October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is actually kind of a hot button topic in medicine. There is no arguing that breast cancer is a devastating diagnosis. Given that the current diagnosis rate is 1 in 8 women, no one is unaffected by this. In medicine, part of the reason to consider an annual exam is to be tested for various cancers and to discuss prevention of said cancers. The reality is that most of the testing we offer is directed at early detection. Preventing cancer has only a few items on the list: don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, eat your fruits and vegetables, exercise, control your weight and don’t get exposed to any of the thousands of manmade chemicals that we use on a daily basis. Breast cancer is one of those cancers that has few answers on the prevention side of the equation. So what makes this a hot button topic?
As mentioned, breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women, but 1 percent of breast cancer happens in men. For men, it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage since patients and physicians seldom consider this as a diagnosis for someone’s complaints. While still predominantly a diagnosis after menopause, women are getting diagnosed at an earlier age. It does appear to be an actual increase in the number of women with the cancer and not just a statistical trick. &nb ...
