 The absolute number of breast cancer deaths in U.S. women aged 40-49 was 4,327 in 2005. A 17% reduction therefore translates to approximately 735 fewer deaths if all women in this age group had undergone regular mammography screenings. Currently, the use of mammography screening in the United States is 22% among women <40 years and 36% among women aged 40-47.1 Although mammograms are not one of the easiest or pleasant screenings to have done, it is very beneficial to women in order to catch the early stages of breast cancer and act quickly to prevent the

The United States Preventive Service Task Force recommends mammography to individuals who are 50 years and above taking into account the risks it poses to the client (Nelson, Smith, Griffin, & Fu, 2013).Mammography is well thought-out as the primary technique for screening of breast cancer. This procedure is crucial in the detection of early stages of breast cancer more often before even a lump can be physically felt(Gøtzsche & Jørgensen, 2013). In Canada, a 15-20% reduction in mortality as a result of breast cancer-related complications has been observed following the screening with mammography (Care & others, 2011)

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

To hear the word cancer come out of a providers mouth can be one of the scariest times of anyone life. So many questions pop into ones head, what do I have or how did I get it, and what do I do know. Breast and cervical cancer are two of the most common cancers diagnosed in women worldwide (Siegel, Miller, & Jemal, 2015). Breast cancer starts to develop when cells in the breast start to grow out of control and form tumors (American Cancer Society , 2015). The population that breast cancer effects is women, even though men can develop breast cancer too it is not nearly as common as women (American Cancer Society , 2015). In fact breast cancer is so common in women that 1 in 8 women in the United states will have developed breast cancer at some point in their lives (American Cancer Society , 2015). Women who are between the ages of 20-59 years old are often the population who die from breast cancer, 1 in 36 women in this age group will have died from breast cancer (Siegel, et al., 2015). Statistics show that white women have the highest incidence rates of breast cancer out of any of the other races and ethnicities (Siegel, et al., 2015). However, African American women have higher death rates from breast cancer than any other race (American Cancer Society , 2015). This difference in races can contribute to many fact that African American women usually do not have the health insurance or the right health education to inform them about the risks of breast cancer,

After careful analysis of numerous studies performed in many countries around the world, I believe that mammography contributes to increased detection of breast cancer but shows no reduction in its mortality rate. The strongest articles that support my stance surround the Canadian National Breast Screening Study (CNBSS), which is a randomized clinical trial started in 1980 which aimed to assess the differences in breast cancer prevalence in two primary groups of women aged 40-59. 89 835 women have participated in this study since its inception. The first group consists of those who underwent breast examinations supplemented with screening mammography (mammography arm, 44 925 women), while the second group only received breast examinations and

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death among females in the world. It is known for “have both a genetic and non-genetic etiology” (Milne et al., 2010). It involves a combination of several factors- such as “genetic, environmental and behavioral risk factors”- that are unique to each individual (Nickels et al., 2013). This type of cancer is represented by a malignant tumor manifested in breast cells such as the line duct and line lobules cells, just to name a few. Because there are different types of breast cancer, it is harder to create an effective treatment or therapy that would lower or prevent its death rates. Despite advances in technology but lack of monetary support, there is a higher prevalence in African countries (U.S. breast cancer statistics, 2013). It has been found that “two thirds of breast tumors express estrogen receptors” (Lopez-Tarruella & Schiff, 2007). Because of this, growth factor receptor signaling and hormone therapies have been shown as promising treatments to prevent and/or to find a cure for this cancer.

Breast cancer is the world’s second most common cancer (Symonds et al., 2012). Breast cancer is screened for through mammography which involves producing a radiograph of the breasts to allow tissue study. According to a recent survey carried out in the United Kingdom (National Health Service Breast Screening Programme. 2011), 73% of women invited for a breast screening mammography test accepted the invitation and were screened