{"id":112563,"date":"2016-02-04T08:05:00","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T06:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/112563\/the-facts-about-breast-cancer\/"},"modified":"2016-02-05T09:53:34","modified_gmt":"2016-02-05T07:53:34","slug":"the-facts-about-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2016\/02\/04\/the-facts-about-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"The facts about breast cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It is believed that almost one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some stage of their lives, making it the most common cancer to impact women in South Africa.<\/p>\n<p>In honour of World Cancer Day on February 4, Netcare 911 has shared some helpful information on the disease.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>Despite the high prevalence of breast cancer, the causes of the disease are still unknown.<\/p>\n<p>However, research has brought several risk factors to the fore, which may increase an individual\u2019s chances of getting the disease.<\/p><div class=\"stream-item stream-item-in-post stream-item-inline-post aligncenter\"><\/div>\n<p>These risk factors include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Being over the age of 50 years<\/li>\n<li>Long-term use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)<\/li>\n<li>Personal or family history of cancer, including breast cancer<\/li>\n<li>Early menstruation or late menopause<\/li>\n<li>Lifestyle factors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, being overweight and a lack of physical exercise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The warning signs for breast cancer may differ from person to person.<\/p>\n<p>Some individuals do not have any signs or symptoms at all, which is why it is imperative that you make an appointment for a routine mammogram and one of the best methods to detect breast cancer early on when it is easier to treat and the success rate is higher.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes an ultrasound or sonar scan of the breast is also needed, particularly in younger women whose breasts are more dense than older women whose breasts are more fatty.<\/p>\n<p>This scan is often used to check abnormal results from a mammogram.<\/p>\n<p>However, the first indication of breast cancer is usually a lump in the breast or under the armpit.<\/p>\n<p>The following are other signs and symptoms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Thickening or swelling of part of the breast or armpit<\/li>\n<li>Puckering (wrinkling) of the skin of the breast<\/li>\n<li>The sudden development of a retracted nipple<\/li>\n<li>A change in the skin around the nipple, such as redness, flaking or irritation<\/li>\n<li>Nipple discharge other than breast milk<\/li>\n<li>Any change in the size or the shape of the breast<\/li>\n<li>Pain in any area of the breast, including the nipple<\/li>\n<li>An enlargement of the glands under the armpit<\/li>\n<li>One breast being lower than the other<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bear in mind that some of these warning signs are also symptoms of other conditions and may not necessarily mean that you have breast cancer.<\/p>\n<p>It is, however, advisable to make an appointment for a mammogram if you are concerned that you may have the disease.<\/p>\n<p>There are ways to prevent breast cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Netcare911 advises all women to quit smoking, limit your alcohol intake, and maintain a healthy weight through a balanced diet and an active lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p>New mothers should choose to breastfeed if possible, as research suggests that breastfeeding decreases the risk of getting breast cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Speak to your doctor about limiting your dose and duration of hormone therapy and avoid exposure to environmental pollution.<\/p>\n<p>And lastly, encourage women to go for routine mammograms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"stream-item stream-item-below-post-content\">\n<div class='tenancy_slot tenancy_slot_1 jannah_ad' style='display: none;' data-query-id='223bbe350d5770ef8a5a25d62f4bf974'><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breast cancer still tops the list of cancers impacting South African women.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1848,"featured_media":52832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hasGravity":false,"cxt_article_byline":"","cxt_disable_google_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2],"tags":[8297,1012,1003,1106,979,969,2730],"class_list":["post-112563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news-headlines","tag-community-2","tag-east-rand","tag-ekurhuleni","tag-gcn","tag-germiston","tag-germiston-city-news","tag-leigh-hodgson"],"amp_enabled":true,"category_labels":{"Category":"News","SubCategory":"Local news"},"tag_labels":["community","East Rand","Ekurhuleni","GCN","germiston","germiston city news","Leigh Hodgson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1848"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}