Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The second main cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer, is breast cancer.
Not only can breast cancer be found in women, but also men. There is estimated to be about
40,000 women and 460 men who die from breast cancer each year. Thankful to the improved
technology the death due to this cancer has went down dramatically but are still very high. I
chose this topic because I am wanting be a an oncologist after I get out of school. I specifically
chose breast cancer as my topic because it affected my grandma and my great grandmother.
Luckily they survived it when they had it but breast cancer is known to come back a second or
third time. Breast cancer is often known to be genetically inherited so since both of my grandmas
I feel that breast cancer, or really any cancer, is a very cruel disease and that everyone
should watch out or the signs of cancer because it can be very ugly if you do not deal with it
early. There are many people that are trying to find this cure for cancer, and some people think
they will find it and some people don’t. When it comes to what I think, I hope they find it but I
feel like when will need better technology to be a to cure something so harsh. I think that
sometime in the future we will get the cure but I do not think it will be any time soon, although I
wish it would be. I believe that the only way to really reduce the deaths due to breast cancer is to
make sure that women and men are really checking for the signs, such as lumps in the breast,
pitting or redness on the skin of the breast, like the skin of an orange, a rash on or around the
nipples, a discharge from the nipple, a sunken or inverted nipple, and a change in size or shape of
Merrill 2
the breasts. Of course the listed signs or more directly related to breast cancer but make sure to
watch out for any sign of a cancer. When it comes to breast cancer, I already know it can be
genetically inherited or it can just randomly come up. I also know that there are many women
affected by it and that it can also occur in men. But through research there is much more to know
Through a lot of research I have learned about the stages of breast cancer, the treatments,
the risk factors, symptoms and the diagnosis. Some things about this disease I already knew due
to my grandmothers having it but I learned a lot of new things. I also learned about the
misconceptions too. Before I started studying this topic I also believed that if you were to get
your mammogram on time you wouldn’t get breast cancer, but it turns out even if you get your
mammogram at the suggested time you still have a chance of getting breast cancer but the chance
of dying to it is decreased. I am really glad I studies this topic because it is important that
The second leading cause of death in women is breast cancer (Medical News Today).
Breast cancer is mainly found in women but can also be found in men. There is estimated to be
40,000 women and 460 men who die per year due to breast cancer. The death rate due to this
cancer used to be much higher but thanks to updated technology the death rates have dropped
dramatically. Breast cancer has several causes, many signs, different types and stages, different
treatment options, and many risk factors. Since breast cancer can be genetically passed on it is
Merrill 3
good to get screening done to stay safe and be aware of the symptoms and risk factors of this
cancer. Breast cancer is very deadly and doesn’t have a very good survival rate if not caught
early, because of this it is important to always be aware of any abnormalities in your breasts.
There are many misconceptions about breast cancer in social media and in campaigns.
One big misconception is that a mammogram will prevent you from getting breast cancer
(Burgess). If you aren't familiar with what a mammogram is, a mammogram is a low-dose x-ray
that allows radiologists to look for changes in the breast tissue. Many women wonder how they
got breast cancer when they got their mammograms at the recommended times. It is true that
mammograms have increased the detection of early stage breast cancer, but it does not prevent
breast cancer. There is also a big misconception when it comes to the treatment of breast cancer.
It is often believed that if you remove the whole breast and undergo chemotherapy and radiation
your breast cancer will be cured. In fact, early stage breast cancer patients who undergo breast
conserving surgery, which is the removing of the cancerous spot in the breast, have a higher rate
of survival. Furthermore, all breast cancers do not require surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
This misconception has just led to overtreatment, which has become a major issue.
Breast cancer awareness is a very good thing , but social media has really impacted a lot
of the major misconceptions when it comes to this disease. It is important that the illusions of
breast cancer are brought to attention because it is important that you know the facts and lies
about this disease. In fact, throughout studies it shows that 1 in 10 women are actually well
educated when it comes to breast cancer. This is a major problem because women and men need
to know everything there is to know about this disease so they can do everything possible to
prevent it.
Merrill 4
When it comes to the survival rate of breast cancer, it has everything to do with what
stage of cancer you have. If caught early it is likely you will have better odds to survive than if
you caught it late. Another impact to the survival rate is the treatment you get. The treatment you
receive revolves around the type of breast cancer, stage of the cancer, age, sensitivity to
hormones, and the patient’s overall health (Medical News Today). They have treatment options
like radiation therapy, surgery, biological therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. All of
these treatment options will have different effects on your body, too. Advances in screening and
treatment have improved the survival rate dramatically throughout the years, but breast cancer is
still very deadly and something you wanna always keep an eye out for.
There are multiple symptoms that men and women need to watch out for so you can catch
breast cancer at an earlier stage and increase that survival rate (Medical News Today). The
symptoms include pains in the armpits or breast that do not change with the monthly cycle,
pitting or redness of the skin on the breasts, a rash around or on the nipple, discharge from the
nipple, possibly containing blood, a sunken or inverted nipple, a change in size or shape of the
breasts, peeling or flaking of the skin on the breast or nipple. These are just some of the
symptoms to watch out for, but if you find any abnormalities in the breasts than you should go to
your family doctor where they can run tests and do screening.
It is important to talk about breast cancer awareness campaigning because it is one of the
major ways of making the risk factors of this disease known. There have been questions about if
these campaigns are actually raising awareness and getting to the attention of men and women.
