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Importance of mammogram in the prevention of breast cancer

Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian has explained the importance of mammograms in the prevention of breast cancer in this blog. Thank you for the overwhelming messages all of you have been sending me. It motivates me to provide more and more information. This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, Best Medical Oncologist in Bangalore. I have received several queries regarding the prevention and tests of breast cancer. Hence, I have decided to talk about mammograms today and if every woman should take this test.

Time and again I have stressed on the need to finding breast cancer early and subsequently getting the right treatment. This can prevent deaths from breast cancer. We have seen over the years that breast tumour, if detected early, when it’s small and not spread to different parts, is easier to treat with successful results.

Hence I recommend getting regular screening tests, as it is the most reliable way to find breast cancer early.

What are the screening tests?

Before experiencing any symptoms,it is possible to detect tumours in the breast,if you go for regular screening. Screening in simple terms refer to tests used to find a disease in patients who don’t have any symptoms. Early detectionrefers to finding and diagnosing a disease earlier than if you waited for symptoms to start.

When we find presence of a tumour in breasts during screening, it is usually small and confined to the breast. Doctors usually consider the size of a breast tumour and how far it has spread to predict the prognosis.

We recommend women between 40 and 44 to start getting screened with a mammogram every year.

Women between 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.

Women 55 and older can choose to mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms.

All of you who is considering going for mammogram must be aware of the procedure and know what the tests can do.

Mammograms

Mammograms are a screening test for breast cancer in which low-dose x-rays are used for detection of tumours. If you can get a mammogram done every year, it can help find breast cancer at an early stage. At this stage it is easier to treat cancer. A mammogram has been beneficial in detecting early tumours. According to a study conducted over decades of research it has been found that women who have regular mammograms are more likely to have breast cancer found early. These women are less likely to need aggressive treatment like surgery to remove the breast and chemotherapy, and are more likely to be cured.

Mammogram | Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore
Mammogram | Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore

Remember that just like other tests, Mammograms are not perfect. They have missed some cancers. Also, doctors may suggest additional tests to confirm the results. Have you heard of over diagnosis? You might be diagnosed with a cancer that never would have caused any problems had it not been found during screening. I am telling you all this as it is important for women getting mammograms to know what to expect and understand the benefits and limitations of the test.

Recently, a new type of mammogram called digital breast tomosynthesis or 3D mammography has become much moe popular. You can check with your doctor if they do provide this test and if this is the right choice for you.

It is seen that 3D mammography appears to lower the chance of being again having to go back for follow-up testing. It also appears to find more breast cancers.

3D mammograms often cost more than 2D mammograms and that needs to be considered too before deciding.

Clinical breast exam and breast self-exam

Clinical Exams | Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore
Clinical Exams | Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore

By now I hope all of you are aware of the benefit of regular physical breast exams done by either a doctor or by women themselves. It is seen that breast cancer is detected after a woman finds a certain abnormality in her breast, usually not during a proper routine self-examination but when they were having a bath or dressing.  I would like to stress here that women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and if they find anything out of the ordinary, any small changes or signs, they should consult a doctor without further delay.

While you can visit a doctor for regular check-ups, a self-examination at home is also recommended. I hope I have answered most of your queries. Please feel free to write to me in case you need details on more specific topics. I will try to answer all of you.

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Why Indian women are more prone to Breast cancer

Breast Cancer Treatment in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian

Breast Cancer Treatment in Bangalore | Women with Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer Treatment in Bangalore | Women with Breast Cancer

On a lovely Saturday afternoon, while celebrating my daughter’s fifth birthday, I noticed a lump in my left breast. From the first moment, I was told that I had cancer, not even once, did I ask myself – “why me?”. I worked as a lawyer in a big law firm, and I cared about my status and the money. I considered myself a superwoman, an independent woman who could do everything by herself. I had managed to build a successful career, a happy married life,  have a great child, and keep the house organized and clean.

This is the story of one of my patients ( names withheld for privacy reasons).

After she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and subsequently treated for it, she tried her best to look forward positively. She participated in meditation workshops, met friends, and was now able to ask for help and speak about the things that mattered.

Today, she states that even though initially, she felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her feet, now, when she looks back at her journey, it has been a silver lining in her life.

For the past five years, she has been cancer-free. After hearing about my podcast sessions, she recently reached out to me, suggesting I address the issue of breast cancer in Indian women, so that more women are tested. The lack of awareness has led to a high mortality rate of women in India.

One cannot prevent breast cancer but can increase the survival rates by being aware, informed, and choosing to get diagnosed at the right time. Patients diagnosed with breast cancer need planned and personalized therapy.

Women are prone to Breast Cancer | Breast Cancer Treatment in Bangalore
Women are prone to Breast Cancer | Breast Cancer Treatment in Bangalore

Let me give you some alarming facts about breast cancer in India. I hope that through this, more and more women in India will get themselves screened early.

• Do you know that it is the most common cancer in Indian women?

• Breast cancer accounts for around 32% of female cancers in all cities across India.

• In India, every 4 minutes, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.

• Every 12 minutes, there is a woman in India who dies of breast cancer.

• Alarmed? An estimated 70,000 women died of breast cancer in India in 2014, the highest in the world for that year.

• The high mortality rate in India is due to the lack of awareness and delay in screening and diagnosis.

• More than 60% of breast cancer patients in India are suffering from stage 3 and 4, where the chances of survival are meager.

• There are is an increasing number of cases of breast cancer in the age group of 30 to 50 is increasing at an alarming rate.

One fantastic fact I would tell you all today is that breastfeeding often interrupts periods, leading to fewer menstrual cycles and less estrogen exposure. This leads to about a four percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer for every one year of breastfeeding.

