|
Regular checkups are the key
By Mary Madewell
Published October 29, 2009
My how time slips away when you’re having fun.
That’s why I’ve decided to have my yearly mammogram every October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Some might question why I would devote a column to such a personal topic, but after attending a seminar Oct. 20 on the subject at Paris Regional Medical Center and reading Dr. Steven Clifford’s column in The Paris News this past week I am convinced October is the best time for me to have this important screening each year. Breast Cancer Awareness Month will serve as a reminder.
Following the seminar presented by PRMC radiologist Dr. Raj Hashmi, (no relation to cardiologist Dr. Arjuand Hashmi) I made an appointment right away. Thinking it had been only a couple of years since my last screening, I was quite shocked to learn my lastest mammogram was in 2006. That’s way too long at my age when chances of breast cancer increase as I get older.
That was one of the myths Dr. Hashmi discussed at the PRMC seminar, along with many other eye-openers. The older you are, the more chance you have for developing the disease. I believed I was past the age of breast cancer danger.
Hashmi explained briefly what cancer is, prefacing his remarks with information about how cells divide in our body to promote growth when we need it, like when we cut ourselves. The body also tells cells when to quit dividing, but in the case of cancer cells they lose that regulatory function and just keep growing and growing and invade other tissue, something normal cells do not do. Some factors in causing these invasive cells include heredity and external factors like infections and chemicals.
Although most people believe cancer is a fairly new disease, Hashmi said it has been around forever — documented way back, like 1900 BC.
Both men and women can develop breast cancer, something many folks do not realize. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 1,910 men who will be newly diagnosed this year. So guys, you better check with your doctor.
Another myth Dr. Hashmi disclosed is that cancer is mostly inherited. That got my attention because I have no history of breast cancer in my family so I haven’t been too concerned. But 70 percent of women who have breast cancer have no family history of the disease. So heredity is not as big a factor as I assumed.
In his column, Dr. Clifford really got my attention with his analogy of 99 women in a room. Thirteen of the women will have breast cancer sometime in their lives. That’s about a one-in-eight chance of getting cancer. My luck is not all that good and a one- to-eight spread is too close for me. In fact, breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in America with skin cancer being number one.
Guess I need to see about these sun spots on my face and arms since women of my generation basked for hours in the sun.
Hashmi became a little technical explaining the different types of breast cancer, but the bottom line is the earlier cancer is discovered the better chance one has of surviving. Mammograms can discover abnormal cells sometimes years before a lump can be felt.
Deodorants do not cause breast cancer, a myth prevalent some years ago. Hair products, such as straighteners, don’t cause cancer as once believed. Cigarette smoking doesn’t cause breast cancer either, to my surprise. But the down side to tobacco use is that it does cause lung cancer — and that is the deadliest cancer of all. Injuries to the breast do not cause breast cancer — that’s just another myth. Following an injury, Dr. Hashmi said women are proned to check their breast — a good thing, something that should be done on at least a monthly basis along with a yearly exam by a physician.
Breast biopsies —performed if mammograms reveal a concern— do not cause cancer to spread, something Dr. Hashmi said is just another myth. But there are other cancers in the body that could be spread by biopsies.
As Dr. Clifford stated in his column, the best defense against breast cancer is early detection. That’s why monthly breast self-examination and an annual mammogram starting at age 40 are important.
Time flies. How long has it been since your latest mammogram?
Mary Madewell is managing editor of The Paris News.
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Letter
|
|
 |
|
|
