Hina Khan Breast Cancer Diagnoses: How Can You Detect The Early Signs And Prevent The Deadly Disease?

Globally, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women, accounting for one-quarter of all female cancers. However, this took the internet by storm when Hina Khan came on social media to announce that she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. By 2040, the breast cancer mortality rate in Asia is expected to increase to 61.7%. 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in India, accounting for 28.2% of all female cancer cases, with an estimated 216,108 cases by 2022. The cancer incidence rate among Indian women is an age-adjusted rate of 25.8 per 100,000 women and a mortality rate of 12.7 per 100,000 women. In India, nearly 60% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed as stage III or IV disease.

Nearly 50% of all cases occur in the 25-50-year age group, highlighting the need for proactive screening and preventive measures. More than 70% of cases of advanced disease have poor survival and high mortality, underscoring the importance of early detection and intervention. Let us dive into this blog to understand stage-3 breast cancer and early signs and prevention of the same.

Table Of Contents

1. An Insight Into Hina Khan Being Diagnosed With Stage 3 Breast Cancer

2. What Is Stage 3 Breast Cancer?

3. Early Signs And Prevention Of Breast Cancer

4. Expert’s Advice 

5. The Final Say

6. FAQs

7. References

An Insight Into Hina Khan Being Diagnosed With Stage 3 Breast Cancer

Hina Khan has been one of the most famous and loved actresses in the T.V. entertainment industry. She has been diagnosed with stage-3 breast cancer. Hina took to social media to share this news and has been sharing her chemotherapy journey with her followers. But does it make you think about a celebrity who has put so much of her life together, from healthy eating to working out daily? How can someone be prone to such a deadly disease? 

"Locally advanced" breast cancer, which includes stage 3 breast cancer, has progressed from the original tumour but has not yet invaded distant organs. While she is going through such a difficult time, it raises many questions regarding breast cancer, its early signs and ways you can prevent it. 

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What Is Stage 3 Breast Cancer?

An irregular growth of tissue in the breast that occasionally feels like a lump is called breast cancer. When breast cells divide uncontrollably and produce additional tissue, a tumour forms. This tumour expands when cells in the breast divide out of control and produce more tissue. It may be malignant (cancerous) or benign (non-cancerous). Cancer cells can spread within the breast, to the lymph nodes (glands) in the armpit, and to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer can occur in five stages, ranging from zero to four. (The Roman numbers I, II, III, and IV depict these stages). There are several variables in some stages. The stage of the cancer tells you how big it is and how widely it has spread in the body. It helps your doctor decide on the best treatment.

When breast cancer is in stage 3, it has progressed from the immediate vicinity of the tumour and may have infected neighbouring muscles and lymph nodes, but it has not yet reached distant organs. Although this stage is considered advanced, there are more and more effective treatment options. Three groups comprise this stage: Stage 3A, Stage 3B, and Stage 3C. The difference influences the difference in the tumour's size and whether the malignancy has spread to the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. 

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1. Stage 3A Breast Cancer

At this point, the tumour is more than five centimetres in size, larger than a small lime, and the cancer has spread to one, two, or three lymph nodes beneath the arm or close to the chest.

2. Stage 3B Breast Cancer

The tumour can be of any size, and cancer has invaded the chest wall or skin of the breast with evidence of swelling, inflammation or ulcers (such as inflammatory breast cancer). Breast cancer may also have spread to up to 9 nearby lymph nodes.

3. Stage 3C Breast Cancer

No actual tumour is found in the breast (as is the case with inflammatory breast cancer), or the tumour may be any size. The tumour may have invaded the chest wall or skin of the breast with signs of swelling, ulceration or inflammation, and the tumour has spread to at least ten lymph nodes beneath the arm. Stage 3C breast cancer is divided into stage 3C breast cancer, which is operable, and stage 3C breast cancer, which is inoperable. However, "inoperable" is not the same as "untreatable."

Early Signs And Prevention Of Breast Cancer

Stage 3 breast cancer can be divided into three groups: stage 3A, stage 3B and stage 3C. This depends on the size of the tumour and whether the cancer has progressed to the body's lymph nodes or other areas, as was previously mentioned. Most people do not experience any symptoms when the cancer is in its early stages. In advanced stages, symptoms of stage 3 breast cancer may include the following signs and preventive measures.

Treatment is constantly improving, and we know more than ever how to prevent this disease. These nine steps can help reduce your risk of breast cancer. Not all apply to every woman, but most women will have some benefits from these steps to improve their breast health:

Also Read: Diet For Cancer Patients: Nutrition, Foods And Tips For Longevity 

Expert’s Advice 

To stay healthy and avoid breast cancer, a person should make healthy lifestyle changes, eat a proper, healthy, balanced diet, reduce obesity, include exercise, avoid smoking, and avoid excessive use of birth control pills or hormone therapy. Regular screening should be made mandatory, whether a person has symptoms or not. Women over 40 should have a mammogram every year. If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer where your relatives also had BRCA mutations, get tested for the genes as well.

Dt. Lavina Chauhan

The Final Say

Life expectancy and survival rates for stage 3 breast cancer continue to improve. Many factors can affect a person's life expectancy after a breast cancer diagnosis. 

The growing burden of breast cancer among Indian women requires a comprehensive approach focused on awareness, early detection, lifestyle changes and access to quality health services to combat this growing public health challenge. People can also talk to their doctor about more resources to help them. They are coping with breast cancer, including support groups and counselling.

FAQs

1. What is the life expectancy of a person diagnosed with breast cancer stage 3?

The current five-year relative survival rate for those first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer is 80.6%. Although survival rates can provide an estimate of what percentage of patients at the same stage of breast cancer (when first diagnosed) are alive after a certain time, it cannot predict how long a particular individual with breast cancer will survive. 

2. What is the treatment for stage 3 breast cancer?

Medical researchers continue to explore new ways to treat breast cancer. Recent clinical trials are testing new drug combinations and new approaches to existing treatments. Some existing treatments include:

• Chemotherapy: For the treatment of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, providers may mix chemotherapy and surgery.

• Immunotherapy: To reduce tumour size prior to surgery, healthcare professionals may mix immunotherapy with chemotherapy. In addition, immunotherapy and postoperative radiation therapy may be administered for around a year following surgery.

• Surgery: A mastectomy removes the entire breast, whereas a lumpectomy removes just the lump. The next step is for the providers to seek for evidence that the breast cancer has progressed to the lymph nodes by doing an axillary node surgery or sentinel node biopsy.

• Targeted therapy: Healthcare professionals may mix immunotherapy and chemotherapy with medications that specifically target cancer cells. For instance, clinicians may combine PARP inhibitors with targeted therapy. Poly ADP ribose polymerase, or PARP, is an enzyme that helps cells repair damaged DNA.

• Radiation therapy: Post-surgery radiation therapy helps reduce the chance that the cancer will recur (come back).

3. Is the news of Hina Khan being diagnosed with breast cancer true?

Yes, Hina Khan has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

References

• https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-stage-3/

• https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/patient/breast-prevention-pdq 

• https://nbcf.org.au/about-breast-cancer/diagnosis/stage-3-locally-advanced-breast-cancer/ 

• https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/breast-cancer/stages/stage-3#:~:text=A%20lump%20or%20swelling%20in,Pain%2C%20irritation%20or%20itchiness

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