In previous years, we tried our best to help spread information and clarify issues about breast cancer, from popular myths to tips for breast self-examination. This time, I find it fit to focus on the often neglected issue of male breast cancer.

Despite much attention given to breast cancer, one thing you will almost never hear even during information campaigns is the existence of male breast cancer. This is understandable considering that male breast cancer accounts for only 1% of all breast cancers; a very small number compared to the thousands of women falling prey to the disease each year. Even that small number is, however, unacceptable since breast cancer is no less fatal in men than in women.

The problem with so little information about male breast cancer is that men tend to put off being checked for the disease even with symptoms that to women would already be considered red flags that cannot be ignored. What happens is that men tend to write the symptoms off as a sign of some other less fatal illness, not realizing that they might actually be at risk for breast cancer. Some of the most common symptoms of male breast cancer that are most often ignored include mass on the breast, redness, scaling and dimpling or puckering of the skin on the nipple or breast area, nipple retraction, and nipple discharge. Other symptoms that are even less obvious include weakness, malaise (general discomfort), weight loss, and pain in the breast area and bones. Pain in bones is considered serious since it can mean that the cancer has metastasized.

If you, or someone you know, have any of the above symptoms, make sure you get checked by a doctor. You might be wrong, but this is a clear case of better safe than sorry.

Image credit: VirtualMedicalCentre

It should be noted, however, that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC) do not perceive regular breast self-examination as compulsory. Indeed, even the American Cancer Society sees this as an option. If I were a woman, however, I would make sure to do this every once in a while just to be sure.

So how does one conduct a breast self-examination? It is basically checking one’s breasts for lumps or any other changes. This is done in different positions – standing, lying down, etc. – all the while looking at one’s breasts for any changes. The important thing is that if a woman finds some changes, such as lumps, she should immediately set an appointment with her doctor in order to get it checked.

Another important thing to remember is that even if you conduct regular breast self-examinations, you should not feel complacent. These self-examinations should not take the place of mammograms and regular check ups with your doctor.

Age: The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Most cases of breast cancer occur in women over 60. This disease is not common before menopause.

Personal history of breast cancer: A woman who had breast cancer in one breast has an increased risk of getting cancer in her other breast.

Gene changes: Changes in certain genes increase the risk of breast cancer. These genes include BRCA1, BRCA2, and others. Tests can sometimes show the presence of specific gene changes in families with many women who have had breast cancer. Health care providers may suggest ways to try to reduce the risk of breast cancer, or to improve the detection of this disease in women who have these changes in their genes.

Family history: A woman’s risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer. The risk is higher if her family member got breast cancer before age 40. Having other relatives with breast cancer (in either her mother’s or father’s family) may also increase a woman’s risk.

Certain breast changes: Some women have cells in the breast that look abnormal under a microscope. Having certain types of abnormal cells (atypical hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ [LCIS]) increases the risk of breast cancer.

So these are only some of the most common risk factors that have been identified. For more information, you can visit the web site of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

That is why all the concerned authorities have designated a month in the year to help people become more aware of the issues involved. In keeping with the whole event, I decided to write some posts on breast cancer. Here are some stats to give you a background (courtesy of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month web site):

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, it’s estimated that About 178,480 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2007. About 40,460 women will die from the disease this year. Right now there are slightly over 2 million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer.

In the next few posts, we are going to take a closer look at breast cancer and things you can do to prevent it.

Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. These contain antioxidants that reduce your cancer risk. Consuming fewer animal fats will reduce your exposure to organic pollutants and saturated fats.

Reduce the number of man-made perfumes or deodorants you apply to your body. They all contain chemicals in small amounts but regular heavy use can lead to the accumulation of these chemicals in the body.

Get your tap water independently checked to see what kind of chemicals are in your drinking water. Use some kind of filter system for your drinking water to remove the trace chemicals from your water left behind by the treatment process.

Don’t smoke tobacco. Studies by the California Air Resources Board concluded that younger, pre-menopausal women exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Drink alcohol in moderation, excess consumption affects your liver and can cause depression. Wine is probably the healthiest option compared to beer or spirits but it should be consumed with food.

Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight puts a lot of stress on the organs in the body and on the joints. You are more prone to diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteo-arthritis when you are overweight.

Avoid prolonged use of any prescription drugs or oral contraceptives because these are associated with an increased risk of serious side effects such as breast cancer in the case of contraceptives.

Reduce exposure to toxic pesticides by eating organic food and avoiding synthetic weed- and insect-killers. Also use more environmentally friendly cleaning agents in your house avoid using strong bleaches and chemicals.

Get some exercise. Just 30-40 minutes a day is better than nothing. You don’t have to go to a gym, just walking or cycling would help to keep the heart healthy.

As an alternative, the use of herbal medicine has done wonders for various illnesses such as cancer and heart associated problems. This can be attributed to the fact that the substances and composition that all extracted herbs offer are found to negate and improve the body components.

Weird as they may sound, taste or look, it is the healing effect that holds the truth towards a successful fight against diseases and illnesses. It is not purely a matter of relying on your doctor for advice but also a matter of taking into consideration that herbal plants are existent for a reason, a health reason.

Technorati Tags: herbs, herbal plants, natural healting, alternative medicine

To drink or not to drink? That is the question.

I must admit all these new studies about the benefits and negative effects of each and every food and drink I like makes my head spin. They said alcohol is good for your heart but now new findings state that it actually leads to increased risk for cancer. So what should one do? I guess it depends on whether you’re more afraid of a heart attack or getting cancer!

Seriously though, even moderate amounts of alcohol leads to increased cancer risk. According to Oxford University researchers women that drank more than 2 alcoholic beverages a week increases their risk by 2% while those that had 7 to 14 drinks a week increased their cancer risk by 5%. And alarmingly those that drink 15 or more alcoholic beverages a week increase their cancer risk by up to 15%!

So what does this mean? According to doctors what it means is that you shouldn’t use the healthy heart excuse to drink lots of alcohol because they now how the cancer rebuttal. At the same time according to Dr Alan Kristal of the Cancer Prevention Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, moderate alcohol intake is acceptable since the benefits to the heart outweighs the increase in cancer risk. Remember moderation is the key. So keep to the American Cancer Society’s recommendation and limit your alcohol intake to one drink a day for women and a couple of drinks a day for men.

According to breast surgeon Trevor Smith, a change in lifestyle may actually help prevent breast cancer. He urges everyone to pay more attention to the link between breast cancer and lifestyle. Stuff, a New Zealand web site, ran this story today:

Hundreds of published studies identified risk factors which people can easily control and the challenge is to motivate people to want to change, Dr Smith says.

Healthy nutrition should be more plant-based and less processed and energy dense. A binge drinking culture contributes to the risk and alcohol should be limited to one drink a day.

He says he is not trying to promote elimination but moderation. Limiting alcohol is not a popular message, but drinking alcohol daily increases the risk by 10 percent.

“Every bit you do is an investment in your health.”

From the age of 30 women should get an annual breast check and by the age of 40 be having mammograms.

The book, called Breast Care, was launched two months ago, providing a new approach presented in a positive way, he says.

Though his ideas have not gained much ground as of yet, I am inclined to take up for his advice. Again, it wouldn’t hurt to examine one’s lifestyle, would it?

Myth #5: Physical injury or force on the breast can cause breast cancer.
I totally believed this one, to be honest. However, it is completely unfounded. Sometimes, breast cancer is detected in women who have recently experienced trauma in their breast area. The trauma is not the cause of the breast cancer, though. There is no link between trauma and breast cancer.

Myth #6: Breast self-examination is best done in the shower.
There are really no hard and fast rules as to where you conduct your breast self-examination. However, it would be better to do it when your skin is dry. Wet soapy hands are slippery and it may be harder to detect any existing lumps.

Myth #7: Women with small breasts are not likely to get breast cancer.
Breast size has nothing to do with breast cancer. Just because you have small breasts should not be an excuse to be complacent about the possibility of breast cancer.