Breast cancer, is not a fun thing to have. I should know, my grandma had the disease. I wasn’t alive then but I have heard stories about it.

Some risk factors for breast cancer are age, family, children, weight, and physical activity. Age is a factor because the older you get the greater chance you have of getting breast cancer. Family is a factor because your family history really could effect if you do or don’t get breast cancer. If your mom had the disease then that increases your chances for getting the cancer. Children are a factor because if you don’t have children that increases your chance of getting the cancer. Weight is a factor because a lot of breast cancer cases are found in heavier women. Physical activity is a factor because the lack of physical activity increases your chances of getting the cancer.

Symptoms of the breast cancer include lumps in the breast, swelling, and redness. Breast cancer is usually detected using mammograms, ultrasounds, self-exams, and MRI’s.

There are four stages of breast cancer. Stage one is an early stage of cancer where the tumor is 2 cm or less. Stage two is also an early stage. The tumor is 2-5 cm across, and the cancer may have spread to the lymph nodes under the arms. Or stage two can also be 5 cm across but the cancer hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes under the arms. Stage three is a mild to moderate stage of the cancer. It means the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes behind the breastbone, or to the lymph nodes under or above the collarbone. Stage four is the most serious stage. This means that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. My grandma’s cancer was a stage four.

There are a lot of different treatment methods for breast cancer. The most commonly known treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy, and the most common of them all, chemotherapy.

Support is very effective during breast cancer. Friends and relatives are the most important because they know the person more and you can count on them. Also others who have had the cancer are a really good support because they know what the person is going through. Breast cancer survivors often start support groups. These groups meet every once in a while and tell each other how they are coping with the disease and how has changed their life. These groups also help others who are going through it understand and know what to do.

My grandma joined one of these support groups and she loves it. She says that if anyone is going through this her suggestion would be to join one of these groups.

Research is a very good thing when you are talking about breast cancer. Research teams are trying to find a new and more affective way to cure breast cancer. One of those medicines was Tamoxifen. This is the medication my grandmother took while it was still being tested. Tomoxifen reduced the number of severe cases of breast cancer. STAR is another study term. It stands for the Study of Tamoxifen And Raloxifene.

The pink ribbon is the ribbon chosen for breast cancer. In 1991 the Komen Foundation handed them out to runners in New York City for breast cancer survivors. From then on pink was “the color” for breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer awareness month is October.