Cancer education

Students need to know the risks of breast cancer

Last Thursday, University Students Against Cancer honored Breast Cancer Awareness Day by distributing pink ribbons and information on the Diag. As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, it should be noted that the University community has made a valiant effort to heighten consciousness about the disease.

College students often think they are invincible. Unfortunately, nobody is immune to the many diseases and tragedies society faces. Breast cancer, while most prevalent in women over the age of 50, affects young adults now more than ever. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the sixth leading cause of death and the most common form of cancer among American women. Approximately 180,000 women and 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and a shocking 43,500 will not survive. For many women, the key to survival is early detection. This is where college students come into play. Experts affirm that all women over age 20 should conduct monthly self-examinations and get clinical breast exams every three years. Mammograms, one of the most important screening and diagnostic devices, determine the possibility of cancer in lumps that are too small to feel. About 94 percent of American women diagnosed in the early stages survive.

In an interview with People Magazine, actress Marcia Wallace, a breast cancer survivor, said, "If you're a woman and you're alive, you can get breast cancer." There are many factors to determining who is and is not at risk for developing breast cancer, but experts have found three primary groups that have an increased risk: women whose blood relatives suffered from the disease; women over 50 years of age; and women exposed to excess estrogen due to early menstruation, late menopause or those who were never pregnant.

While there are no guaranteed methods of prevention, changes in lifestyle can reduce the risk of acquiring the disease for everyone, especially young adults. Birth control has lower levels of estrogen than it did in the 1970s, so it does not cause the concern it did years ago. But studies show that those who consume a large quantity of alcohol are at greater risk for the disease. A healthy, low-fat diet full of vegetables can also reduce the risk.

The medical community is constantly making advances toward improving early detection tools and rehabilitation for those diagnosed. In the past, a breast cancer diagnosis often meant a need for disfiguring surgery. But recent breakthroughs allow doctors to selectively remove malignant lymph nodes and use chemotherapy treatments with fewer side effects. There have also been significant improvements in breast reconstruction should there be a need for it.

While it seems prevention and cures are just around the corner with new drug therapies being developed, breast cancer continues to be a serious and prevalent disease. If early detection is the key to survival, steps to promote awareness on campus - such as those of USAC and the University Health Services, which provide free informational and instructional pamphlets on cancer and examinations - are to be commended and encouraged. Students should heed the advice of experts and take the necessary precautions to lower their risk.

10-20-98