Culture and Disease
“Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women worldwide in both incidence and mortality, accounting for nearly 23% of all malignancies in women” (Odle, 2012, para 1.). Even with the research and progress that has been made in medical community, medical researchers have no guaranteed cure for breast cancer. Early detection can save lives but breast cancer is the second leading cause of deaths in women due to the no cure and no modes of transmission for people to avoid.
Breast cancer is not only in women it hits women and men. Breast cancer is a growth of malignant tumors found in the breast, while capable of spreading to other areas of the body. Breast cancer is normally found in women aged around forty five and older. However, it has been known to strike against the younger population as well.
Breast cancer affects women all across the countries. All ethnicity, population, religion and race can contract this disease. No one can run or hide from this disease. Recent studies have shown that death rates among women for different ethnic groups have all been known to die. For example, African American women aged from 40 to 50 are at a higher risk of death than Caucasian women are. Non-Hispanic women have the overall incidence rate for breast cancer while Native American women and Alaskan women have the lowest rates out of all of these groups combined.
Breast cancer patients grow vulnerable to the disease because of genetics and age. According to Breast Cancer: Age-related Factors, breast cancer has been linked, in part to the density of the breast of the patient, otherwise known as the age of the patient (Odle, 2012). Scientist has found environmental factors that have influenced puberty and contribute to weight gain that can cause later developments of breast cancer. The American Cancer Society states, the decline to use hormone therapy after menopause and choosing to breast feed for several months y aid in reducing ones risk for breast cancer as well (Breast Cancer, 2012).
Because this disease can be present and growing in women with no signs or symptoms present, screens and test are recommended for early detection. Screenings, clinical breast examinations and mammograms are ways to test for breast cancer. If a women catches this disease early, the woman has a better chance of surviving the disease.
A woman named Amanda Deforest was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 50s. She received chemotherapy over several years with no reactive side effects before she went through a double mastectomy. The surgery proved to have helped for several years until it was discovered that her cancer had returned in her lungs. She lost her battle of breast cancer at the age of 60.
There is no guarantee that cancer will be cured, only hope that the treatment that the individual picks will prohibit further growth of the tumor. When breast cancer is