Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer types worldwide. According to Sun et al. (2017), it amounts to 25-30% of all cancer cases detected yearly among women. Cases of male breast cancer are relatively rare and do not exceed 1% of the total number (Sun et al., 2017). Survival rates for breast cancer can vary significantly in different regions. Akram et al. (2017) state that the 5-year survival rate remains around 80% in developed countries, while in poor regions it falls below 40%. Despite the number of cases increasing yearly, the mortality rates drop due to improvements in screening and treatment (Sun et al., 2017). Risk factors for breast cancer include age, family genetics, reproductive issues and so forth. Aging and family history are two main factors that contribute to the issue. Sun et al. (2017) emphasize the importance of early screening for women aged 40 or older, as mortality rates among them are the highest. Roughly 25% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have relatives with the same diagnosis (Sun et al., 2017). Overall, breast cancer risk factors do not differ significantly from those of other tumors.
Breast cancer prevention and treatment methods have significantly improved over the last decades. Surveillance is extremely important, as asymptomatic patients amount to 40% of total diagnosed cases (Akram et al., 2017). Ultrasonography has been recently rising in popularity as a cheaper and more accurate screening method compared to traditionally used mammography and MRI (Sun et al., 2017). Chemotherapy and monoclonal antibodies are mainly used to treat breast cancer. In recent years, studies have shown that immunotherapy could prove effective in treating triple-negative breast cancer that has one of the lowest survival rates (Sun et al., 2017). However, all of the therapies have significant adverse effects, and much work is needed to develop safer and more efficient methods.
References
Akram, M., Iqbal, M., Daniyal, M., & Khan, A. U. (2017). Awareness and current knowledge of breast cancer. Biological Research, 50, 33. Web.
Sun, Yi-Sheng, Zhao, Z., Zhang-Nv, Y., Fang, X., Hang-Jing, L., Zhi-Jong, Z., Wen, S., Jianmin, J., Ping-Ping, Y., & Hang-Ping, Z. (2017). Risk factors and preventions of breast cancer. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 13(11), 1387-1397. Web.