Be vigilant against breast cancer

Anish Maru

The number of breast cancer cases is increasing rapidly over the last few years worldwide. Unhealthy lifestyle is being blamed as one of the major reasons behind this surge.  Fat is the best source of food for the tumour cells to grow. This is more commonly seen in post-menopausal women because women in this age tend to gain more weight and accumulate more fat. Excess fat stores in the body produce some kind of hormones that lead to the development of breast cancer. Persistent high cholesterol levels in the blood have an important role in increasing the chances of developing cancer in older adults. Reducing body weight can effectively decrease the risk for degenerative changes and such life-threatening diseases. Every 10-kg extra body weight puts a woman at risk of developing cancer five years early. But an active lifestyle lessens the risk for breast cancer by almost 4.5 per cent.

Irregular sleeping patterns also have damaging impacts. Researches show that women with family history of breast cancer should never work in shifts and avoid being flight attendants. These kind of jobs disrupt the body’s biological rhythm, which increases the risk of disease. Other factors include decrease in activity levels and Vitamin D levels of night-shift workers. Studies have shown a link between light-dark inversions and breast cancer development.

Regular screening of breasts can help women, especially those at risk. Mammograms are good at finding even the smallest of breast cancer tumours. This is the basic aim of screening; to identify the disease when least aggressive so that it is easily curable. Annual breast screening should be mandatory after 40. Thousands of lives can be saved because of early detection.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie went for double mastectomy so as to reduce her breast-cancer chances. Per her genetic-profile testing, she inherited BRCA1 gene from her mother who died of ovarian cancer. BRCA1 gene poses risk of both ovarian and breast cancer. She was told to she had 87 per cent chance of developing breast cancer. Double mastectomy reduced her chance to almost 5 per cent.

About one in 1,000 persons carry mutant form of this gene and their chance of getting the disease is far higher than a normal person. An average woman has about 12 per cent chance of getting the disease, while women with this gene have 60-90 per cent chance of getting breast cancer.

Breast feeding may offer many benefits to both the mother and the baby. Recovery after delivery is very quick for those women who breastfeed and the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, ovarian and breast cancer are also reduced. These days many new mothers tend to avoid breastfeeding thinking that their figure will go for a toss. But the fact is that breastfeeding helps the new mothers shed the extra weight easily. Women need to keep their body weight in check, inspect their breasts regularly, also get their breasts examined by a doctor or expert routinely, and should have annual mammogram after 40. Breast self examination (BSE) is a screening tool with which women can help themselves in detecting early breast cancer. It involves feeling each breast for any possible lump, swelling, or change in the normal appearance, at least once a month.

 The writer is senior consultant, oncology, Action Cancer Hospital, New Delhi

Be aware

• Breast cancer cases are rising worldwide.
• Prime causes include weight gain, modern lifestyle, non-breastfeeding. 
• Genetic testing – a predictor tool can help.
• Regular and timely screening is a must.
• Regular self breast examination is recommended by WHO.