Are you proactive with your breast health?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The sobering statistic behind breast cancer is that one in eight women will develop breast cancer and likely need treatment and surgery to survive. In Montana, this represents around 62,500 Montana women. Both men and women can develop breast cancer (one in 100 men can develop breast cancer, or about 5,000 Montana men).  

This month, we honor all those who are currently undergoing treatment, live with breast cancer, and those we have lost by helping spread awareness on how to be proactive with breast cancer detection.

It's difficult to picture one in eight of our mothers, sisters, wives, colleagues, and friends having to face this disease. Yet, there is hope. Treatments continue to evolve and improve, and studies continue to search for ways to increase survival rates and outcomes. A critical point that we can all play a role in is that early detection saves lives—If the cancer is caught while it is still located only in the breast, the survival rate increases to nearly 99 percent. 

So this month, besides wearing pink to show support, I challenge each of us to start a conversation that could help save lives. How can you do this?

Help spread education about early detection and the role of monthly self-exams. One critical health component in the battle with breast cancer is that when you and your loved ones are familiar with your bodies, you can become aware of any changes and immediately seek more information and, if needed, care.

Do you do a monthly self-breast exam (learn more here on how to do a self-exam)? Self-breast exams are the easiest way to be proactive in breast cancer detection because many of the symptoms of early cancer can be seen on or felt in the breast. Any of the below symptoms should be communicated to a provider as soon as possible:  

1. Physical changes in the breast, such as warmth, swelling, pain, or redness. This also includes other changes in appearance, such as dimples, puckers, bulges, ridges on the skin of the breast, changes in texture, or changes in the size of either breast.  
2. Any change in the nipple, such as becoming inverted or if there is discharge, such as blood.  
3. Any presence of lumps in the breast or near the underarm. 

Here are some breast cancer myths that are helpful to keep busting so we can all be informed, healthy, and proactive:

1. MYTH: Breast cancer always causes a lump you can feel. FACT: Breast cancer might not cause a lump, especially when it first develops.
2. MYTH: Breast cancer only happens to middle-aged and older women. FACT: Younger women can and do get breast cancer, as do men.
3. MYTH: All breast cancer is treated pretty much the same way. FACT: Treatment plans vary widely depending on the characteristics of the cancer and patient preferences.
4. MYTH: When treatment is over, you’re finished with breast cancer. FACT: Breast cancer can have a long-term impact on people’s lives and well-being

Please know that you have breast care resources available through Montana VA, including screening and diagnostic mammograms, breast ultrasound and MRI, genetic counseling and testing, cancer treatment, and more.

We are honored to serve you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at any time with your questions! If you have questions regarding breast health, contact your PACT Provider or your Breast Health Nurse Navigator, Jeanette Ricks RN, at 406-447-7343.