Did you know that Breast cancer accounts for 23% of cancers affecting women in Kenya? Reports on Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors from Kenya Stepwise Survey indicate that 34 out of every 100,000 cancer cases that affect women are breast cancer.
At UAP Old Mutual, we care and support the call for more screening to help catch it early and start treatment immediately. In this article, we’ll take you through all you need to know about breast cancer, from its risk factors to the available treatment options.
Let’s jump right in!
Breast cancer typically starts in the breast. It is easily detected as a lump but is only accurately confirmed through an X-ray. That said, it is essential to note that most breast lumps are not necessarily cancerous and do not spread outside of the breast. Though abnormal, these benign tumors may increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
Breast cancers are categorized according to their point of origin. Let’s take a quick look at them:
Women with increased risk of developing breast cancer can opt to take preventive measures to reduce their chances. This can be through:
Many women with breast cancer barely experience any symptoms at first, hence our urge for regular breast screening. In many instances, breast cancer is discovered after its symptoms appear. Some of the signs and symptoms to look out for include:
It’s not all doom and gloom
As serious as breast cancer is, specific measures can be taken to mitigate its effects. Like all forms of cancers, the emphasis is placed on early diagnosis. Regular breast cancer screening is at the forefront of this fight.
At what age should breast cancer screening start?
As you age, so does your risk of developing breast cancer increase. Here is a guide to walk you through the timelines:
What treatment options are likely if diagnosed with breast cancer?
If you test positive for breast cancer, your oncologist will likely lay out a treatment plan depending on the form of breast cancer they find. These could be any one or more of these:
Radiation therapy - Involves targeting the tumor with radiation to kill cancer cells.
Hormone therapy -Use of hormone-blocking therapy to prevent hormone-sensitive breast cancer from returning after successful treatment.
Chemotherapy -Use of drugs to kill cancer cells
Surgery -Surgery may involve the removal of the tumor (lumpectomy or the removal of the entire breast (Mastectomy)
Your Takeaway
Breast cancer is highly treatable when combined with frequent screening. An early diagnosis (stage -1) has a 95%-99% of surviving through the first five years after diagnosis. This is according to statistics by the American Cancer Society. With this in mind, we at UAP Old Mutual recommend and encourage you to get screening this breast cancer awareness month.
1% of all breast cancers occur in men. In 2020, about 2,620 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease, and an estimated 520 men are expected to die from breast cancer. For men, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 833
Fund Name | Currency | Daily Yield | Effective Annual Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Old Mutual Money Market Fund | Kenya Shillings | 7.11% | 7.34% |
Fund Name | Currency | Buying Price | Selling Price |
---|---|---|---|
Old Mutual Equity Fund | Kenya Shilling | 349.96 | 349.96 |
Old Mutual Balanced Fund/Toboa | Kenya Shillings | 144.64 | 144.64 |
Old Mutual Bond Fund | Kenya Shillings | 101.07 | 101.07 |
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