A lady in her 40s came to me in a recent clinic session. Reading through her notes, I noticed that she rarely attended the clinic and did not even come for her follow-up for diabetes and high blood pressure. I sensed that something serious could be happening. Apparently, she has had a lump in one of her breasts for some time, and finally decided to come because her sister, who is a breast cancer survivor, convinced her to come get checked. After a thorough assessment, I noticed a suspiciously hard lump. I told her that I appreciated that she came to get checked, and slowly broke the news to her that this could be a cancer. Although she anticipated the possibility of cancer, I could sense that it was still a lot to take in for her. After getting an early surgical appointment for her, I reassured her that we will be with her along the way.
This incident reminded me the importance of getting checked early so that breast cancers can be caught at an early stage. I recalled a lady that I attended a few years back. She was in her 50s and had a lump in her breast for quite some time, but she decided to ignore it. The lump eventually turned into an ulcer, which healed poorly and had even harboured maggots. My colleagues and I spent 3 days trying to remove all the maggots and to clean the wound. Unfortunately, her cancer had become so advanced that it was not possible to cure with surgery.
Getting to know breast cancer
Breast cancer is the number 1 cancer affecting Malaysian women. The risk factors of breast cancer include:
- Advancing age
- Female gender (although men do get breast cancer!)
- Family history of breast cancer
- Genetic variants like BRCA1 and BRCA2
- First period ≤12 years old
- Menopause ≥50 years old
- Personal history of breast cancer
- Not been pregnant before
- Lack of breastfeeding
- On hormonal pills/ therapy
- Being overweight
- Lack of physical activity
- Radiation exposure
Recognising the signs
Although most lumps in the breasts are not cancerous, the first noticeable symptom of breast cancer is usually a lump or an area of thickened breast tissue. There are other signs to look out for:
- Change in the size or shape of the breast
- Nipple discharged, which may be blood-stained
- Lump in armpit
- Skin dimpling
- Rash on or around the nipple
- Changes in the nipple, such as becoming sunken
Detecting breast cancer early by screening
In Malaysia, we have screening program in place that helps us detect breast cancers early. For women aged 50 to 74 years old, mammography (essentially an X-ray of the breasts) can be done every 2 years. For women at higher risk of breast cancer, screening can even begin at an earlier age and may be done more frequently.
Although not strictly a screening method, women are encouraged to regularly check their breasts on their own. Clinical breast examination by healthcare professionals can also be done regularly to detect abnormalities at an early stage.
What happens after?
If abnormalities are detected, a referral to surgical team will be needed for further assessment. The confirmation of diagnosis usually requires a combination of clinical assessment, imaging and tissue biopsy.
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and sometimes hormonal or biological therapy.
Conclusion
Understanding breast cancer and recognising the importance of screening play a crucial role in detecting the disease early, and thus improve the chances of survival. Talk to your doctor early if you notice any abnormalities. Share this article with your loved ones so they can take steps to protect their health too!
Note: More articles on health-related topics can be found here.
Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor for personalised guidance and address any concerns you may have.
维尼不是熊 is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.