Going into the field of women’s healthcare, I learned one big thing: education is the most important aspect of the field. I have met so many people who have no idea about so many topics relating to women’s healthcare, from menstruation to pregnancy and so much more. Education is the most important way to not only get young girls informed, but also to uplift the women in our community. When I began volunteering at Moffitt Cancer Center, one important issue that I had the pleasure of experiencing was the research being done on breast cancer, a cancer that 1 in 8 women experience in America a year. I had the opportunity to not only meet women who are fighters and survivors, but also to see the incredible research done by people who are so passionate about the cause. That is why, when the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha reached out to do a collaboration with our Her Campus chapter about breast cancer, I could not pass it up. It was a perfect opportunity to educate people about the topic, while also showing that awareness uplifts women.
what is breast cancer?
Let’s start by establishing what breast cancer is and how it affects women. Like I mentioned previously, breast cancer is a cancer that 1 in 8 women gets diagnosed with in the US every single year. Generally, cancer occurs because of too much cell growth caused by a DNA mutation within a cell, which results in tumors forming. These tumors can either be benign (non-life-threatening) or malignant (life-threatening). Breast cancer can start in various parts of the breast, and there are multiple types of breast cancer, which is something that I think not a lot of people know. Three types include:
- Angiosarcoma: an extremely rare type of cancer that occurs in the lining of blood vessels or lymph vessels. Remember, your breasts are highly delicate and actually contain a lot of blood vessels and lymph vessels! While rare, this is a possibility.
- Ductal carcinoma in situ: the earliest form of breast cancer, confined to one of the many milk ducts that the breast has. Because it has not spread, it is sometimes called noninvasive breast cancer.
- Lobular carcinoma: your breast has hundreds of milk-producing glands called lobules! Lobular carcinoma begins in those glands and has the potential to become invasive and spread throughout the body.
how does breast cancer start and grow?
Like many cancers, breast cancer can become malignant or metastatic when these cancerous cells spread to other parts of the body and begin replicating there. How it is able to do this has so much amazing research attached to it. However, much of it has indicated that hormones that our own bodies produce can cause it. Yes, estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that are responsible for our beautiful development as women, can cause breast cancer to be exacerbated. A third chemical that fuels breast cancer is one you have probably never heard of: HER2. This actually is what tells your breast cells how to grow. When the receptors get damaged, they are usually able to repair themselves; that is the magic of the body at work! However, if they are permanently damaged and unable to be repaired, the cells grow uncontrollably.
Some of this is also genetic! There are genes in the body that cause a mutation specifically for breast cancer, and can be passed down in families. The biggest one is BRCA, which acts like a kind of superhero in the body, suppressing tumors that can form. Once BRCA is mutated, tumors can no longer be suppressed, causing them to grow uncontrollably. However, this actually isn’t very common, occurring in only 1 in every 400 people. The genetics of breast cancer are also something that are still being highly researched, with so many genes that can be at play.
There are also so many risk factors that can be associated with breast cancer, anything from denser breast tissue to family history to even a poor diet. This is often why the causes of breast cancer are so hard to determine. It’s not like there is one specific reason why it happens. So many factors come into play, which is why education and awareness are key when looking at the question of why breast cancer even happens in the first place. With that being said, these cells can then travel through blood vessels and lymph vessels, causing metastasis.
catching it, treating it, defeating it
If caught early enough, the survival rate is 99%. Read that number and let that sit with you. If we can actively detect breast cancer early, almost every single woman can survive it. Four million women proudly call themselves survivors because of the work done. There are several ways that breast cancer is caught and treated. In fact, you can actually do a self-exam! This involves you knowing about yourself, knowing how your breast feels, and noticing if anything is wrong. To do this, you take your three middle fingers and place them on your breast and armpit, placing pressure on them to feel for any lumps or hardened spots on your breasts. At least once a month, you should be doing this. While it may feel uncomfortable, it is necessary to make sure that you have healthy breasts! However, these should never take the place of a mammogram or MRI, two clinically proven ways to detect breast cancer. Mammograms actually take an X-ray of your breasts, and they are usually the best way to detect breast cancer early.
Now, we caught it; how do we treat it? Like with many cancers, there are various treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. With surgery, if the tumor is benign enough, it can usually be removed. However, if the risk is heightened that it will become malignant, women will sometimes get partial or full mastectomies, which are the removal of the breast tissue. All of these come with their own set of side effects, which is why it is so important to understand how breast cancer impacts women everywhere. No one with breast cancer experiences it the same way, and that is an important takeaway from learning about it.
uplifting women
The most important part of breast cancer, once we have spread awareness and have educated ourselves, is to uplift all women in our community and to give back to survivors and honor those fighting the battle today. Zeta Tau Alpha’s philanthropy related to breast cancer is an example for women everywhere to follow. Using their Think Pink theme, they have distributed over 25 million pink ribbons and have raised millions to support breast cancer survivors. They are also partnered with the American Cancer Society and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, two incredible organizations pioneering cancer research and support. They have even partnered with the NFL to spread awareness to millions of football fans. The goal? Uplifting women. Telling the stories of survivors. Propelling research. Giving back to their community. This is the ultimate goal.
Breast cancer impacts millions of people, and these acts of kindness make a difference. The funding of clinical trials related to research and treatment is now more important than ever, especially considering the defunding of cancer research by the Trump Administration, an abhorrent action that should be denounced. What these women are doing should be echoed across the country, starting from education, moving to awareness, and ending with giving back.
To end this, I want to tell a story of a woman I met who moved me deeply. In one of my first weeks at Moffitt, we run a pop up gift shop that donates all of the proceeds back to the breast cancer research done there. One woman who came was a three-time breast cancer survivor. She told me that, each of those times, she thought she would not make it, but she had the strength to keep going. She said if she could say one thing to herself throughout treatment, she would tell herself that she was the strongest and bravest person she had ever known. These incredible women deserve our support and our backing, and it is up to us to make the change.
Get involved:
National Breast Cancer Foundation