What Is Pink Month?
Over the years, we have been conducting a campaign in October as “BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH“, this month is dedicated to enlighten people about the prevention, treatment and early signs of cancer. October is called PINK OCTOBER people from the entire world use pink ribbons to explain awareness on breast cancer.
Different people have different opinions on breast cancer awareness month. For some people it is a spark for 31 days to remind them of the changes that happened and for other people this is a chance to help more than 2 million women who are suffering from breast cancer every year.
In this month , October there are some special days designated October 13 as Metastatic breast cancer awareness day. October 17-23 (week) is called Men’s breast cancer awareness week.
Why Is October 13 Called Metastatic Awareness Day?
October 13 is nationally celebrated as “awareness of metastatic breast cancer day”. Metastatic cancer is the uncontrolled cells spread from one place to the other parts of the body. It evaluated about 168000 women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Recently researchers calculated that about 30% of early cancers will become metastatic. Since 2009, this day is for people to educate about breast cancer metastasis and its new treatments.
Why Is A Week In October Called?
Every individual has the same breast tissue so everyone is at the risk of getting breast cancer including men. In 2021, President Joe Biden specified October 17-23 as a men’s breast cancer awareness week. Based on the American Cancer society, in 2024 about 2970 men were diagnosed and 530 were predicted to die from breast cancer. Due to the lack of information and strength there is a hurdle in men, trans men and non binary people
What Is The History Behind Pink Month?
American cancer society in 1985 organized an awareness week in partnership with the British company named Imperial Chemical Industries, which made an most potent anti -cancer drug called tamoxifen.This week program then converted to a month awareness program. Actually the distribution of pink ribbons comes into the frame from the magazine’s second annual awareness of breast cancer month issued by Self’s magazine editor-in-chief Alexander penny , with a senior corporate vice president and a breast cancer survivor. The pink ribbons indicate the unity and awareness of breast cancers like , metastatic, inflammatory, men with breast cancer etc.
As we know that cancer is where the uncontrolled division of the cells (apoptosis) takes place in breast tissue. To understand that breast cancer will not occur only to women. Breast cancer is the second cancer that is causing death among women in the world According to WHO statistics globally about 2.3 million of women were diagnosed and 6,70,000 deaths in 2022.
Recent research and literature suggests that there is slight change in the cancer deaths as survival rates are increasing because of the awareness programs, research support and advanced instruments for the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
There is no order or uniformity in breast cancer occurrence. There are different types and stages of breast cancer.It might be early tumors , invasive or aggressive.There are various types of breast cancer such as ductal, lobular, inflammatory.
What Are Signs And Symptoms?
Many people may or may not observe all the symptoms of breast cancer at an early stage. So there is a need for self examination for early detection. They are:
- Lump formation or thickening of the breast with or without pain.
- Changes in size, shape of the breast.
- Dimpling, redness , changes in the color of the breast.
- Abnormal fluid leakage from the nipple.
Different Types Of Treatments
The treatment is mostly based on which stage it is. Whether it is in the starting stage or it spreads to lymph nodes or spreads to the other part of the body.
Mostly they use surgery to remove breast tumors.
- Radiation therapy to decrease recurrence of cancer and tissues surrounding the breast.
- Chemotherapy is chemo drugs used to stop growing, killing cancer cells to divide.
- Hormone therapy slows down or stops the growth of hormones in the breast cancer cells..
- Target therapy deals with drugs used to directly target and attack specific cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy is the immune system that directly fights towards the cancer cells.
Treatments for breast cancer are most effective and expensive so it’s better for early detection. In surgery, it mostly depends on removal of just cancerous tissue, whole breast or tissues with lymph nodes.
Radiation therapy deals with treatment of microscopic tumors remaining under the breast, lymph nodes to lower the risk of cancer recurrence.Medicines used for the treatment of breast cancer based on properties of cancer by some specialized tests. Majority of drugs used for the treatment of breast cancer are approved by WHO.
Nowadays, mostly doctors focus on the medication to avoid recurrence of cancer cells.But we use punarjan therapy which deals with the destroying of cancer cells , no toxicity to normal cells and also provides immunity.
Conclusion
It provides the full information about breast cancer, its types, prevention , risk factors, treatment, screening. It is important for all of us to get awareness on breast cancer especially to the women. Every woman has super powers to battle against cancer.
Let’s join together to disseminate information, empower and kill this disease!!!
For other details or information on breast cancer, consult the best ayurvedic doctors in punarjan ayurveda hospitals. Our main mission is to follow ancient ayurvedic medicine for treating the disease by focusing on providing a strong immune system and solving the root cause of the disease.
Reference
https://www.breastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/breast-cancer-awareness-month