How climate change can increase your breast cancer risk | The alcohol - Breast Cancer connection Africa

Greater toxicity. It’s a big deal because 90% of breast cancer cases are likely linked to factors including environmental exposures to toxic chemicals and radiation. Only around 10% of breast cancer cases can be attributed to genetics.

Climate change can increase your breast cancer risk

Top 4 ways climate change may increase your risk of breast cancer:

Hotter temps make it harder for our bodies to cleanse by breaking down and getting rid of toxic chemicals.
Hotter temps make cancer chemicals like pesticides more harmful to our bodies.
Severe weather events can pollute the water we drink.
Hotter temps mean more volatile toxic chemical pollution in the air we breathe.

What comes with a hotter world? Greater toxicity. It’s a big deal because 90% of breast cancer cases are likely linked to factors including environmental exposures to toxic chemicals and radiation. Only around 10% of breast cancer cases can be attributed to genetics.

While you’re letting that sink in, let’s get to the bottom of what ‘greater toxicity’ means. It comes in multiple forms. First off, some chemicals of concern for breast cancer, like pesticides, are literally more harmful to our health at higher temperatures.

Breast cancer risks rise with greater toxicity from harmful chemicals.

And you’ve probably heard about severe weather events like storms, hurricanes, and floods. Well, increased storm, flooding, and water runoff, from a rise in the number and severity of weather events, are projected to lead to chemical contamination of water sources.Think, cancer-causing pesticides from lawns, gardens, and crops, washing into your streams, watersheds, and water reservoirs.

In those flooding events, hazardous chemicals are released such as formaldehyde, a carcinogen, from manufactured wood products and plasticizing chemicals from flooring and other furniture.

Granted, climate change is projected to shift regional precipitation patterns. Some areas are more likely to see more precipitation, like rain and storms, while others will see less. Unfortunately, less precipitation carries other toxic risks.

Areas that see less rainfall may experience a higher level of airborne (volatile) persistent organic pollutants (POPs), like some pesticides linked to breast cancer, in the atmosphere. POPs are chemicals that do not break down in the environment over time. Instead, they stick around and can cause illness.

Less precipitation is also expected to increase air pollution in urban areas, which means greater exposure to harmful chemicals linked to breast cancer.

And while hotter temperatures intensify the toxicity of chemicals like air pollutants and pesticides, they also weaken our bodies’ ability to cope. Hotter temperatures make it harder for our bodies to break down and get rid of toxic chemicals (i.e. detoxify) by weakening our natural metabolism and excretion processes.

According to a study on global climate change published in the journal of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry:

Environmental variables altered by global climate chance (GCC), like temperature, precipitation, salinity, and pH, can influence the toxicokinetics of chemical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion as well as toxicodynamic interactions between chemicals and target molecules. In addition, GCC challenges processes critical for coping with the external environment (water balance, thermoregulation, nutrition, and the immune, endocrine, and neurological systems), leaving organisms sensitive to even slight perturbations by chemicals when pushed to the limits of their physiological tolerance range.

In other words, rising temperatures make us more sensitive to chemical stressors like toxic chemicals. Our bodies’ natural systems for keeping us healthy are less able to cope, which makes us more susceptible to breast cancer and other diseases.

All in all, climate change means an increased risk of breast cancer for all of us, especially people in places that are hard hit by extreme weather events facing chemical contamination and air pollution. It’s easy to hold climate change at arm’s reach, as a distant environmental problem, causing flooding in places far from home and the extinction of rare species. But it’s more than that—it’s a global health problem that’s about to get worse.

Already breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women. Those are our sisters, mothers, daughters, friends, families, and communities. It’s time that the world stepped up and addressed climate change to prevent breast cancer before it starts.

THE ALCOHOL-BREAST CANCER CONNECTION AFRICA

The aim of Wear It Pink Day is to raise awareness of breast cancer – and raise funds for the charity in the process. The aim of Breast Cancer Now is to make sure that everyone diagnosed with the illness lives by 2050.

The relationship between alcohol and breast cancer is clear: drinking alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer, or liquor, is a risk factor for breast cancer, as well as some other forms of cancer.

Drinking alcohol causes more than 100,000 cases of breast cancer worldwide every year. Globally, almost one in 10 cases of breast cancer is caused by women drinking alcoholic beverages. Drinking alcoholic beverages is among the most common modifiable risk factors.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in women globally. In Africa, breast cancer ranks as the most common cancer type in women. It is associated with several risk factors like lifestyle, genetic and environmental influences.

Breast Cancer burden in Africa

In Africa, breast cancer is responsible for 28% of all cancers and 20% all cancer deaths in women. (16% & 11% both sexes).

