The month of October has been designated Breast Cancer Awareness month. For those who are not too au fait with what breast cancer is, here is where we shed some light.
Breast cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells within the tissues of the breasts.
In normal body tissues, there is a balance in cell division and multiplication, in relation to natural cell death. This ensures that old worn out cells are gotten rid of and replaced by new, better functioning ones.
In breast cancer, this programmed cell death, as it is called when the cells dies, does not occur, due to the abnormality of the cells themselves. As such there is continuous replication of the cells and growth of the cancer tissue over time.
Because of this constant growth, the cancer cells can spread locally, as in surrounding structures and tissues, or can even invade the blood stream or lymphatic system and spread through these means, termed hematogenous and lymphatic spread, respectively.
Therefore, it is possible for those persons with end stage breast cancer to have cancers at other parts of the body, quite distant from the breasts.
This disease has been more than often linked to eventual death and so has caused many grievances. The majority of the cases of death are because persons did not get screened on time, they noticed the abnormality but took it for granted or they knew very little about the disease and thought that the changes that they saw would just go away.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month seeks to raise awareness of this growing issue. This is done through various posts in the media as well as public talks and distribution of bits of information on flyers and pamphlets. Because of the growing trend, breast cancer awareness month is important to help persons to get in the know of what to expect and when they need to take it seriously.
It not only helps to increase awareness of the disease but also to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The various campaigns during the month also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.
