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Understanding Breast Cancer In Seniors

May 10, 2021 0 Comment Category: Care Center

Early detection is the key to successfully treat breast cancer. However, breast cancer remains a potent disease in seniors which can only be eradicated if women follow the schedule and undergo mammograms on time. As per the recent statistics from senior living facilities, many senior women skip annual mammograms, which is a matter of concern.

Like all the other types of cancers, breast cancer also starts with abnormal growth of cells. These cancerous cells develop and spread quickly throughout the breast. Oftentimes, these cancer cells can enter the lymph nodes located under the arm or move to other parts of the body. There can be many signs of breast cancer, like a change in size or shape of the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple, and flattening, pitting, or redness of the skin over the breast. The formation of a lump in the breast is regarded the most commonly observed indicator of breast cancer.

Importance Of Cancer Screening 

Early detection and screening play a major role in the treatment of breast cancer. However, the number of annual screenings is declining. The reason for this might be the hefty costs of an annual mammogram for women without health insurance. However, women over the age of forty must be screened annually.

Risk Factors 

There are numerous risk factors that can potentially lead to the imminence of breast cancer. Nonetheless, you need to understand that people with one or many of the risk factors may not get breast cancer. Some of the common risk factors of breast cancer are age, weight gain in adolescence, exposure to radiation as a child, late pregnancy or no pregnancy, long-term use of contraceptive pills, weight gain after menopause, increased density of breast tissue, and late menopause.

Breast Cancer In Seniors 

As per the statistics, 80% of all breast cancer occurs in women over the age of 50. The average age of diagnosis is 62, meaning that most of the women getting breast cancer are above the age of 50.

Visiting the doctors to get diagnosed can be challenging for a senior if the person cannot drive and does not have anyone to take her to the clinic. Women in senior care facilities might be able to be on schedule in the case of medical appointments as most of these facilities offer medication management and transportation services. This is very important for the treatment of cancer as the patient will have to make many trips to the medical facility for radiation therapies.