Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer (10.4% of all cancer incidence, both sexes counted) and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. Breast cancer is about 100 times as frequent among women as among men, but survival rates are equal in both sexes.
According to the American Cancer Society, any of the following unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer:
- swelling of all or part of the breast
- skin irritation or dimpling
- breast pain
- nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
- redness or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
- a nipple discharge other than breast milk
- a lump in the underarm area
These changes can also be signs of less serious conditions that are not cancerous, such as an infection or a cyst, however, it’s important to get any breast changes checked out promptly by a doctor. Treatment possibilities include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and immune therapy.
The primary risk factors that have been identified are sex, age, childbearing, hormones, a high-fat diet, alcohol intake, obesity, and environmental factors such as tobacco use, radiation and shift work.
Regular exercise, weight loss, avoidance of alcohol, stressors, toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants are all helpful measures in the prevention of breast cancer. Dietary inclusion of dried beans, cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli etc), and whole grains has also proven beneficial. Brazil nuts, rich in the mineral selenium, when combined with natural vitamin E as found in almonds and walnuts are also highly effective in reducing cancer risk.
