Beating Breast Cancer

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We mark each October with pink ribbons to raise awareness of breast cancer – and to remind ourselves of the vital roles mammograms and self-screening play in the early detection of this killer disease. These colors – and the accompanying early detection reminders – have become very familiar to most of us. We see and hear them every October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

But the battle women are facing is a year-round struggle.

Our pink ribbons need to be displayed – proudly. And the messages underpinning them need to be shared – loudly. Not just in October, either. This year alone, 360,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation – and approximately 42,250 women will die of the disease.

Some other facts:

• Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. 
• One in eight American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes.
• One in three of these cases will become metastatic.
• Black women are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.
• Men can develop breast cancer, too.

Despite the gravity of the situation, the first step in fighting back against breast cancer is remarkably simple: Sit down and talk to your loved ones. Tell your mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, wife, daughter or friend just how important they are to you – and just how important it is for them to get regular screenings.

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Also, use these conversations to learn more about your family history – and recognize any potential increased exposure you may have to risk factors that could lead to breast cancer.

“It’s very important that women ask questions, not just about their immediate family, but their extended family as well,” said Sindusha Gudipally, MD. “Know your family history generation-wise – and learn about exposure to things like alcohol, or radiation, or birth control pills, or hormone replacement therapy. It’s important for women to know that these things can also contribute to their breast cancer risk.” 

Dr. Gudipally is an oncologist at Lexington Medical Center, an award-winning hospital system in the Midlands region of South Carolina. She says women have two powerful weapons in their prevention arsenal: Knowing their family’s medical history and having a mammogram. 

“Annual screenings are recommended at least from age 40 to 74,” Dr. Gudipally said. “And if they’re active or very active, even beyond 74. Women can be screened up to 80 or 85 years. And on the other end of the age spectrum, sometimes there is also a family history and certain risk factors that they carry, which means they should be screened much sooner, starting at age 35.”

Time is of the essence when breast cancer is involved. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), getting screened every two years reduces breast cancer deaths by 26 percent for women under 75. Screening has also contributed to a 29 percent reduction in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer that spreads to other parts of the body, per the CDC.

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“The earlier that we catch the cancer, the early stage of the cancer, it is more curable,” Dr. Gudipally noted. “And medical advances are leading to better outcomes for many patients.”

The Women’s Imaging Center at Lexington Medical Center offers a wide range of “diagnostic services for breast health,” including:

• 3D mammography
• Breast Ultrasound
• Stereotactic and Ultrasound Biopsy
• Breast MRI and MRI Biopsy

The center promises to give patients a “definitive diagnosis” within five days of detecting a breast abnormality. Depending on the severity of the cancer, numerous treatment options are available.

“In stage four cancers, we can do immunotherapy,” Dr. Gudipally said. “There are also some targeted therapy options for the genes linked to breast cancer. We can also give a lot more mutation-derived treatment options. Targeting the mutation that’s responsible for breast cancer and treating that definitely increases the survival grades.”

While screenings are critically important, women should remain on the lookout for changes in their body by conducting regular self-exams.

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“Sometimes, patients do end up developing breast cancer in between mammograms, so I definitely encourage women to perform self-exams at least once a month so that they can be more aware of what is happening,” Dr. Gudipally noted. “Look for signs and symptoms like changes in the size or the shape of the breast, or having any pain, having any new lump that they can feel, having any nipple discharge, skin-related changes, all those are things to look out for.”

And while breast cancer strikes women far more than males, there’s still an important role men can play in stopping this killer: Talk to the women in your life. Encourage them to get regular screenings and to perform monthly self-exams.

According to the American Cancer Society, “advances in early detection and treatment” have reduced breast cancer mortality rates in the United States by 44 percent since 1989 – averting approximately 517,900 breast cancer deaths.

How many lives can you add to that total by reaching out to the women you love?

That is the real message underpinning the pink ribbon… and it’s one we need to remember the whole year ’round.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.

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