The Joycescape Network

Posts Tagged ‘breast cancer’

by:Jocelyn Iyog

Serious medical consequences of the use of alcohol, such as heart damage, brain damage, and liver damage, are more likely in women than in men. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recently reported that women more easily achieve high levels of blood alcohol, and are at greater risk for the damage that alcohol does to the major organs. In addition, they are also more vulnerable to injury resulting from drinking related traffic accidents. Alcohol abuse also puts women at higher risk for being the victim of physical violence and rape.

Some of the differences are due to different metabolism between the genders, but there are other factors that are as yet unknown. What is known is that women develop alcohol induced liver damage in a shorter amount of time than men do, and after consuming less alcohol. Women are also more likely to die from cirrhosis.

Alcohol induced brain damage is also more of a risk for women than for men, according to studies using magnetic resonance imaging. Among heavy drinkers, women are also at greater risk of heart muscle disease associated with alcohol, despite the fact that women use 60% less alcohol than men on average over a lifetime.

Additionally, heavy drinking has been associated with higher risk for breast cancer, though drinking up to one drink per day does not appear to increase the risk. When it comes to traffic crashes, women are less likely to drive drunk than men, but they are more likely to be involved in an alcohol related crash if they do drive after drinking.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in American women after lung cancer. More than 200000 cases are diagnosed every year in the USA alone. Breast cancer is defined as the occurrence of malignant tumors in the breasts. There are various types of tumors that arise during breast cancer, depending on their location in the breast:

• Invasive ductal carcinoma—arising from the ducts of the breast
• Invasive lobular carcinoma—developing in the lobes
• Ductal Carcinoma In-situ—pre-cancerous cells in the ducts
• Lobular carcinoma in situ—pre-cancerous cells in the lobes (treatment is usually not needed for this as it does not have the ability to invade surrounding tissue).

While men can also have breast cancer, women are the most at risk. The risk factors are:

• Age—risk increases with age.
• Age at first menstruation—the younger the age, the higher the risk.
• Age at first pregnancy—the older the age the greater the risk.
• Use of estrogens (e.g. in Hormone Replacement Therapy) also increases the risk.
• Family history

Better treatment and early detection through mammography in women over 40 years of age and in younger women with a family history of breast cancer have led to an increase in survival rate of nearly 20% in ten years. The importance of regular mammography cannot be understated. In addition, every woman should regularly check for abnormalities in their breasts. Any change that is felt should be shown to a doctor for a proper diagnosis. This is the only way that breast cancer can be defeated.