Incidence rates are still generally low in Africa, estimated below 35 per 100,000 women in most countries (compared to over 90–120 per 100,000 in Europe or North America).

Precise incidence figures in Africa are lacking given the absence of cancer registration in most countries.

The incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer in women varies across the Africa continent according to risk factor. Amongst the breast cancer subtypes, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most common among African women. Factors such as late presentation, lack of infrastructure for screening and therapeutic intervention, and lack of awareness have contributed to lower survival rate to breast cancer in Africa.

The highest mortality and incidence rate reported for breast cancer was in the West Africa region. Although, there seems to be an under-reporting of the actual breast cancer burden in Africa. This review highlights breast cancer incidence rate, mortality rate, survival rate, risk factors, and tumor biology across various regions in Africa.

Conclusion

Reports from various regions of the African continent showed that more investigations into breast cancer screening, awareness, treatment and subtypes are needed to foster the understanding of various risk factors associated with breast cancer with the aim of reducing the growing breast cancer burden in Africa.

This is how we observed breast cancer day in past years

REMEMBERING HOW WE OBSERVED BREAST CANCER MONTH LAST YEAR

It was exactly 2 years ago that we interviewed Josefa who was taking care of her mother who was fighting breast cancer with all her strength. Unfortunately, Josefa lost her mother in October 2022. The mother left a void and a deep pain in the heart of her family, neighbors and friends.

Good afternoon!

How are you?

I'm fine thanks!

Please introduce yourself.

I am Josefa Pedro.

OK Josefa, thank you so much for being with us!

Could you tell us how breast cancer has affected your life and the life of your family?

It was a very difficult thing for us. My mother has always been a very dynamic woman, having to discover this disease at 41 years of age, as she was young, this was very difficult.

So I had to walk with her, follow the whole process, and it's something very exhausting, not only for the person who has the disease but for the people close to her as well.

How long did your mother carry this disease?

We had intensive treatment for a year. we did the consultations, then the medical operation was performed, and she spent 3 to 6 months undergoing chemotherapy.

When was breast cancer discovered in your mother?

This disease was discovered in 2019, between June - July. As soon as we discovered the cancer, we immediately went to the oncology center at the Maria Pia hospital, where we started the treatment.

How is her condition now?

She is currently doing well, she continues to undergo the treatment but on the basis of pills. Every 6 months she has a check up to ensure that no other abnormalities have developed in her body.

What is the appeal you would give to other girls facing this disease, and for those who are shy to ask for help?

First of all, women must self-examine themselves.

For those like me who already have a case of this in their family, from 25 years of age onwards, they should start having a mammogram, to find out if there is an indication. When the cancer is in the early stage it is still possible to treat, but unfortunately some women only discover it in the advanced stage when it is too late to do anything.

Was your mother's tumor removed?

Yes, thank God!

Click here to learn more about Josefa:

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/10/breast-cancer-slowdown-campaign-with.html

The dark side of cancer. In-depth interview - very sentimental

Our second interviewee who had also lost her mother to breast cancer, the year 2022 counts the second year since the death of her mother, she is gradually coming to terms with the pain and learning to live without a mother who will always live in her heart.

Good evening!

Please introduce yourself!

My name is Lina Comboio. Sofonie, thank you for inviting me on your show to talk about breast cancer. I support this program.

I am happy to participate on the 22nd of October, which marks breast cancer worldwide.

Well, the world was marked on October 19, 2021, and Angola was not left out, so we are here to continue this movement!

Lina, can you tell me how breast cancer affected your family's life?

Yes, I am here to make my contribution.

Was there anyone with this disease in your family?

Yes, cancer entered my family in a very mysterious and very silent way. Cancer affected my mother's health. Cancer took my mother with it.

There are two types of cancer, benign and malignant. Unfortunately my mother had malignant tumor, which had no way of doing surgery other than undergoing chemotherapy procedures.

When was this disease discovered in your mother?

The disease was discovered 2 years ago, and she lived with this disease for 2 years.

How did the family react?

We react very badly. In the beginning we didn't know what it was or the cause of the disease. We couldn't tell if it was cancer, pneumonia or tuberculosis. There were moments of great anguish, we were all afflicted and depressed. It was a very sorry situation.

Was the first treatment she had appropriate for this disease?

It was not an appropriate treatment for cancer because the doctors thought it was tuberculosis. They prescribed lots of medication that only made her situation worse. She went to a sanatorium hospital where tuberculosis was wrongly diagnosed, the doctors gave her lots of pills for her to take but it made her very sick and it didn't improve her health at all.

