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October is breast cancer awareness month, and awareness is important because it helps men and women spot the early signs of breast cancer. It also helps people understand how this disease impacts people across the globe. Although breast cancer is much more common in women, it also impacts all the men who know and love those women. Honor breast cancer awareness month by learning about breast cancer, its survival rate and how to reduce your odds of getting it.
Survival Rate
When most women find out they have breast cancer, their first question relates to how long they can live. They also want to know their odds of ridding their body of this disease. People often disagree on whether breast cancer is curable. Some say that you have it forever but can keep it under control, but others feel as if you can safely assume the cancer is cured if you go a certain number of years without symptoms.
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In simple terms, you have about a 90% survival rate in a five-year period if you catch it early. Your survival rate is around 84% over ten years, and many women even live for more than 20 years after learning they have cancer.
Treatments
You have several treatment options when it comes to addressing cancer. Some doctors push one treatment over another for different reasons, so it’s vital you get more than one opinion before making your final decision. Surgery is often a great choice for those battling cancer. If you opt for this treatment, a doctor performs surgery to remove cancer from your breasts and the other parts of your body. Chemotherapy is another option worth considering.
This treatment shrinks cancer cells, prevents them from reproducing and kills them. The biggest downside is that chemotherapy also harms the healthy cells in your body. If you want to get rid of the disease as quickly as possible, don’t forget to consider radiation and hormone therapy for the best results.
Early Warning Signs
Learn the early warning signs of breast cancer if you want to have the highest survival rate. Some people have no symptoms until they get a screening, but small warning signs could appear if you pay attention to them. Look for swelling around your breast or nipple discharge.
Redness and flaking are also warning signs about which you should tell your doctor. You must keep an eye on your health and inform your doctor about any unusual changes you notice, and those steps work wonders when your goal is to safeguard your health and increase your life expectancy.
Prevention
You can take several steps to reduce your odds of getting this disease. If you take a few steps before you get sick, you increase your chance of long-term survival more than you might think. You must do your research and determine if you have a family history of cancer to learn where you are and what level of risk you have. Next, you reduce your alcohol intake and stay away from illegal drugs. Since drugs and alcohol increase your risk, removing them is a wise step in the right direction.
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise three times per week to boost your overall health and keep yourself in the best possible shape. A strong and healthy body is much more resistant to cancer and other harmful diseases, so keep that in mind with each choice you make. Taking antioxidant supplements is another way to combat this disease and ensure your body is in fighting shape.
Final Thoughts
Breast cancer is a terrible disease that claims the lives of many women each year. If you don’t have this disease, you probably know somebody else who has it. Keep the symptoms and survival rate near the front of your mind so that you can decrease your odds of getting sick, and you might even save another person’s life along the way.
If you know anybody who has this horrible disease, take some time this month to let them know you care about them and what they are facing. By spreading awareness, you are saving lives and decreasing the number of women who die at the hands of cancer. Keeping yourself in shape is a great way to inspire others to do the same, which could save even more lives.
