Pooja (name changed), a 25 year old female, felt a lump in her breast. She was well aware about breast cancer so without waiting longer, she soon visited a gynaecologist who recommended her to take several health tests, including a sono-mammogram.

However, the results were unclear and nobody suspected breast cancer for a 25 year old. After weeks, when the lump did not seem to subside, she decided to take an oncologist’s opinion.

She visited the Asian Institute of Oncology, where Dr Dhairyasheel Savant, oncologist and re-construction surgeon, suspected that it could be a non-cancerous lump. The doctor advised her to get the lump surgically removed. A week later, she underwent lumpectomy and the tissue was sent for frozen biopsy to confirm the origin. Being young, she was somewhat sure that the lump had nothing to do with cancer because she had read that women are at an increased cancer risk in later stages of life. Unfortunately, the biopsy results came as a shock to her.

The dreadful diagnosis 

The lump was indeed cancerous. She was recommended 8 chemotherapy sessions followed by radiation therapy. She experienced terrible, nausea, acidity and tiredness for about a week after her chemo sessions. She started losing weight. She has been advised to take a normal diet without junk foods. She is also taking iron supplements to prevent anaemia which she would continue taking life-long.

Heroic battle against breast cancer

Post-surgery, Pooja has been fighting a valorous battle. She wants to spread awareness about breast cancer in young women. Here’s her message to all young women out there ‘Go for regular clinical breast examination. Don’t ignore even the smallest cue of abnormality you notice in your breasts, no matter how young you are. Your doctor would be the best judge to decide the course of action. Have trust in your doctor and in God.’

Pooja’s incidence is just one among several other cases. The incidence of breast cancer among young women is steadily increasing with every passing day. Here what the oncology exerts have to say about the rise in cases of breast cancer in women.

Cancer among younger women: What’s different?

Most women believe that they are too young to get breast cancer and often ignore warning signs like lump or unusual discharge. Since the tissue of mammary glands or breasts in younger woman is quite dense, it becomes difficult to detect any lump formation. By the time the detection is made, the cancer is often progressed to an advanced level. And, breast cancer in younger women is often aggressive and less responsive to treatments.

Here are some factors that can put you at a higher risk of suffering from breast cancer.

• History: It can be a personal history of non-cancerous breast disease (radiation treatment) or a family history (any first degree relative- mother, sister or daughter)
• Genetic defect: If you have genetic mutation in breast cancer specific genes (BRCA1 or BRCA2) you’re likely to suffer at a young age
• Gail Index score: The Gail Index calculates your risk of getting breast cancer withing the next 5 years based on risk factors such as age, family history of breast cancer, your age at the first menstrual period and first pregnancy, and the number of breast biopsies done. A score of at least 1.7% indicates a higher risk.
• Other factors: Factors like obesity, heavy alcohol intake, high intake of red meat, race, first time users of oral contraceptive pills and sedentary lifestyle contribute to your chances of getting breast cancer. 

Screening is a must, experts say

Dr Dhairyasheel Savant advises the following screening procedures: 

• Breast self-examination: It is recommended that all girls above 20 years of age perform breast self-examination on the day after their last menstrual period, every monthly. If you find any changes in appearance or rigidity or experience any sort of pain or discomfort, you should visit an oncologist.
• Clinical breast examination: In any case, an annual clinical breast examination should be done to rule out any risk for women above 20 years of age
• Mammograms: These are ideally recommended for women over 40 years of age or for women with a strong family history, above 20 years of age. 

Treatment options can improve quality of life

The course of treatment is usually based on the extent of disease and general health of the woman and personal circumstances. Surgery is usually followed by hormonal therapy, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Two commonly performed surgeries are: 

Lumpectomy: Removal of the cancerous lump and some amount of the surrounding tissue. Following this, the patient is usually advised chemo/ radiation therapy. 

Mastectomy: Complete surgical removal of the breast is done sometimes followed by artificial breast re-construction, if the patient is willing to and can afford it. According to a research published in the Indian Journal of Cancer, breast reconstruction can be done to improve self-image and a quality of life of the patient. The patient is usually advised hormone therapy or chemotherapy after the mastectomy to destroy the remaining cancerous cells and to prevent recurrence.

Anti-estrogen medication and quarterly health check-ups may also be advised after either of the surgeries. 

Increasing awareness, the key to early diagnosis

Dr. Pendharkar, cancer specialist at the Asian Institute of Oncology says ‘People are becoming more literate. Parellely, medical awareness is also increasing. People are becoming more health conscious and are being educated by health insurance companies and the media. Thus, they go for regular health checkups, evaluate their complaints and definitely seek medical opinion. With advances in diagnostic and laboratory facilities, what may have once been regarded as tuberculosis or some other problem is properly being diagnosed as lung cancer. Thus the standard of patient education has definitely gone up but there are still miles to go before the information reaches every single person.’  

Life after the cancer treatment 

Sex, fertility, pregnancy and financial insecurity are often concerning issues for breast cancer patients. A research done by a Swedish Medical Hospital says that 85% women are worried about infertility after cancer treatment.  

The good news is, breast cancer patients can have sex. It is natural for these patients to have a low self-esteem and conscious body image after breast removal but with care and understanding nature of the better half, these women gain more confidence and feel positive. Artificial breasts and special bras for such patients are now easily available to improve self-image. Women who have undergone lump removal normally have a better self-image. Those who are given anti-estrogenic medications are advised not to conceive until they stop continuing medication. Post that, they too have a good chance to conceive. 

input :http://www.thehealthsite.com/