Understanding cancer that affects your breasts

Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death and in 2005 it was 7% of all the cancer deaths and almost 1% of all deaths worldwide. To understand breast cancer a basic definition is required; it is a cancer that occurs in the glandular breast tissue. Further more cancer itself is a growth that is not under the normal control of the body; the cells replicate faster than usual and do not adhere to them normally. Even though it is very rare, breast cancer also occurs in males.

How does breast cancer occur?

The occurrence of breast cancer happens when abnormal cells form a mass of extra tissue – a tumor – in the breast. The tumor then starts to grow, either quickly or slowly depending on the stage of the cancer and can spread to other parts of your body therefore early detection is key to survival. When a tumor is malignant it is known as breast cancer and will spread to other areas of the body. The term breast cancer is an umbrella term for several different types of cancer that occurs in the breast.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer:

Although symptoms may not be evident in the early stages of breast cancer later symptoms may include:

• Breast lumps: although the lumps are usually painless some may cause a prickly sensation.
• Change in nipple appearance: a change can either be a change in the shape, color or texture of the nipple.
• Unusual nipple discharge: especially when the discharge is stained with blood.
• A change in the skin of the breast; an orange peel effect may be evident
• A lump or swelling under the arm or above the color bone.

Contributing risks of breast cancer

There are several factors that contribute to the amount of risk that you have of getting breast cancer. It is, however, important to understand that having any or all of these risks does not mean that you will have breast cancer and having none of these risks does not exclude you from being able to get breast cancer.

• Age: the older a women gets the greater chance she stands of getting breast cancer, a women age 90 has a one in seven chance of suffering from the cancer.
• A personal history of breast cancer.
• Family history; if you have a history of breast cancer in your family then you have a greater risk.
• Women who do not have children have a slightly higher risk.
• Oral contraceptives increases your risk slightly.
• Being overweight after menopause and late menopause can increase your risk of breast cancer.
• Drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time may increase your risk factor.

Being diagnosed with breast cancer is a difficult time in your life and there are certain aspects that are difficult to deal with. Deciding which is the best treatment to overcome breast cancer is a difficult decision and all treatments are taxing on your body and mind. However there are certain aids that can be used to help with the effectiveness of your treatment as well as your recovery. Numerous studies have been done to study the medicinal effects of the Goji berry that is found in China and the berry has been found to assist in th treatment of cancer causing remission to last longer as well as showing a 250% better response rate to the treatment when compared to patients that did not use Goji berry products.

Different treatments and the role of the Goji berry:

• If you opt for surgery such as a mastectomy the Goji berry can assist in the recovery process as the berry increases stamina and endurance and helps to fight fatigue.
• Radiation therapy is another option and it is known that radiation therapy can cause a decrease in lymphocytes which are specialized cells that protect the body against infection. Goji increases lymphocyte count and helps to activate the cells when the body is under attack.
• Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill the cancer cells in the body however chemotherapy may also harm healthy cells in your body and have bad side effects. Studies have shown that the Goji berry can protect against some of the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy.

The Goji berry is the only plant species on earth that has the ant-cancer mineral germanium, the berry can assist you in reducing your risk of cancer or can assist you with the recovery process. Goji can assist with many medical conditions and not only breast cancer, contact Goji Health for more information.