Healthcare Corner: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Hello again from Beth, your pharmacy chick on the Healthcare Corner! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the United States, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. If breast cancer is caught early in localized stages, treatments are now available, resulting in a 5-year relative survival rate of over 99 percent. Breast cancer occurs when malignant cells form in the breast tissue. Different types of breast cancer affect both women and men. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers. The risk of men developing breast cancer is 1 in 755, with black men having the highest incidence.

The main risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and getting older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years or older. There are some risk factors that cannot be changed. These include getting older, having a genetic mutation (inherited changes to genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2), early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), having dense breasts, a personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer, or previous radiation therapy that involved the chest area. There are some risk factors, however, that can be changed. These include not being physically active, being overweight or obese especially after menopause, taking hormones especially during menopause, drinking alcohol, having first pregnancy after age 30, and not breastfeeding.

Just like with many other health conditions, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol intake are the best preventative measures we can take. Early screening and detection of breast cancer is the next step. Although breast cancer screening cannot prevent breast cancer, it allows detection of breast cancer earlier when it is easier to treat. Beginning in adolescence, regular breast self-examination is especially important. Learning what is normal for you helps you to recognize when there is a change for you. If there is a change in the look and feel of your breasts, alert your healthcare provider. Mammograms can detect tumors before they can be felt, so talk with your healthcare provider and follow the recommended screening schedule for you based on your risk factors.

Treatments for breast cancer involve local and systemic treatments. Local treatments include surgery and radiation therapy. Systemic treatments are used to reach cancer cells almost anywhere in the body. These treatments can include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Most often, a combination of therapies is used during treatment for breast cancer. Hormone therapy is often used after surgery to reduce the risk of cancer coming back since 2 out of 3 breast cancers are hormone-receptor positive. It is usually taken for at least 5 to 10 years. Most of these drugs are used to lower estrogen levels or stop estrogen from acting on breast cancer cells. Targeted therapy works differently from chemotherapy. These drugs target the changes in cells that cause cancer. Some of these target the HER2 protein that tends to cause breast cancers that grow and spread more aggressively. Some of these therapies target cancer cells that have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. As more research is conducted into the changes that occur in cells that cause cancer, new drugs that specifically target these changes are being developed. It is important to find a cancer care team that you can discuss treatment options with comfortably. You must think about each of your choices carefully. Weigh the benefits of each treatment option against the possible risks and side effects.

Metastatic breast cancer is a breast cancer that spreads beyond the breast to other parts of the body, usually bones, lungs, liver, or brain. It is the most advanced stage of breast cancer, usually called stage IV or advanced breast cancer. Even though this cancer is in another part of the body, it is still breast cancer and is treated as breast cancer. Most often, metastatic breast cancer occurs years after a person has completed treatment for early breast cancer, although some people are first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Although these breast cancers cannot be cured now, they can be treated by focusing on extending life and maintaining quality of life.

A diagnosis of any type of cancer can be intimidating and overwhelming. Reaching out to someone who has experienced the diagnosis and treatments of cancer can provide a voice of reason and calm. There are many people in White County who are ready and willing to share their experiences and connections with new cancer patients.

Remember, you can always stop by and see me at Sparta Drug Center or one of the pharmacists at Payless Family Pharmacy with any questions you have about any of our topics or other healthcare needs.