Is Breast Cancer Curable? What are Risks, Costs & Govt. Initiatives for Breast Cancer in India
Breast cancer is the type of cancer that originates from the breast tissues and most commonly it arises from a portion of the lining in the milk duct region around the lobules which usually supplies the ducts with milk. Breast cancer has gone to be the one of the most common malignancies that have been affecting women. 3 out of every 10 women are usually affected with breast cancer and in some parts of the world it has turned to be the commonest form of malignancy. It has also been estimated that 1 out of every 14 new born female children has the tendency of developing breast cancer in their lifetime.
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| Breast Cancer Treatment in India |
Types of breast cancers
Mainly the breast cancer is of two types:
- Ductal carcinoma occurring in the milk ducts
- Lobular carcinoma occurring in the breast lobules from where milk is secreted
Also categorically breast cancer is of two types:
- In situ breast cancer where the cancer cells are confined in their own place of origin and also does not attack the surrounding breast tissues
- Ex situ breast cancer where the cancer cells break free from their place of origin and keep on spreading to other parts of the body. They are also known as metastatic or invasive breast cancer.
Just like every other type of cancer, breast cancer also passes through various stages. The stages of breast cancer are usually dependent on the size of the breast tumour or breast lump, the type of the cancer, whether it is malignant or in situ and if the cancer has spread beyond the tissue of breast.
The Risk Factors of breast cancer are:
- There are several risk factors which are link up with breast cancer and there are
- 25% of chances are there that older women commonly have breast cancer than younger women, so the chances of getting breast cancer increases with age.
- The risk factor increases if there is any family history of breast cancer of any close relative like that of mother or sister who had been diagnosed with breast cancer prior.
- The radioactive rays also act as one of the main factors which increases the chances of getting breast cancer by 32.7 % as exposure to any kind of radioactive rays is harmful and carcinogenic.
- The early onset of menstrual cycle along with early menopause are linked with breast cancer and 12.5% of the females all over the country have faced it.
- Undergoing hormonal replacement therapy for bringing any kind of changes in the body is also responsible for causing breast cancer. Studies show that in India more than 5% of females are usually affected with breast cancer if they have undergone any hormone replacement therapy before.
- Late childbearing many times acts as a risk factor for developing the cells of breast cancer, although it happens to be a minor risk factor occurring only in 2% of the population.
- Exposure to different harmful chemicals also acts as a risk factor as the chemicals trigger the rate of breast cancer.
But some risk factors are there in your hand which you can change and they are:
- Usually women who are not physically active possess a greater risk of getting breast cancer, so start with some exercises or yoga to stay physically active and to boost up the metabolism process.
- Women who are overweight also carry a higher risk for having breast cancer, so it is very important to maintain the normal weight according to the physical structure.
- Consuming alcohol increases the risk in women for getting breast cancer by 16% so it’s better to stop consuming the alcohol.
- Research works also shows that some other factors like smoking, consuming oral contraceptives and night shift working might also increase the risk of having breast cancer. So it is better to maintain a proper lifestyle.
However the only positive thing is that if diagnosed early breast cancer gets easily curable with the variety of treatment options available in the country and all around the world. So let’s discuss some of the breast cancer treatments which are currently available.
Several breast cancer treatments available all across the country as well as the world
Since the last decade there have been really an explosion of several life-saving treatment options against breast cancer along with tremendous advancement in the treatment process which brings new hope. Your doctor would be determining the best treatment option for you after identifying the type of breast cancer, the stage it is running, the sensitivity of the cancer cells to several hormones along with your overall health condition and your preferences. Usually the following 6 types of treatments falls under the standard breast cancer treatment options:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted therapy
- Radiation therapy
- Hormone therapy
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy prior surgery
Till now surgery has been the most common treatment options and there are various surgical procedures which is usually recommended after identifying the location, size and type of breast cancer and they are:
- Lumpectomy
- Partial mastectomy
- Total mastectomy
- Radical mastectomy
- Modified radical mastectomy
The Breast Cancer Treatment Hospitals of India are fully equipped with the advanced methodologies and medical treatment options. They also have some extensive imaging facilities and diagnostic options which includes the most advanced MRI and CT technologies of Asia. The Indian cities like:
- Mumbai
- Delhi
- Hyderabad
- Kerala
- Pune
- Bangalore
- Chennai
- Chandigarh
- Gurgaon;
provides the best treatment options of breast cancer at the most reasonable costs.
After taking information from 15 best corporate hospitals of India and some of the top oncosurgeons working in India, the average price for the popular treatment of breast cancer has been put over here.
However, the final prices which are offered by the patients are totally based on the medical reports of them and are also dependent on the hospital brand, expertise of the surgeon, present medical conditions of the patient and type of treatment or surgery.
Government initiatives and aids for treatment of breast cancer in India
The Indian Council of Medical Research, shows that the number of female patients suffering from breast cancer from all the states of India is steeply rising. Due to this. the Central and the State Governments have initiated various programs and interventions for helping the needy families and individuals to cope up with the treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer treatment in most of the government hospitals are either free or they are subsidized. Apart from diagnosis of cancer and treatment by the health institutes of state government, the Central government institutions like All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute provides various facilities for free diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The medicines and implants of breast cancer have been set up to reasonable prices and the governments have made various donations for making the generic medicines available for breast cancer at super affordable prices.
Lastly, we want to say that early diagnosis of breast cancer would be really helpful, so follow our other articles to know about the self diagnosis methods of breast cancer and opt for some government undertaken cancer hospitals if you are in need of financial help for your treatment.
Reference:
https://geographyandyou.com/government-initiatives-for-cancer-treatment-in-india/
https://www.forerunnershealthcare.com/breast-cancer-treatment-surgery-India-low-cost-benefits.html
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/risk_factors.htm
Image Source: Time