via BIMC Hospital
As we near the end of October, the month dedicated to raising awareness for breast cancer, we thought it essential to recount its significance. Despite breast cancer affecting a percentage of the women in Egypt (and, yes, it can affect men too), not many are educated enough on the matter. More concerningly, many are unaware of how to detect early signs of the disease. While breast cancer is a very common and serious illness, regularly following up can help to reduce the overall risks involved. In this article, we raise awareness of breast cancer and provide you with early signs of detection and things you can do to aid the cause and help others.
What Is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting women worldwide. It is cancer that spreads through the breast lymph system, into the bloodstream and throughout the entire body. Breast cancer can be fatal whether it affects one of the breasts or both if left unchecked. That’s why an early diagnosis is essential.
To detect breast cancer, there are common symptoms that can be found online. While some lumps found in the breasts can be benign and not cancerous, it is best to check with a professional doctor following the detection of one or more common symptoms of breast cancer. Moreover, regular check-ups for the disease are advised, even if you don’t observe any of the mentioned symptoms.
via Vitals
Raising Awareness for Yourself and Others
Below are just some of the ways you can reduce the risks involved with breast cancer. Most of these include keeping your body healthy in case you need to fight cancer. Others involve regularly keeping in touch with your body and being aware of irregular changes.
- Engage with regular check-ups at a general hospital or a specialised place targeted towards breast cancer, like Baheya.
- Maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Stay active, even if it’s just walking.
- Avoid tobacco and alcohol.
- Avoid harmful radiation, and don’t neglect to put sunscreen on before going out as exposure to solar UV radiation can increase your risk to cancer.
- Self-examine, and if you feel something is off, always seek medical advice.
To help continue raising awareness of breast cancer across Egypt, you can donate to national breast cancer hospitals, such as Baheya.