So we decided to take her to the military hospital to see what's really going on with my mother. In this hospital it was discovered and diagnosed that she had Cancer. She was hospitalized there and after a while she was transferred to oncology hospital of Angola-Maria Pia.

How long did you fight the disease?

We fought for 2 years. Unfortunately she didn't resist.

She passed away? When?

Unfortunately she didn't make it and died this year, 2 months ago.

It is a very big loss.

Yes, it was a very strong loss. Which so far I haven't gotten over it and I don't know when I'll get over it, this is so sad, very sad indeed. Sometimes we lose something but mother's love is very strong, we can't get over it when we lose mother's love. I'm very sad, I don't like to remember this.

Click here to learn more about Lina: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/10/breast-cancer-slowdowncampaign-with_24.html

By providing public health education to improve awareness among women of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and, together with their families, understand the importance of early detection and treatment, more women would consult medical practitioners when breast cancer is first suspected, and before any cancer present is advanced. This is possible even in the absence of mammographic screening that is impractical in many countries at the present time.

Exclusive interview with nurse Gonçalves Maxinde

Watch the video on youtube for full translation. Click on the “Settings” icon, select “Subtitles/CC,” and then click “Auto Translate.”

Good morning, it's pink October, breast cancer month. We invited the nurse Gonsalves Maxinde to make some brief remarks about breast cancer as well as explain how this situation is in Angola.

Good morning, I welcome everyone to this online event. Today we are going to talk about breast cancer.

My name is Gonsalves Baltazar Maxinde, I am a general nurse. I have been working for 4 years in the emergency bank of the Malanjino Health Center.

We know that pink October is the month that stands out the most, and with the greatest coverage the world talks about this topic. This does not mean that in another months we should not talk about breast cancer with such force.

Breast cancer is a public health disease that affects women's breasts. Every woman of legal age should have a culture of self-examination, normally every morning with her hands raised, she should touch her breasts to see if she doesn't have a lump.... [Watch the video on YouTube for full translation. Click on the “Settings” icon, select “Subtitles/CC,” and then click “Auto Translate.”]

Campaign report

The Angolan Cancer Control Institute adopted a strategy to carry out screening for the disease in places of large population agglomeration, which allowed the diagnosis of 958 new cases, of which 232 of breast cancer, 26 of the prostate and 159 of the uterine cervix. In relation to breast cancer, there was a decrease in the number of cases, because in previous years there were generally more than 300 cases registered.

In Angola, the approach to the importance of breast self-examination in preventing cancer of this organ is still quite deficient, many patients seek the services of the local Oncology Center when the disease is at an advanced stage, which has been making it difficult to treat the disease and they end up dying with the cancer, leaving the families destitute."

Unfortunately, in the country there are not so many hospitals and highly qualified doctors to detect the disease in the first aid, as a result they end up making misdiagnoses, which worsens the patient's health even more.

However, this campaign was developed from the perspective of raising awareness and sensitize Angolan women to the importance of early diagnosis in breast cancer prevention".

Our online Breast Cancer Slowdown program is made up of only 4 Hybrid Docuseries based on real stories and was specially developed for this weekend.

We are sorry that some of you were not able to attend the first part of this campaign. We think that you might be interested in and benefit from watching the entire campaign.

In case you missed out, you can still watch the campaign recordings by clicking to this link: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/10/breast-cancer-slowdown-campaign-with.html

Scope of the problem

In 2020, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths globally. As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer. Breast cancer occurs in every country of the world in women at any age after puberty but with increasing rates in later life.

Who is at risk?

Breast cancer is not a transmissible or infectious disease. There are no known viral or bacterial infections linked to the development of breast cancer.

Approximately half of breast cancers develop in women who have no identifiable breast cancer risk factor other than gender (female) and age (over 40 years). Certain factors increase the risk of breast cancer including increasing age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age that menstrual periods began and age at first pregnancy), tobacco use and postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Behavioural choices and related interventions that reduce the risk of breast cancer include:

prolonged breastfeeding;
regular physical activity;
weight control;
avoidance of harmful use of alcohol;
avoidance of exposure to tobacco smoke;
avoidance of prolonged use of hormones; and
avoidance of excessive radiation exposure.

Unfortunately, even if all of the potentially modifiable risk factors could be controlled, this would only reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by at most 30%.

Female gender is the strongest breast cancer risk factor. Approximately 0.5-1% of breast cancers occur in men.

