Breast cancer is a malignant tumour (a collection of cancer cells) arising from the cells of the breast.According to expert projections, there will be more than 2,50,000 cases of breast cancer in India by 2015. Indian women between 40 and 50 years of age are more prone to the breast cancer, compared to those in the West where some females in their 30s have also been diagnosed with breast cancer, which mostly happens in case of females with family history of breast cancer.
The main reasons for the incidence of cancer in Indian women at an advanced age of 35 or 40 years are
- Delay in child birth as a result of delay in marriage.
- Most of the females in urban India breast-feed their children for maximum two months after delivery. This is also being cited as a major cause of breast cancer.
- Increasing obesity, especially among those who have long working hours and lead high-stressed lives. When the nature of jobs is mostly sedentary, it leads to morbid obesity.
- Early menses and late menopause increase the chances of breast cancer.
- It is clear that breast cancer in India is becoming more of a lifestyle disease, rather than an age- related ailment.
Breast cancer symptoms and signs
The most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast. In addition, the following are possible signs of breast cancer:
- Discharge from nipple or redness
- Pain in breasts or nipples
- Swelling of part of the breast or dimpling
This is an initiative by WSL to raise an awareness about breast cancer. In our next post we will tell you the types of breast cancer and diagnosis to fight against this.