Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the breast cell and is mainly found in women, but men can get breast cancer too. After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the world. Substantial support for breast cancer awareness programs and research funding has helped create advances in diagnosing and treating breast cancer. Breast cancer survival rates have increased, whereas the number of deaths associated with this disease is steadily declining, mainly due to earlier detection, a new personalized approach to treatment, and a better understanding.
Why Is Breast Cancer Deadly?
Breast cancer is the second most common etiology of death from cancer in women in the united states after lung cancer. However, the number of women who have died of breast cancer has degraded by 41% from 1989 to 2021 due to the early detection and treatment improvements. As a result, more than 403,000 breast cancer death were prevented during this period.
Each chance of recovery must depend on many factors, including the size of the tumors, the number of lymph nodes that contain cancer, and the other features that affect how rapidly a tumor will grow and how well the treatment works. It can be challenging to estimate an individual’s chance to survive.
Absolute Risk
When we say that 1 in 8 women, or 12 %, will develop breast cancer throughout a lifetime, we are talking about the absolute risk. An individual woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer over an 80-year life span. The absolute risk of breast cancer during a particular life is lower than1 in 8. The younger you are, the lower the risk of having breast cancer.
What Are The Effect Of Breast Cancer On The Body?
At first, breast cancer affects the area where you may notice many changes in your breasts. Other symptoms are not apparent until you identify them during a self-exam. Like other cancers, breast cancer is also broken down into stages that include stage 0, the earliest stage with the fewest noticeable symptoms. Stage 4 indicates cancer has spread to different parts of the body. Affected areas may involve the liver, lungs, muscles, bones, and brain. If the breast cancer spreads to other factors, it may cause symptoms in those areas too. The effects of breast cancer also depend on the exact type of breast cancer you have.
Integumentary System
Besides the changes to the breasts, the skin surrounding your breast can also be affected by breast cancer. It may be extremely itchy and can become dry and cracked. Some women also experience dimpling of the skin along with their breast that usually looks like a dimple of an orange peel. Thickening of breast tissues is also most common in breast cancer.
Immune And Excretory Systems
In the later stages of breast cancer, the tumors have spread to other lymph nodes where the underarms are some of the first affected; you may feel tenderness and swelling in the underarms areas. This is because they are closer to the underarms.
Our lymph node can become affected by the lymphatic system, which is usually responsible for transmitting healthy fluid throughout the body. It can also spread cancerous tumors. The tumor may extend through the lymphatic system that reaches the lungs and liver. If the lungs are affected, you might experience shortness of breath and chronic cough, including other breathing difficulties. You may experience jaundice, edema, and abdominal bloating when cancer comes to the liver.
Skeletal And Muscular Systems
It is also possible for breast cancer to spread to the muscle and bones where you feel pain in these areas as well as restricted movement. Your joint may feel stiff, especially right after you wake up or stand up from sitting for a long time. Such an effect can increase your risk for injuries due to the lack of mobility, whereas bone fractures are also a risk factor for breast cancer.
Nervous System
Breast cancer can also spread to the brain, which can result in a host of neurological effects that include the following points:
- Blurry vision
- confusion
- seizures
- difficulty in speech
- mobility issues
- loss of memory
- headache
Other System
Other cancer symptoms, including those of breasts, are excessive fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
