We all understand cancer is a severe health issue. For women, breast cancer is one of the most dangerous cases. WHO also found that this is the most frequent cancer many women suffer. According to their data, 2.1 million women get this cancer every year.
Worst of all, many of them didn’t survive. The data displayed that around 627,000 women passed away. It was data from 2018. That was around 15% of total deaths among women.
Knowing the dangers of this cancer, every mother must find out, if they have it or not. The best way to do that is to detect this cancer as early as possible. Here are the reasons.
Importance of Detecting Breast Cancer Early
Higher Survival Rate
It is all related to the survival rate. Here is the detail based on the American Cancer Society (ACS) data:
- Localized (cancer hasn’t spread out of breast tissue) – 99%
- Regional (it has also infected other important organs) – 86%
- Severe (cancer has spread widely) – 29%
The data above show the survival rate after 5 years of breast cancer being detected. As the data displayed, the earlier stage has the highest survival rate. Therefore, when the mother can detect it at an early stage before it spreads to other areas of the body, she will have a higher chance of recovering.
Less-Aggressive Treatment Options
The early-stage breast cancer means that the cancer hasn’t damaged the tissue too much. It also has a low spread rate. That kind of condition is much easier to treat. Furthermore, the available treatment options are far less aggressive compared to the treatment for later stages.
Here is an example. They detected early-stage breast cancer in breast tissue. The size is small and doesn’t damage the tissue too much.
Then, the doctor will perform surgical resection. They take it to keep the healthy tissue from getting damaged. In many cases, radiotherapy will follow this early-stage treatment. However, that depends on the tumor’s characteristics and is not an obligatory treatment.
Let’s examine the treatment for the later stage. It requires systematic chemotherapies, which have a higher chance of causing side effects.
Another example is the removal procedure. The early stage only needs lumpectomy. It extracts the problematic tissue and the small area around it. Furthermore, it also has a faster recovery rate.
The later stages require a mastectomy. It removes the entire tissue. The patient will lose the breast that is infected by the cancer. It requires a longer recovery time, plus it has a heavy psychological burden.
Better Quality of Life
The mental burden of finding out that the patient has a final stage of breast cancer is much heavier compared to early-stage detection. The low survival rate will put more stress on the patient’s mind. It can affect the recovery progress. As we all know, stress can cause serious problems to our health.
Early-stage detection is much easier to accept. The higher survival rate gives hope and helps patients to be more positive. No stress because this stage is easier to treat. There is no better to have this kind of mental status when facing breast cancer.
The Detection Methods
There are many of them. Here are a few examples of breast cancer detection methods:
Breast Exam
It is a physical check. The doctors will check the breast condition. The purpose is to find lumps or any abnormalities that could be signs of breast cancer.
Every mother also can do it themselves. Many self-exam methods can be used. However, we recommend visiting the screening clinic or hospital for a more thorough and accurate examination.
Mammogram
This method uses X-ray light to see through the tissue inside the breast. This procedure is also known as the most efficacious way to detect this cancer. We can’t say that a mammogram is a perfect method. However, it is a valid method for detecting breast cancer at an early stage.
We can find abnormalities in the breast using this method. The abnormalities are varying. It could be calcifications, asymmetries, or different masses that are not supposed to be found in the breast.
The result will appear in a few days. The clinic or hospital will call the patients when they find any abnormality. Thus, they will perform more tests, including 2D and 3D mammograms to find out more about that condition.
Breast MRI
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is another technology used to detect breast cancer. The expert often uses it together with mammograms. They use it on a patient that has a higher risk of having breast cancer.
Women with high risk for breast cancer should get their first breast MRI when they are around 30 years old. However, it is only for this category.
As for women within the low breast cancer risk (under 15%) category, they can refuse to get this examination.
Breast MRI in the low-risk category could detect other abnormalities. And it could be a other condition than cancer.
Breast Biopsy
This screening method takes a part of the tissue. Then, that tissue will be analyzed to find out whether or not that tissue is a cancer tissue. This method is only recommended after the patient has gone through all the examinations above. Then, through that entire examination, they find the abnormalities that are suspected to be breast cancer. Biopsy can confirm that finding.
Conclusion
Early detection brings nothing but benefits. Mothers have a higher survival rate, so they can be with all family members for much longer. The treatment and burden they have to hold are also much lighter. Therefore, it is essential to find a proper clinic or hospital that can perform all those detection procedures.
BIMC Hospital Kuta is a renowned and reliable hospital where mothers can receive screening procedures for breast cancer. The experienced and skillful doctor and staff are ready to provide the procedure. High-tech equipment and comfortable facilities assist the procedure and treatment for this treatment. So, do not hesitate to visit and get the treatment. For more information, visit https://bimcbali.com/bimc-hospital-kuta or for Emergency call 24 hours +62 361 761263, +62 812 386 5548 (WhatsApp).
