Saturday 6 September 2014

Increasing Danger of Breast Cancer in Younger Women

Cancer was considered to be a disease that affects older people.  But in modern life, youngsters are also vulnerable to this fatal disease as the old ones.  Among the many types of cancers, breast cancer is the more common one that is affecting younger women.

Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Heredity may be one of the reason for affecting breast cancer in younger age.  When a younger patient between 20 and 30 years of age approaches the doctor with a lump in the breast, the doctor usually consider it as benign lump because it is common in women.  In most of the cases, biopsy is not recommended and this lump will be removed routinely.  

But in the case of a person, who has the family history of breast cancer, the doctor should be more conscious and the patient will be recommended to an oncologist for further consultation.  In these types of cases the chances of developing breast cancer is more predominant because of the heredity.  


Treatment of Breast Cancer

By examining the result of biopsy, taken from the patient, the doctor determines the treatment procedure.  If the disease is confirmed, surgery for the removal of the affected breast, chemotherapy and radiation are the options for treatment.  

The problems of the treatment for breast cancer are different in young and old patients. Younger patients have to live for a long time, sometimes to lead a family life after the treatment; in the case of older patients, their strength to withstand the ill effects of the cancer treatment is the problem in their ripe age.  

Surgery for the removal of the affected breast can be done by removing the full breast or by removing only the affected the part of the breast.  This depends on the seriousness of the cancer and the discretion of the surgeon.  If the breast removal is in part, radiation or chemotherapy treatment will continue on the remaining part of the breast to control the further cancerous growth of that part
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Watch a video by Keep A Breast Foundation  about Breast Cancer in Younger Women below:


Effects of the Cancer Treatments in Younger Women

Younger patients are often very reluctant to allow the removal of breast because that may affect their body shape, so they are in support of other treatment options such as chemotherapy or radiation.  But if the removal of the breast is essential, the breast can be reconstructed by plastic surgery using the tissues from abdomen and back side.

The chemotherapy treatment is also difficult in younger patients because chemotherapy has adverse effects on the ovaries.  This will affect their ability to produce a healthy offspring in future.  If the chemotherapy treatment is unavoidable, those patients are advised to opt for harvesting the freezing the ovum for later use in IVF (in virtual fertilization).  The treatment for the younger women includes many psychological factors also because they have to succumb to a harsh type of treatment method in younger years itself.  It will be a better option to make them undergo some counseling services before implementing the treatment procedures.

Our present living standards are very supportive for spreading of many fatal diseases in the salad years of life itself.  Earlier these diseases are reserved for the older people but now because of the life styles changes and the changes in the food habits, younger people are also becoming the victims of many physical discomforts.  



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