Breast Cancer: The Epidemic

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Are you a woman over 40? If so, do you get regular mammograms? Breast cancer is an epidemic that plagues women, even though some men can get it. According to the American Cancer Society, “breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too” (Breast Cancer). Today many women are becoming diagnosed with breast cancer. It has become the most type of cancer in women, regardless of ethnicity or background. There are many risk factors that can cause breast cancer. Factors such as family history, obesity, chemicals in food, less breast feeding, hormones, smoking, exposure to pollutants, and no exercise or physical activity are some of the causes for breast cancer. Breast cancer, if detected early, can be treated. With so many issues in the world today many women do not have healthcare insurance to get checked for breast cancer. In this paper I plan to discuss the causes of breast cancer, why so many women with breast cancer are uninsured, what the health reform will do for women with breast cancer, and where uninsured women can go for screening or prevention.

Today 1 out of 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer (Cancer Care). So why are so many women being diagnosed with breast cancer? Could it be that today many women are starting to get screened earlier for breast cancer than years ago? With new technology and younger women being screened earlier, doctors are doing a better job at detecting breast cancer. With early detection the lower the stage of breast cancer, the lower the stage, the bette...

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...t, once is fully underway, should decrease the women that are affected by breast cancer and uninsured.

Works Cited

"Breast Cancer." cancer.org. American Cancer Society, 6 Jan 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.

"Cancer Care Center." metrohealth.org. MetroHealth, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.

“Information About Breast Cancer.” njha.com. n.p. n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2012

Bradley, C. J., Neumark, D., Shickle, L. M. et al., "Differences in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Experiences of Insured and Uninsured Women in a Safety-Net Setting," Inquiry, Fall 2008 45(3):323–39.

healthreform.gov

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