The importance of talking about breast cancer is greater than ever. After all, the campaign’s main focus is precisely to make the population aware of the prevention of the disease, since prevention is always the best way and considering that the earlier the tumor is detected, the greater the chances of cure.

With this in mind, we drew up an article focused on the prevention of breast cancer. In the sequence, you will be able to check more information on risk factors for the development of the disease, the main symptoms that should serve as an alert and prevention tips.

Continue reading and check it out!

Risk factors for breast cancer

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According to WHO, there are a multitude of factors for the development of breast cancer. The main one is age, since 80% of cases occur after 50 years of age. However, there are three other categories of risk factors that can be listed. We start with environmental and behavioural factors. Are they:

Obesity and overweight after menopause;
Physical inactivity and physical inactivity;
Consumption of alcoholic beverages;
Smoking;
Frequent exposure to x-rays;
Chest radiotherapy;
We also have the factors of the reproductive and hormonal history, which are:

First menstruation before age 12;
Not having breastfed;
First pregnancy after 30 years;
Menopause after 55 years;
Use of hormonal contraceptives;
Have had post-menopausal hormone replacement for more than five years.
And, finally, the last group are genetic and hereditary factors. They are considered to be the most risk factors for the development of the disease. Are they:

Family history of ovarian cancer;
Cases of breast cancer in the family, mainly before the age of 50;
Family history of breast cancer in men;
The genetic alteration, especially in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Main symptoms

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There are some very characteristic signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Whenever one of them is detected, a visit to a gynecologist is essential. The most common symptom is the appearance of lumps in the breasts. They are the main manifestation of cancer, being present in more than 90% of cases.

Other signs include redness, retraction or resemblance to an orange peel on the breast skin, changes in the nipple, small lumps in the armpits or neck and spontaneous discharge of abnormal fluid through the nipples.

Although this has already been mentioned, reinforcing never hurts. If you notice any of the signs mentioned, seek the assistance of a gynecologist as soon as possible. If the tumor is detected early, the chances of a cure are significantly increased.

How to prevent breast cancer?

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Considering that the main objective of Outubro Rosa is to remember how relevant prevention is, we could not fail to talk about it in this text. In addition to avoiding the aforementioned behavioural factors, there are two ways to detect the tumor in the early stages and prevent major problems.

The first is to perform a breast self-examination at least once a month, without necessarily taking age into account. It is essential that each woman knows her body and knows what is not normal about her.

The other is a recommendation for women over 40: get mammograms once a year. Only it detects the earliest form of breast cancer. If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, you should check with your gynecologist or mastologist when it is time for you to start screening.

 

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