Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a yearly initiative to increase public understanding of this challenging disease. Every year, groups of people, organizations, and towns come together to support the many people suffering from breast cancer. The theme of this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month is Thrive365.

Experts say, the incidence of breast cancer, the most common cancer among women worldwide, has increased in Nigeria and currently makes up around 23% of all new cancer cases in the country.

According to Cancer.Net, Breast Cancer is the most prevalent disease diagnosed globally, female breast cancer has now surpassed lung cancer. In 2020, there were reportedly 2,261,419 new cases of breast cancer in women worldwide.

Breast cancer is the type of cancer that affects more women in the United States than any other, with the exception of skin cancer. Every year, 1 in 3 new cases of female cancer are caused by the condition.

It is anticipated, in the United States, that 297,790 women will receive an invasive breast cancer diagnosis in 2023, while 55,720 women will receive an non-invasive breast cancer diagnosis. Since the middle of the 2000s, invasive breast cancer in women has grown by about 0.5 percent annually. This is probably brought on by an increase in general female obesity, a decline in fertility rates, and a rise in the average age of first pregnancies. Invasive breast cancer will be identified in 2,800 men in the United States in 2023, according to estimates.

Currently, in the U.S, there are more than 3.8 million women who have breast cancer or have survived it.

In 2023, it is expected that there will be 43,700 breast cancer-related fatalities in the United States alone with 43,170 women and 530 men. Female breast cancer is the sixth most common cause of mortality in the world. In 2020, an estimated 684,996 women across the world died from breast cancer.

When it comes to the rate of survival for breast cancer, Doctors can assess a patient’s likelihood of surviving breast cancer using a variety of statistics. These are referred to as survival rates. The relative survival rate is a particular kind of survival statistic. It is frequently used to forecast potential life expectancy effects of cancer. The relative survival rate examines the likelihood that someone with breast cancer would live a specific amount of time following their first diagnosis or the beginning of therapy in comparison to the anticipated survival of individuals with similar characteristics who do not have this cancer.

Every five years, experts measure the relative survival rate statistics for breast cancer. This means that the estimate might not account for improvements in breast cancer diagnosis or treatment made during the previous five years.

Hence, the need to follow the three pillars of action for achieving mortality reduction which are:

Health Promotion for Early Detection: Public health education to improve awareness of the signs and symptoms, and of the importance of early detection and treatment.

Timely Diagnosis: Public and Health Worker education on signs and symptoms of early breast cancer so women are referred to diagnostic services when appropriate.

Comprehensive Breast Cancer Management: Because cancer management requires some level of specialized care, establishing centralized services, treatment for breast cancer can be optimized.

To Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer, here are useful tips to consider:

Maintain a healthy weight

Stay physically active

Avoid harmful use of alcohol

Breastfeed your Baby

Quit tobacco use and avoiding exposure to tobacco smoke

Avoid prolonged use of hormones

Avoid excessive exposure to radiation