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A mammogram is a test that displays breast tissues through an X-ray image. This test is known as a mammography. Through this scan, one is able to view the inner structures of the breast and be able to identify abnormal tissues. These tissues account for breast defects. These cells at times triple excessively and their accumulation leads to abnormalities. Some of the results of an abnormal mammogram include tumors, cysts, and calcifications. Breast cancer is also detected by this technique. Abnormal mammogram is therefore a breast exam to test for defects. Mammography has proved its efficacy in picking out various breast defects. However, it is not able to diagnose some cancers due to various factors. Women have therefore been advised to conduct a Breast Self-Examination test, (BSE). This has proved more efficient. It involves a physical examination where a woman fondles her breast feeling for unusual lumps.

Mammograms are recommended to women between the ages of 35 and 40. This is supposed to become more frequent at the age of 40. Women who may be at a high risk of contracting breast cancer are advised to start at earlier ages. Breast tissues harbor the cancerous cells out of the uncontrolled multiplication of cells. Breast cancer manifests itself as a small tumor in the breast. As cancer develops, this lump may spread to other parts of the body. However, it is important to note that not all lumps are cancerous. They are referred to as benign. It is advisable to seek medical attention where the tissue will be examined to establish what it really is.

Abnormal mammogram is also detected in men who can also suffer from breast cancer. The reported cases have however been few with women taking the lead. Breast cancer is dangerous and comes second in the world’s leading death causes. Abnormal mammogram is treatable if people seek medical attention early enough. This is because it is quite hard to treat a cancer that has already spread all over the body. Abnormal mammogram has several symptoms, which need to be monitored and reported immediately. A lump can be felt in the under arms or in the breast. This lump is painless and becomes more pronounced after the monthly period. The armpit swells up but there is no registered pain. The breast may become tender and painful to the touch. This can signify cancer and one should seek medical attention for verifications. At times, the breast may exhibit a depression. This is a cause for alarm as tumors have a varied way or registering themselves. One should also be on the look out for changes in the breast’s texture, contour, temperature and size. Breast cancer can be treated through surgery. This is known as a lumpectomy or a mastectomy.

Other treatments include radiation therapy, which is inclined on destroying the cancerous cells. It involves chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Biological, therapy is also applied and it destroys the cancer cells using the body’s immunity. Depending on the extent of the infection, all the above methods may be used.

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I’ve been awfully lucky in my folks to have not had a relative diagnosed as having breast cancer, and after 5 years of covering events centered around breast cancer awareness, I think that my folks should think about itself sanctified.

The chance comes round each October to find out more about breast cancer when charitable setups, colleges, sports groups and other setups do what they can to plug breast cancer awareness month and supply funding thru charitable events for breast cancer research.

I went to cover a walk for the cure event held at a local park and started chatting to a few of the women that were taking part. They commenced to tell me all types of facts about breast cancer I hadn’t known ,eg the incontrovertible fact that one in each 8 women will be diagnosed as having breast cancer at some specific point in their lives, and that somebody dies of breast cancer each fourteen mins. Another fact that I learned about breast cancer was that about fifteen p.c of folks that suffer with the illness are men. I stood there chatting with a grouping of girls for roughly an hour before I even started any interviews, and actually got a feeling of what the illness intended to people. I heard heart-breaking stories about ladies who had to have both breasts amputated, only to die of the illness 1 or 2 years later on.

One of the women kindly let me know that, as a man, the emotional and physical agony that goes with that’s something that I could never understand. I utterly concluded. One of the things which impressed me the most about this actual event was that everybody, man, girl and kid, was wearing pink, a tribute to those that are suffering or have died of the illness. Because I had learned so much about breast cancer, I made a decision I had to do whatever I could to raise awareness also and was told by the boy of a breast cancer survivor that putting the word out in our local paper was playing my part. On a pleasanter note, two weeks later I was covering a highschool soccer game, and I was taking some notes when a co-worker of mine looked over and saw that I was writing with a pink pen.

He started to give me some flack about it, and asked where I had gotten the pen. When I told him that I purchased it at a breast cancer awareness fundraiser to show my support for the war against the illness, he informed me that he wished he could crawl beneath a stone and don’t come out. I’ve been taught so much about breast cancer in my time as a writer, and I feel just like a more rounded person due to that. There’s still much work to be done apropos uncovering a cure, but with the effort that so many folk put in to raising awareness about the illness, I’m optimistic it’s only a matter of time before it’s a thing of the past.

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More than 215,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. For many of them, surgery to remove the tumor is just the first step in the battle against the disease, often followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy. After that, these women may need to decide with their doctor whether to have “adjuvant therapy”-medication to help prevent their cancer from coming back.

When a woman's breast cancer does come back or spreads to other parts of the body, she may be at greater risk of dying from the disease. Women whose breast cancer is detected in the nearby lymph nodes at diagnosis and those who receive chemotherapy after surgery are considered to be at increased risk for breast cancer recurrence.

Postmenopausal women whose early-stage breast cancer is hormone-sensitive have a new option as their first hormone therapy following surgery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved Femara?(letrozole tablets) on December 28, 2005 for this type of use. This approval was based on a median of 24 months of treatment. The study is still ongoing to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of Femara. Already a leading breast cancer treatment, Femara is now the only medicine in a group called aromatase inhibitors that is approved for use both immediately following surgery and after five years of tamoxifen. The FDA granted Femara a priority review, a distinction reserved for medications that could potentially offer a significant improvement compared to products currently on the market.

Tips for Living Healthy

Discuss postsurgery treatment options with an oncologist. Whether you’re one, five or 10 years beyond your diagnosis, taking care of your overall health and well-being can also reduce your risk of cancer coming back and give you the energy to do the things in life that you love.

Practice good nutrition
Exercise regularly
Tap into a support network
Take time out for yourself

Editors Note: Important safety information

Femara (letrozole tablets) is approved for the adjuvant (following surgery) treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor

positive early breast cancer. The benefits of Femara in clinical trials are based on 24 months of treatment. Further follow-up will be needed to determine long-term results, safety and effectiveness.

Talk to your doctor if you’re allergic to Femara or any of its ingredients. You should not take Femara if you are pregnant as it may cause fetal harm. You must be postmenopausal to take Femara. Some women reported fatigue and dizziness with Femara. Until you know how it affects you, use caution before driving or operating machinery. There was an increase in cholesterol in patients on Femara versus tamoxifen (5.4% vs. 1.2%).

In the adjuvant setting, commonly reported side effects were generally mild to moderate. Side effects seen in Femara versus tamoxifen included hot flashes (33.7% vs. 38%), joint pain (21.2% vs. 13.5%), night sweats (14.1% vs. 13.5%), weight gain (10.7% vs. 12.9%) and nausea (9.5% vs. 10.4%). Other side effects seen were bone fractures and osteoporosis.

About the author: Vince del Monte is an expert in plastic surgery and dental problems.

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