Venustia PSO’s donation table was splashed with pink and red ribbons during their breast cancer awareness drive in the Neelsie on Wednesday, 10 April. PHOTO: Catherine Del Monte
Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Rooiplein was redder than usual as students in pink and red t-shirts were dotted around in support of Venustia PSO’s breast cancer awareness drive on Wednesday 10 April.
Following MatieMedia’s coverage of the events, in the article, Campus gets colourful for Cansa, we uncover the bare basics of breast cancer and find out what this “awareness” actually entails.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month may only be in October but Venustia PSO reminds us that anytime is a good time to be aware. PHOTO: Catherine Del Monte
Causes
Clinical and Radiation Oncologist at Cancercare’s Vergelegen Oncology unit in Somerset West, Dr Naomi du Toit, explains that most people are born with pre-cursor cancer genes or “policemen genes” which monitor one’s genetic make-up through the years and ensure that cells do not mutate every time they multiply.
One is often born with a defect in the gene that needs only one interaction with a carcinogen (a cancer-causing substance) to trigger it.
She adds that: “We know that cancers are genetic faults and it’s not always a gene that you inherited from your parents or that you will give to your children but it can be a mutation that happens in your genetic makeup”.
However, du Toit says that smoking is one of the proven carcinogens that can cause lung cancer, nasopharyngeal cancers (upper part of the throat behind the nose), oral cancers and bladder cancers and is still the most common cause they experience today.
Du Toit adds that even if a patient has stopped smoking for 20 years after they started but have had a serious history of smoking a pack of cigarettes daily for at least 3 to 5 years, the risk of cancer remains extremely high.
Testing
Clinical Nursing Practitioner at SU Campus Health, Sister Lesley-Ann Moolow, encourages students to learn how to do self-examinations which are to be carried out “at least once a month”. The sisters at SU Campus Health teach students how to do self-examinations for free.
Moolow points out that self-examinations have to be carried out a week or two after the last period. She says that testing during one’s menstruation cycle or ovulation (two weeks before menstruation) may give inaccurate results as elevated hormone levels can cause women’s breasts to feel tenderer.
“If one is unsure of what they are feeling or feel something suspicious during self-examination, it is recommended that they visit a nurse. If the nurse suspects something, they will refer the patient to a doctor and the doctor will decide whether one has to be referred for specialist testing,” she comments.
Once referred, the test that is conducted to detect tumours in the breast is called a “mammogram”. During a mammogram, the breast is x-rayed from different positions.
Mammograms should be carried out routinely after the age of 40 for someone with no history of cancer in their family.
Du Toit says, however, that if there is a history of cancer in the family, the tests need to be carried out at least 10 years prior to the family member’s diagnosis.
Both Moolow and du Toit mention, however, that conducting mammograms before the age of 40 can be problematic. Women are premenopausal, and so the breast tissue is still very dense. The breast’s elasticity also tends to change with age.
Due to the mammogram’s sensitivity not being very good, du Toit says that the screening for women below the age of 35 is usually done by MRI scan for a more accurate result.
5 steps to a proper breast self-examination. Breast cancer is highly treatable the sooner it is diagnosed. Ensure you are familiar with the feel of your breasts by carrying out these 5 steps monthly. Any peculiarities should be reported to a nurse or your GP immediately. INFOGRAPHIC: Catherine Del Monte
Stages
Once a lump has been detected, a biopsy is conducted whereby the stage is determined. A biopsy involves the removal of the suspicious tissue from the relevant area to determine malignancy (the extent to which the cancer has spread).
Du Toit explains that there are 4 stages of cancer. Stage 1 is the earliest cancer stage with the best prognosis. This means that the cancer has started but is small in size at just a few centimetres. The lymph nodes (small, bean-shaped, soft nodules of tissue that form a component of the body’s immune system) are not affected and the cancer is still in the organs where it started.
At stage 2, the cancer has grown slightly bigger. However, the lymph nodes remain unaffected.
Stage 3 cancer means that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
By stage 4, the cancer has spread to other organs. This stage, du Toit says, is seldom curable.
Common misconceptions
Men cannot get breast cancer – Although breast cancer may be far more prevalent in women, it is possible for men to develop breast cancer. Moolow also explains that it is a lot easier to detect lesions in men because their chests are flatter as they contain less fatty tissue.
Mammograms cause breast cancer – This is the second most “frustrating misconception” according to du Toit, and it discourages patients from going for mammograms. “The risk of routine mammography causing breast cancer is extremely, extremely low,” she says.
Lumps in the breast mean cancer – This is the most common misconception according to du Toit who says: “Very often we find that breast cancer doesn’t present as a simple palpable lump but it can be anything from a discharge from the nipple to an enlargement of the breast with no clear palpable mass […] I think the answer is, if there is any worry or change in your breast that you can’t explain by a normal, cyclic period change, you need to visit your GP.”