October is breast cancer and liver cancer awareness month. Be sure to subscribe to the Focus On Cancer blog and like the Abramson Cancer Center Facebook page for more information on breast and liver cancer throughout the entire month.
At a Glance: Breast Cancer
- Twelve percent of women, or 1 in 8, will develop breast cancer.
- While there’s no guaranteed way of prevention, regular mammograms are still the most important screening in the detection of breast cancer; the procedure likely saves thousands of lives each year.
- Women should begin doing self breast exams, to check for lumps and other changes in breast skin, in their early 20s.
- Although rare, men can also develop breast cancer. 1 in 5 men diagnosed with breast cancer have a close male or female relative with the disease.
At a Glance: Liver Cancer
- There are two main types of liver cancer: primary liver cancer forms in the tissues of the liver. Secondary liver cancer spreads to the liver from another part of the body.
- Liver cancer is typically not associated with symptoms in its early stages. As the disease progresses, patients may experience jaundice, fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite, abdominal bloating and pain on the right side of the abdomen, and pain in the right shoulder blade.
- Liver cancer risk factors include Cirrhosis (from genetics, alcoholism, or Hepatitis B and Hepatites C), tobacco use, and aflatoxin (a food fungus).
- Patients at Penn Medicine with liver cancer receive treatment from nationally recognized medical experts with years of experience with gastrointestinal cancers. Penn Transplant Institute has performed more than 1,500 liver transplants.
