Data: Mortality Rate among Younger Breast Cancer Patients Higher than Older Counterparts

Despite the many advances in the detection and treatment of breast cancer, it not only remains a top health concern but it has actually taken more and more victims each year. Not only that; for reasons that are still unknown, the average age of breast cancer patients - and worse, of those who die of breast cancer - has been getting younger and younger every year as well. Medical science has developed a virtual arsenal of weapons against this disease, but for that arsenal to work, women need to be more aware of the urgency of the issue of breast cancer in their lives, as well as what they can do to prevent or beat it.

That breast cancer is an older women’s disease is a myth: 15% of all breast cancer cases are women under the age of 45. Breast cancer is, in fact, the leading cancer in women under 45; what’s worse, the mortality rate of younger breast cancer patients is higher than in older women. For some reason which is as yet unknown, only the more virulent forms of breast cancer hit younger women.

Like many forms of cancer, a person can be predisposed to getting breast cancer. If she has relatives who had breast cancer, then obviously the risk is greater. Other risk factors are not as clearly defined. Women who have not lactated are also more likely to get it. Excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, and other environmental factors can contribute to elevated risks, but this by no means guarantees that a healthy body weight and abstinence from alcohol means zero risk. Virtually all women are at risk for breast cancer, and it is the single most-commonly-occurring cancer in women. Because there are no guaranteed methods of preventing the cancer, all women need to be on the lookout for it.

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Mammograms, which use x-rays to locate abnormal growths in the breast, are the single most important diagnostic method for monitoring breast cancer. There are no disputes as to the importance of the mammogram, but medical opinion as to the age a woman needs to be to get regular mammograms, and the frequency at which she should get them, is very much divided. It is not uncommon for doctors to recommend a mammogram every two years after the age of 50; however, recent studies have shown evidence that this may be too often, and that they will do more harm than good. More conservative doctors suggest once every five years is good enough, but the problem with doing it every five years is that it is based more on the potential harm of regular irradiation, rather than the amount of time it takes between a mass being visible and invisible. If every woman were to take this approach, many would still slip through the cracks since five years is enough time to acquire the cancer and for it to become full blown.

While mammography is essential in the fight against breast cancer, on its own, it is inadequate. An effective complimentary procedure is breast thermography, which uses thermal imaging to detect abnormalities in surface temperature. Such abnormalities can be indicators of risk of breast diseases, including breast cancer.  

Breast thermography cannot confirm the presence of a mass, nor can it pinpoint the location of one, but it does have two key advantages: first, it provides the earliest possible detection of risk for most forms of breast cancer. The abnormalities breast thermography detects do in fact precede the formation of detectable masses in most types of breast cancer. Second, the procedure is 100% safe and totally non-intrusive; it involves no radiation, contact or compression. Yearly scans are recommended, even for women in their thirties.

Breast thermography is a procedure that is complimentary to mammography; it is not an alternative or a replacement. For the early detection of breast abnormalities, the sensible strategy would be to have a yearly breast thermogram and then a mammogram if the thermogram shows a potential problem.  It should be said though, that even a string of “clean” thermograms does not mean that a mammogram is not necessary. A mammogram should still be done every five years, as there are rarer forms of breast cancer that don’t manifest any symptoms visible on a thermogram.

To know more about breast thermography, call InfraMed (Bonifacio Global City) at 553-7335, or visit their website at InfraMed.ph.

Photo from sxc.hu