Be Breast Cancer aware and take care. Like many women, I’ve had my own experience with a breast cancer scare. It’s the waiting for results that weighs on your spirit and increases anxiety, which are not good for any situation related to our health. Another reason we are advocating for the new Cancer Centre at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, is because it would assist in facilitating a faster diagnosis, quicker treatment with less travel and stress to either Kelowna or Vancouver.
Our mother had a partial mastectomy in her 50s in the late 1970s. A partial mastectomy is, according to the National Cancer Institute website definition as: Surgery to remove cancer or other abnormal tissue from the breast and some normal tissue around it, but not the breast itself. Some lymph nodes under the arm may be removed for biopsy. Part of the chest wall lining may also be removed if the cancer is near it. Also called breast-conserving surgery, breast-sparing surgery, lumpectomy, quadrantectomy and segmental mastectomy.
Since we have a history of breast and ovarian cancer in our family, it’s important to be proactive and have regular check-ups and mammograms. I’m of the school of thinking that I would rather know than not know so I don’t mind the idea of a little discomfort at the thought of getting a bit of a breast ‘squish’ to stay on top of things as I age.
Did you know that men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer?
The Canadian Cancer Society tells us the following from their 2023 data: Men have breast tissue just like women, but their breasts are less developed. Breast cancer in men is similar to the disease in women, but there are some differences. For the most part, breast cancer in men is treated like breast cancer in women who have reached menopause (when the ovaries stop making estrogen). Less than one per cent of all breast cancers occur in men.
Researchers estimate that 260 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed in Canada in 2023 and that 55 men will die from the disease.
A cancerous tumour of the breast can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. Cancerous tumours are also called malignant tumours.
Almost all of the breast cancers found in men are ductal carcinoma. This type of cancer starts in gland cells in the lining of a duct. Doctors will classify these tumours as non-invasive or invasive.
Non-invasive means the cancer cells have not spread beyond the duct where they started. Invasive means the cancer cells have started to grow through the wall of the duct and into the surrounding tissue.
Most ductal carcinomas in men are invasive. After they grow through the duct, the cancer cells can continue to grow and cause a lump or thickening in the breast. The breast cancer cells can also spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
Other types of breast cancer can also develop in men, but they are rare. These types of breast cancer are treated the same way in men as they are in women.
Whether you are male or female, it’s important to note, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, that most breast cancers occur in women. A main reason women develop breast cancer is because their breast cells are exposed to the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. These hormones, especially estrogen, are linked with breast cancer and encourage the growth of some breast cancers.
Breast cancer is most common in high-income, developed countries such as Canada, the United States and some European countries. The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. Breast cancer mostly occurs in women between 50 and 69 years of age.
Whatever your age is it’s important to contact your health-care professional right away if you notice any changes.
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends having a mammogram at least every two years between the ages of 40 to 74. It’s advisable also that women and trans, non-binary and gender-diverse people should be aware of the benefits and limitations of screening mammography based on their age and risks to help decide if it is right for them.
Check your area for the nearest mammogram screening centre close to you. In Kamloops and serving outlying areas in the Cariboo and North Thompson there is the Mammography Screening Centre located at 102 – 300 Columbia Street. Phone: 250-828-4916 or ask you physician to refer you for an appointment.
To donate go to: https://support.cancer.ca/
