Breast Cancer Awareness for Seniors

The Elderly and Breast Cancer Awareness

October is breast cancer awareness month, and the older you get, the more important breast cancer screenings are. With today’s medical advancements, diseases are more treatable than ever, and cancer is no exception, but early detection is the key to beating any disease. Breast cancer is highly treatable, but if it goes undetected and untreated, it can be an extremely dangerous disease. By being aware of the signs of breast cancer, learning about treatments, and being proactive about early detection, seniors can make sure that they’re prepared for anything that comes their way.

Early Detection Saves Lives

As with most diseases, the earlier you detect breast cancer, the more treatable the disease is. Breast cancer is no exception; early detection of breast cancer allows for a wider array of treatment options, a much higher survival rate, and a higher chance of returning to normal. By performing self-checks and scheduling regular appointments with medical professionals you can catch breast cancer early and maximize your chances of living a normal life and becoming a breast cancer survivor.

The Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer

There are plenty of online guides that provide tips for checking yourself for lumps or irregularities that could be an early sign of breast cancer. By performing self-checks, you can get ahead of things and make sure that you catch breast cancer symptoms so that you can treat it early. Some things to check for when you’re checking yourself at least once a month include lumps, changes, soreness, dimples, swelling, or tenderness. These symptoms do not necessarily mean that you have breast cancer, but if you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it’s important to take the next step in detecting cancer by scheduling a screening by a medical professional.

Treatments for Breast Cancer

Medical advancement in the 21^st century has led to a high survival rate that has allowed millions to beat this disease. Once you get a mammogram that confirms the medical professional’s diagnosis, there are multiple options for treatment. The most common treatments are chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, which can keep the cancer from spreading and can minimize the lasting effects from the cancer. Some other common treatments include hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and bone-directed therapy. These treatments all have their benefits, and some have complications and side effects, but all of them have significant research proving that they are effective ways to treat cancer and minimize long term effects of this disease. Once cancerous growths are detected, your doctor will discuss treatment options with you, and will go over the advantages and disadvantages of each form of treatment, but it’s important to have some knowledge of these treatments so that you’re ready to make a decision if the time comes. By treating cancer immediately, you can maximize your chances of becoming a breast cancer survivor, and minimizing any long term effects that the cancer will have.

Breast cancer awareness for seniors is important, and we celebrate that all October long, but awareness is a year-round activity that requires self-checks, doctors’ visits, and learning more about this dangerous disease. By making sure that you’re regularly checking for irregularities, you can detect breast cancer immediately if you know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and once you catch it, you have multiple options for treatment that are highly effective and have led to a high survival rate, especially when caught early. By making sure that you’re prepared for the worst, you can hope for the best and beat breast cancer and join the millions of breast cancer survivors that have already endured this disease.