Women with breast cancer are at an increased risk of osteoporosis. The hormone, estrogen has a protective effect on bones, and reduced estrogen levels can trigger bone loss.

As with other types of cancers, the survival rate is high if diagnosed early. Here are a few things that all of us need to do

• Be aware and informed about breast cancer diagnosis, symptoms, breast cancer tests, and treatment.

• Be informed about self-tests. Regularly examine your breasts on your own.

• Visit an oncologist if you feel any changes or abnormalities in your breasts.

• Early detection is a real blessing for breast cancer fighters. If detected early, breast cancer can be treated, and you have the chance to defeat cancer and live a healthy life

• Patients diagnosed with breast cancer in Stage 1 and 2 breast cancer can take a recurrence prediction test to determine their recurrence risk score.

• Depending on the recurrence risk score, the oncologist can come up with an effective plan for personalized treatment.

Indian breast cancer patients are younger, with an average age of 46 years. Nearly 50% are diagnosed in the premenopausal age. It has been found that waist size are the major risk factor for breast cancer. We also recommend women get adequate exercise and a healthy diet as the most beneficial lifestyle changes that can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. In the sincere hope that more and more women in India get aware of breast cancer symptoms and diagnosis and get help as soon as possible.

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Blog

Emotional Aspect of women on Breast cancer

Getting Diagnosed with breast cancer can be an extremely devastating experience. Your biggest worry might be dealing with a nasty co-worker or relative zone moment and the next moment you find out you have got a life-threatening illness. Women who have breast cancer experience a huge increase in anxiety levels, depression, and fear.

A warm welcome to my blog page, dedicated to cancer fighters and survivors. This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, a medical oncologist in Bangalore provides the Best Breast cancer Treatment in Bangalore.

By now, we all are aware that treatment can also bring about changes in the way your body looks and feels. One of my patient who is a breast cancer survivor has sent me this specific request to address the psychological aspect of breast cancer fighters, as according to her that will benefit lot of women out there.

I will start off with sharing a small story about her. She (Name not reviled) is a 45-year old divorced mom of two school going children. She had been having regular screening and during an exam an area of tissue didn’t look right. She underwent a surgical biopsy and it turned out to be nothing. Yet we wanted to keep a close eye on her and continued her screenings. During one of her routine screenings 12 months later, two lumps turned up. On subsequent testing, it was revealed that she had stage 1 invasive carcinoma.

Breast Cancer Treatment in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian
Breast Cancer Treatment in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian

In hercase, and for many other women who have to go from a routine mammogram to cancer fighters practically overnight, the amount of information to process and the life-changing decisions you’ll need to make, such as picking your surgeon to deciding whether to have a lumpectomy or mastectomy , can get overwhelming. This is an emotionally difficult time and that is precisely the reason, I am dedicating this session to help women deal with this phase of emotional trauma.

My team tries to help patients prepare for what’s ahead by providing them with relevant and helpful information about the most common things they could experience.

Information is a powerful tool to fight  fear and anxiety. We encourage open communication between patient and caregivers throughout the treatment. The patients must communicate everything they are going through physically and psychologically so that the care team may be able to alter their approach .Over the years, we ask patients to speak up about any side effects they are experiencing without hesitation as that will help the entire team tweak the treatment process.

The particular patient whose case I am referring to decided to hold lengthy discussion with the healthcare team and that proved to be a blessing to her throughout the treatment.

She tells me that in addition to adjusting to her new body, she is also still fearful that her cancer could return. This is a common fear of breast cancer survivors. Every littlepain, you think, ‘is it my cancer coming back?’. I am sharing these experiences, so that women out there who are going through this should not feel that they are alone. These are common emotional reactions, and it is fine to go through them. I will share some practical ways to cope with these anxieties.

Some breast cancer survivors find that exercise can help them cope with this anxiety and this is supported by research. Research proves that exercise helps reduce depression and anxiety.

 Exercising regularly also improves fatigue symptoms, reduces stress and impacts long-term overall health. The survival rate is higher in patients who exercise regularly than in patients who do not. We recommend that you engage in moderate exercise.

Also, talking with a therapist, a family member or other breast cancer patients or survivors can also help fight stress and depression.

A family and friends support network can be very helpful in coping with a breast cancer diagnosis.

It is a known fact that Cancer is not fought only by the patient. The whole family is affected. We as a community must support the family and the people who support the patient. This will go a long way at helping the patient throughout the whole process.

There are lots of evidence that increased support reduces overall stress, and that puts patients in a position to respond better to treatment. Remember that if you are hesitant to reach out to a therapist or support groups, confide in your doctor, friend, or family member. Information, exercise, and support system are some ways you can help yourself cope this phase. Do write to me and let me know if you want to add something that might have helped you or your loved one.

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Podcast

Breast Cancer & it’s Treatment-Dr Murali Subramanian

Hi everyone, welcome to my podcast channel “Oncology Podcast” . I’m your host Dr.Murali Subramanian, Medical Oncologist in Bangalore. In today’s podcast, we are going to discuss a very important topic “Let’s talk about Breast Cancer and it’s treatment” in General.

We’re getting better at opening up and started talking about difficult subjects, but many of us still hesitate to talk about them, or avoid them eventually altogether because we think they don’t affect us, especially when it comes to cancer. 

According to top oncologists, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Early diagnosis will help keep the disease under control. Around 30% of breast cancer cases are aggressive with rapidly growing tumors.

Listen to the podcast audio down below to know more about Breast Cancer and it’s Treatment by Dr. Murali Subramanian, Breast Cancer Doctor in Bangalore