Breast cancer, how long can people survive?
Breast cancer is a deadly disease suffered by many women. After diagnosis, how long can the sufferer survive?
Besides cervical cancer, breast cancer is a type of cancer that many women suffer in Indonesia. After diagnosis, how long can the average sufferer survive?
The Global Cancer Observatory 2018 Data from the World Health Agency (WHO) shows that the most common cancer cases in Indonesia are breast cancer, 58,256 cases or 16.7 percent of the total 348,809 cases of cancer.
Although there are already several methods that can make breast cancer diagnosed early, still many cases of breast cancer are delayed. As a result, new sufferers get a doctor's help when cancer is in an advanced stage.
In fact, the further the breast cancer, the smaller the hope of his life. Life expectancy in the context of a deadly disease alone is how long a patient can survive after a diagnosis of an illness.
This life expectancy is derived from surveys and research. But the fact of the field can be different because the patient could survive a short or longer than the life expectancy figure.
Breast cancer and how to detect it
Although it can also be suffered by men, breast cancer is much more common in women. Usually, the symptoms are the appearance of a lump in the breasts, changes in breast size and shape, as well as changes in the skin and color of the breasts that become reddish and wrinkle-like orange peel.
The glands in the breasts do have a lump-like form so that when a small breast tumor occurs, many women are unaware. Therefore, women should know and conduct their own breast exams regularly to detect breast cancer early.
Conducting breast self-examination regularly, especially after the completion of the period, can make the woman know when there are changes in the breasts. If a change is found, immediately consult a general surgeon.
In addition to breast self-examination, some other breast screening tests can detect breast cancer early. For example USG and mammography.
Breast USG is usually more recommended in women who are still young, while mammography is usually more recommended in women who are above 40 years of age. This examination should be done routinely.
Also, there are blood tests, namely BRCA1 and BRCA2. This examination can detect the presence of genetic mutations that may cause breast cancer.
The life expectancy of breast cancer depending on the cancer stage
Based on the stadium (the term commonly used to determine the level of cancer violence), breast cancer consists of stage 1 to stage 4.
At Stage 1, the cancer lump is still under 2 cm, or if it has spread to the lymph nodes, still measuring below 2 mm. While at stage 4, cancer has spread to other organs such as bones, lungs, liver, or brain.
The life expectancy of breast cancer depends on the cancer stage. Patients with stage 0 and 1 breast cancer can live for more than 5 years. As for Stage 2, 93 percent of sufferers can live up to 5 years. Then, at Stage 3, his life expectancy was 72 percent. Lastly, at stage 4, only 22 percent of the sufferers can survive for up to 5 years.
But as explained before, the life expectancy figures are only the average gained from surveys and research.
However, it should be recalled that how long breast cancer patients can survive can differ from the results of surveys and research. Patient life expectancy is influenced by many factors, such as age, response to treatment, tumor size, or general health conditions. Do not forget to do breast self-examination regularly so that breast cancer can be detected early so that the effectiveness of therapy is also higher.