Treatment

Breast cancer treatment can be highly effective, achieving survival probabilities of 90% or higher, particularly when the disease is identified early. Treatment generally consists of surgery and radiation therapy for control of the disease in the breast, lymph nodes and surrounding areas (locoregional control) and systemic therapy (anti-cancer medicines given by mouth or intravenously) to treat and/or reduce the risk of the cancer spreading (metastasis). Anti-cancer medicines include endocrine (hormone) therapy, chemotherapy and in some cases targeted biologic therapy (antibodies).

Donate

There are a number of ways to support those affected by breast cancer. Whether helping the community as a whole or donating in honor of or in memory of a loved one, each donation helps sustain our mission to educate the community and fight to end breast cancer.

Your gift means we can bring hope to cancer patients. Together we are fighting cancer smarter, better and harder than we ever have before. Thank you for your support.

SAYING GOODBYE TO PINK OCTOBER - AWARENESS MARCH AGAINST BREAST CANCER. BY SOFONIE DALA, ANGOLA

Part 1

Our motto is: "Lower cancer and never cancer"

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women.

A long march, praises and fervent prayers marked the last Sunday of October.

This is how we are ending the Pink October - fighting breast cancer together with the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Women's Ministry.

On this day the Angolan population woke up surprised by our movement on the road.

We went to the road with a long march where dozens of women and girls including some male representatives took part in this initiative.

Every year thousands of women become fatal victims of breast cancer. We are losing our families, friends, sisters and neighbors due to this malignant tumor.

Especially the poorer women who only discover the disease in the final stage due to the lack of financial resources to consult a good hospital with good specialists who can diagnose the disease on time.

We mobilized hundreds or even thousands of people who came across us on the street.

Breast cancer is a very serious disease that needs to be fought. We encourage women to regularly consult a doctor for the early diagnosis of cancer. Reasons why we are here in the fight against breast cancer.

With you was Sofonie Dala. Greetings everyone!

Interview with the district director of the Ministry of Women.

Good morning sister!

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about this program.

Good morning my dear sister!

My name is Ana Victorino Paulino, director of the Women's Ministry of the popular neighborhood district!

As you can see here all women in uniform, we organized this march to raise awareness about breast cancer and uterine cancer. We marched from the 1st of May region to the Santa Ana de Luanda wake.

One of the main reasons for this march is to be able to rescue many women who are being affected and oppressed by breast cancer and cannot get rid of them alone.

When they see the population or a group of women stunned, they will feel motivated to fight.

We have prepared special messages for many women to wake up and do the consultation and control of breast or uterine cancer. We are in the church not only to worship God but also to be able to rescue souls, doing social work and also working with the state.

This is the reason for the participation of these women to be able to manifest and fight cancer.

Our motto is: "Lower cancer and never cancer".

We know that with divine power we will overcome cancer. The local police support us and accompany us to the point of arrival.

We managed to reach a good part of the population of Luanda and we saw the satisfaction on the faces of many who appreciated us along the way.

So thank you very much, we have the feeling of mission accomplished.

And which church organized it?

This was a particular initiative of one of the districts of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (District Popular Neighborhood).

October 30th: Never cancer, and that's how we ended the month.

OK thank you.

Thank you, kisses.

A classic picture of Peau d'orange. One of the signs of breast cancer.

Breast skin VS Orange skin

In Africa, breast cancer kills more women over age 40 than HIV/AIDS & Malaria Combined. Unfortunately, there is no basic awareness about breast cancer in Africa.

MINISTRY OF WOMAM IS MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER - PART 2. BY SOFONIE DALA, ANGOLA

The full long march

Churches are not oblivious to the critical situations that occur in the country

Part 2

The month of October couldn’t end without Lifting up with Luanda city turning pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is making sure to spread breast cancer awareness in the wake of losing women to the deadly disease.

Interview with women who have already lost someone to breast cancer

Good afternoon mam!

Good afternoon.

What are you doing here?

We are running a religious campaign that encourages the fight against breast cancer.

Do you know someone who has been a victim of breast cancer?

Yes, I am very sad because this very dangerous disease that kills urgently, by chance also killed my neighbor. I recently lost a friend who suffered from this disease, she struggled a lot with it, but unfortunately last week she passed away.

She left me an emptiness and a very deep pain.

What a pity, what a pity!

This situation is very sad, we must reinforce the fight against breast cancer, because it is a disease that is killing many women.

Another additional interview

Good morning mam!

Good morning sister!

How did the march go?

Thank God it went very well.

Did you like the experience?

I really enjoyed this experience.

Do you know someone who has been a victim of breast cancer?

Not very well.

But did you march to motivate other women?

Yes, I marched to give strength to other women, and also to appeal for other women to be present next time, and also to invest in the walks to draw the attention of other sisters so that they join us.

Galeria