October Breast Cancer Day

October is breast cancer awareness month, an annual campaign to enlighten people about breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most ubiquitous form of cancer. This disease has become a primary problem all across the world.

Breast cancer is described by uncontrolled growth of cells, which results in formation of lumps within the breast. It is one of the treatable forms of cancers. If not identified early, it can be a life threatening disease as it can also spread to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer affects women both in the developing and the developed world. It can transpire at any age but, it is most common in women above the age of 40 years. The average age of evolving breast cancer has also undergone a significant shift from 50 - 70 years to 30 - 50 years.

Risk Factors:

Family History: Women whose mother or sister had breast cancer carry a higher risk of evolving this disease.
Breast lumps- Women who have had any type of non-cancerous breast lumps are more likely to develop cancer later on.
Dense breast tissue - Women with dense breast tissue have a greater chance of developing breast cancer.
Age: As women get older, they are at greater risk of breast cancer.
Diet and lifestyle choices: Women who smoke, eat high fat diet, drink alcohol are more at risk of evolving breast cancer.
Radiation Exposure: Frequent exposure to X-Rays and CT scans may raise a women's chance of evolving breast cancer.
Obesity: Overweight women are at a greater risk of evolving breast cancer.
Oestrogen exposure – Women who started having periods earlier or entered menopause later than usual are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. This is because their bodies have been exposed to oestrogen for longer duration.

October is breast cancer awareness month, an annual campaign to enlighten people about breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most ubiquitous form of cancer. This disease has become a primary problem all across the world.

Breast cancer is described by uncontrolled growth of cells, which results in formation of lumps within the breast. It is one of the treatable forms of cancers. If not identified early, it can be a life threatening disease as it can also spread to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer affects women both in the developing and the developed world. It can transpire at any age but, it is most common in women above the age of 40 years. The average age of evolving breast cancer has also undergone a significant shift from 50 - 70 years to 30 - 50 years.

Risk Factors:

Family History: Women whose mother or sister had breast cancer carry a higher risk of evolving this disease.
Breast lumps- Women who have had any type of non-cancerous breast lumps are more likely to develop cancer later on.
Dense breast tissue - Women with dense breast tissue have a greater chance of developing breast cancer.
Age: As women get older, they are at greater risk of breast cancer.
Diet and lifestyle choices: Women who smoke, eat high fat diet, drink alcohol are more at risk of evolving breast cancer.
Radiation Exposure: Frequent exposure to X-Rays and CT scans may raise a women's chance of evolving breast cancer.
Obesity: Overweight women are at a greater risk of evolving breast cancer.
Oestrogen exposure – Women who started having periods earlier or entered menopause later than usual are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. This is because their bodies have been exposed to oestrogen for longer duration.

Breast cancer is described by uncontrolled growth of cells, which results in formation of lumps within the breast. It is one of the treatable forms of cancers. If not identified early, it can be a life threatening disease as it can also spread to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer affects women both in the developing and the developed world. It can transpire at any age but, it is most common in women above the age of 40 years. The average age of evolving breast cancer has also undergone a significant shift from 50 - 70 years to 30 - 50 years.

Risk Factors:

Family History: Women whose mother or sister had breast cancer carry a higher risk of evolving this disease.
Breast lumps- Women who have had any type of non-cancerous breast lumps are more likely to develop cancer later on.
Dense breast tissue - Women with dense breast tissue have a greater chance of developing breast cancer.
Age: As women get older, they are at greater risk of breast cancer.
Diet and lifestyle choices: Women who smoke, eat high fat diet, drink alcohol are more at risk of evolving breast cancer.
Radiation Exposure: Frequent exposure to X-Rays and CT scans may raise a women's chance of evolving breast cancer.
Obesity: Overweight women are at a greater risk of evolving breast cancer.
Oestrogen exposure – Women who started having periods earlier or entered menopause later than usual are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. This is because their bodies have been exposed to oestrogen for longer duration.