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The Effect of Breast Cancer

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THE EFFECT OF BREAST CANCER
ON WOMEN The diagnosis of cancer and it sequelae has a direct impact on the patient, family and community. It however has a deeper impact on women. Women are in most cases the foundation of the family unit. Therefore when a woman is diagnosed with any type of cancer, the family’s social, psychological and financial dynamics after diagnosis are forever changed. The possibility of death is moved to the forefront of their lives. Living with breast cancer (before and after treatment) is difficult. After diagnosis and before treatment, there is a cycle of fear, depression, desperation, denial and acceptance. During treatment, there is anguish over the loss of one’s body image. This is true particularly when the treatment involves chemotherapy or radiation where the individual loses (i.e. their hair, smooth skin) aspects of their personal appearance by which they once identified as being unique to themselves. In the case where the treatment is surgery (i.e. mastectomy either total or partial) the individual grieves the loss of that body part more so than the loss of the hair. In their minds hair can be re-grown, a breast cannot. As a result of this, socialization with others and intimate relationship with their spouse becomes difficult. The relationship with the children changes due to the side effects of chemotherapy which make normal activities difficult. After the course of treatment is over, the woman has to readjust to life after cancer because she realizes that not only has she changed but everyone around her has changed. After the battle, the woman also has to be on guard because cancer might reoccur. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in this year of 2007, there will be approximately 178,480 new cases of breast cancer in women and 2030 new cases in men. They estimate that this cancer will cause 40,460 deaths in

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