By Cassime Joesph
About The Disease
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the national public health agency of the United States, also known as the CDC. According to the CDC, even as mortality rates have declined over the years due to prevention and awareness, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. The U.S. remains one of the top countries with staggeringly high rates due to the disease.
Breast cancer can occur in men and women but is most commonly found in women. An unstable cell in the breast can grow at an alarming and out-of-control rate. This, in turn, cause a mass or lump inside the breast.
According to the CDC, breast cancer can start in a different part of the breast. The breast comprises of three main parts; lobules, ducts and connective tissues. Most breast cancer begins in the ducts or lobules. The disease can spread outside the breast through blood vessels and lymph vessels. When breast cancer spreads to other body parts, it means breast cancer has metastasized.
The most common breast cancer types are invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma. As you may have guessed by the name, ductal cancer starts from the breast ducts, while lobular cancer starts from the lobular glands.
Breast cancer risk is due to a few reasons, one of which is age. Most breast cancers are diagnosed after the age of 50. Other known risk factors include, but are not limited to, a personal history of breast cancer or specific non-cancerous breast disease, having dense breasts, genetic mutations, reproductive history and family history.
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic form of the female hormone estrogen. According to the CDC, exposure to DES was given to women in the U.S. between 1940 and 1971 to prevent miscarriage, premature labor and related pregnancy complications. Women who took the product or whose mothers took the product while pregnant have a higher risk of breast cancer.
Pueblo Community Take Charge of the Fight
The Pueblo community is taking this fight against breast cancer very seriously. In October 2022, St. Mary-Corwin Hospital opened a new Breast Cancer Screening Center. Found on Centura.org, information about the hospital’s breast care services quotes, “from screening and diagnosis to treatment and counseling, our program is specifically designed to meet the needs of patients with breast problems, breast cancer or general concerns about breast health.”
St. Mary-Corwin Hospital offers services, including three-dimensional mammography. This equipment can help technologists get patients through the process efficiently and still give the
In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awa
reness Month, on Oct. 27, students from Pueblo Community College (PCC) and anyone in the community who wanted to join went for a cold, brisk 15-minute walk around PCC to bring awareness to breast cancer and show support for the cause.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there are more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. This includes women still being treated and those who have completed treatment. Awareness surrounding breast cancer is critical as early detection, often through screening, can catch the disease when it is most treatable. The ACS continues to have relevant information about breast cancer on its website at cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.
