Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2014
- ciaralitchfield
- Oct 6, 2014
- 3 min read
Breast Cancer is the most commonly diagnosed Cancer in the United Kingdom with around 138 men and women being diagnosed every day. Of the 50,000 women and 400 men diagnosed each year 80% will be alive in 5 years time, a significant improvement on past survival rates.
Despite these promising improvements thousands still die of breast cancer every year and urgent action is needed. October last year the Journal of Breast Cancer Research Published an article called ‘The Gap Analysis: Critical research gaps and translational priorities for the successful prevention and treatment of breast cancer’. The article highlights 10 key areas were research is lacking, it also proposes solutions and ways to address these gaps. The 10 gaps that need further research are:
1. Understanding how genetic changes lead to the development of breast cancer.
2. Identifying sustainable lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, which can reduce a
woman’s risk of breast cancer, as well as improving risk-reducing drugs (chemoprevention)
for women at increased risk of the disease.
3. Targeting breast screening to those who will most benefit, by finding accurate and practical
ways to calculate someone’s individual risk of developing breast cancer.
4. Understanding the molecules and processes that encourage different types of breast cancer
to grow, and those that allow breast tumours to become resistant to treatments and spread
throughout the body.
5. Understanding how cancer cells with different characteristics form within a tumour, why
cancer cells sometimes go into hibernation, and why some breast cancers are resistant to
treatment from the outset, whereas others become resistant over time.
6. Developing tests to predict how well patients will respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
7. Understanding how to use combinations of drugs and other therapies to improve and tailor
treatment for each individual.
8. Developing better ways of using imaging to diagnose breast cancer, track how the disease
responds to treatments and monitor its spread throughout the body.
9. Providing effective and practical support to help people deal with the emotional impact of
breast cancer and the side effects of treatment.
10. Collecting tumour tissue and blood samples donated by breast cancer patients at different
stages of their disease, alongside detailed anonymous information about each patient, to help
study the disease and develop new treatments.
For Scientists to target these specific gaps over £100 million needs to be raised over the next decade. Without this work it’s predicted what around 185,000 lives could b lost to breast cancer by 2030 while 1.2 million people live with the disease.
A strong emphasis has been placed on prevention and improvements in screening. Self checking and early diagnosis plays a huge part in preventing the disease. To help with this a ‘Five-Point awareness code’ has been produced by the UK Department of Health. This code gives 5 key points that all women should be aware of and follow, they are:
Know what is normal for you.
Check both the look and feel of your breasts.
Know what changes to look and feel for.
Report any changes to your GP straight away.
Attend routine breast screening if you're 50 or over.
We are all very individual so knowing what’s ‘normal’ for you helps you differentiate between something standard and something that needs to be checked. In general if you notice any of the below its worth getting it checked out:
a change in the size, shape or feel of your breast
dimpling, puckering or redness of the skin
redness, a rash or crusting on your nipple or surrounding area
a change in your nipple, such as in its shape or if it turns inwards to your breast (becomes inverted)
a discharge from your nipple (unless you’re breastfeeding)
bleeding from your nipple area
pain in part of your breast or armpit
swelling, thickening or a lump in your breast or armpit
Breaking down the taboo of self checking and fear of doctors is vital in order to help get an early diagnosis. Encourage your friends and family to check regularly and share anything they are concerned about. Cancer no longer means a death sentence and catching it as soon as possible give us the best possible chance of beating it. If you have a history of breast cancer in your family you should be particularly vigilant.
To read the full Breast Cancer Campaigns action plan visit: http://www.breastcancercampaign.org/documents/ga-2013/help-us-find-the-cures.pdf
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