HUNTSVILLE LIVING | OCTOBER 2024 | 9
What breast cancer can do to the body
No woman wants to be diagnosed with breast cancer . A potentially fatal disease , breast cancer affects millions of women across the globe each year . Thankfully , survival rates for the disease have improved considerably in recent decades , and women now have a much greater chance of living for many years after successful treatment .
A 2017 study from the American Cancer Society found that the number of women who died from breast cancer dropped by about 40 percent in the quarter century preceding the study . A host of variables , including advancements in detecting and treating the disease and a heightened awareness of the need for screening , have contributed to that positive turn .
Though breast cancer treatment is highly effective , particularly when the disease is in its early stages at the time of an initial diagnosis , women may still experience some side effects of both the disease and the treatment their cancer care teams design . The following are some ways that breast cancer and treatment can affect a woman ’ s body in both the short- and long-term .
— Joint and muscle pain : According to Susan G . Komen (, a nonprofit organization that helps to fund breast cancer research , aromatase inhibitors are hormone therapy drugs used to treat hormone receptor-positive breast cancer . Researchers have found that joint pain and muscle pain are common side effects of aromatase inhibitors . This pain might be most noticeable after sleeping or a period of inactivity . Fortunately , the damage to joints and muscles is not permanent .
— Fatigue : Breastcancer . org reports that breast cancer causes changes in the body that can lead to fatigue . That fatigue could be linked to cytokines , which are proteins released by certain breast cancers that researchers suspect cause fatigue . Breast cancer also can alter hormone levels in the body and cause inflammation , and each of those effects can contribute to fatigue .
— Skin changes : The MD AndersonCancer Center reports that certain changes to the skin are hallmarks of inflammatory breast cancer , a relatively rare yet aggressive form of the disease . Redness or another change in the skin color of the breast , swelling on one side and / or a rash that appears suddenly are changes in the skin that can appear due to breast cancer . Dimpling of the skin over the breast is another change in the skin that can result from breast cancer .
— Libido and fertility : Breastcancer . org reports that some breast cancer treatments can lower a woman ’ s libido , which is her desire for sex and intimacy . This side effect is possibly a byproduct of other effects of treatment that can affect a womans mental state , including anxiety , depression , weight changes , fatigue , and difficulty sleeping . In addition , the National Cancer Institute notes that certain types of chemotherapy can cause infertility . Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that most cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women over 50 , women can still get the disease at any age . Women who hope to have children after a breast cancer diagnosis are urged to discuss that goal with their cancer care teams so their course of treatment does not adversely affect their ability to give birth .
Breast cancer affects a woman ’ s body in various ways . Though many effects are temporary , women can still discuss strategies to overcome them as they navigate their way through treatment .
HUNTSVILLE LIVING | OCTOBER 2024 | 9