Luckily, through studies we have learned that people who are familiar with more campaigns are
more familiar with the risk factors of breast cancer (Taylor & Francis). It is important that people
Merrill 5
are paying attention to these campaigns because breast cancer is such a common disease and
It is important to talk about all the risk factors relating to breast cancer so men and
women know how to reduce the risk of getting this disease. Some of the risk factors include age:
after 20 years old you have a higher chance; genetics: if a close relative has or had breast cancer
the risk is higher, a history of breast cancer; if you have had breast cancer before you chances are
greater; dense breast tissue: breast cancer is more likely to develop in higher density breast
tissue; estrogen exposure and breastfeeding: being exposed to estrogen has appeared to increase
the risk and breastfeeding, especially for over a year appears to reduce the risk; body weight:
those overweight or obese have a greater chance; alcohol consumption: if you consume more
than 3 drinks a day your risk is greater; radiation exposure: if you undergo radiation treatment for
a cancer that isn’t breast cancer you have a greater risk; hormone treatments: the use of hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) and or oral birth control increases your risk; and occupational
hazards: it has also been seen that those that work night shift have a greater chance. Another risk
factor is cosmetic implants; women with breast implants who are diagnosed with breast cancer
have a higher risk of dying to the disease and a 25% higher chance of being diagnosed at a later
stage. It is very important to understand all of the risk factors so you can try to avoid certain
things.
It is also important to understand the different stages of breast cancer and the different
types. There are 5 different stages of breast cancer. Stage 0, known as ductal carcinoma, where
the cells are limited to within a duct and have not invaded surrounding tissue. Stage 1: this is
where the tumor is up to 2 cm across and it has affected any lymph nodes. Stage 2: the tumor is 2
cm across and has spread to nearby lymph nodes. Stage 3: the tumor is 5 cm across and has
Merrill 6
spread to some lymph nodes. Stage 4: the cancer has spread to nearby organs, especially the
bones, liver, brain, and lungs. There are two different types of breast cancer. One type is Ductal
Carcinoma, which begins in the milk duct and is the most common type. The other type is
Lobular Carcinoma, which starts in the lobules. The stages and types of breast cancer are very
Some men and women are curious about the testing and procedures done if you were to
contact a doctor about having symptoms of breast cancer. So it is very important to know what to
expect from the doctor before you go. The doctor is likely to do a breast examination, where the
doctor will feel for any lumps or other symptoms. The doctor will also likely run a mammogram.
The doctor could also do an ultrasound, which would help differentiate between a solid mass or a
fluid-filled cyst. Another procedure often done is a MRI scan that involves injecting a dye in the
patient to see where the cancer has spread to. And the last test would be a biopsy, which would
There is a lot to know about breast cancer but it is very important that men and women
are aware of all that there is to know. Although there is no real way to prevent breast cancer, it
helps to at least try to prevent it by making some changes to your lifestyle. These include
avoiding excessive alcohol intake, following a healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruits and
vegetables, getting enough exercise, and maintaining a healthy BMI. Breast cancer is one of the
most common types of cancers and should be taken very seriously. The only thing anyone can do
is just try to raise awareness about this disease and hope people will take it serious and do
The topic I addressed is Breast Cancer. The reason I wanted to cover this topic is because
it has personally affected me and I think more awareness needs to be raised about it. The three
Merrill 7
articles below talk about how breast cancer affects people depending on race, gender and age.
They talk about the symptoms, risk factors, treatment and other important facts that you need to
know about breast cancer. The last article talks about misconceptions when it comes to breast
cancer and how much people actually know about the disease.
“Breast Cancer Knowledge Among College Students: Influencing Factors and Resultant
Behaviors.”
This article talks about the correlation between breast cancer and gender, age, and race.
In the article the author did a survey among college students to see how much knowledge they
actually had when it came to breast cancer causes, prevention and treatment. They had a total of
284 students that attended UC to fill out the questions regarding breast cancer. 46% of the people
who filled out the survey were male and the rest were female. The purpose of this article was to
inform people that they needed to be more aware of the causes and prevention factors to breast
cancer.
I think that the author of this article is pretty credible due to the face that most of the
information in the study came from a survey and that they also had 31 sources cited. I will use
this article to talk about the knowledge people have when it comes to breast cancer and to talk
about prevention and treatment of breast cancer. This article will be good to show what others
know about breast cancer and to tell what people need to know more of.
Merrill 8
Catchy, but Does It Actually Increase Knowledge of Breast Cancer?." College Student
ezproxy.libraries.wright.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=
s3h&AN=97002775&site=eds-live.
Very much like the first article, this article is surveying college student, about 255 of
them, seeing how much they know about breast cancer the treatments and diagnosis of it. It also
talks about how the campaigns for breast cancer are focusing on breasts as an object of fun,
instead of focusing on treatment, diagnosis and prevention. I think the author's main purpose was
to make it aware that breast cancer should focus on the disease and not the breasts. I think the
article is effective and gives a lot of information and uses a lot of sources to find the information.
I could use this in my article to talk about how campaigning could be better and awareness
Nordqvist, Christian. “Breast Cancer: Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Treatment.” Medical News
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37136.php.
Merrill 9
In this article they explained facts, symptoms, stages, causes and diagnosis to breast
cancer. The main purpose of this article was to show awareness to women to watch out for the
symptoms and if they do get it what to do about it. I think this article is reliable because it is a
medical sight in which doctors themself edit. Medical News today also uses a lot of information
about many diseases and talks to doctors about the things people should know about that disease.
I will use this to talk about the symptoms, causes, prevention, and diagnosis to breast cancer. I