BREAST CANCER

Argumentative Research Paper: Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Argumentative Research Paper: Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Introduction

Breast cancer is an abnormal and disordered growth of cells in this tissue. Experts estimated that in 1997 about 44,000 women in the United States died from breast cancer. Nearly 6,000 of those women were in their forties. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 1 out of 8 women in the United States will be afflicted with breast cancer during her lifetime (Kaufmann, 2010). This makes breast cancer the most widespread type of cancer affecting women in the United States. The risk appears to be greater among women of certain racial groups—whites, blacks and Hawaiians (Daly, 2010). In addition, the disease is most prevalent among women over 50 years old. Although its mortality rate has remained stable despite its increasing incidence, breast cancer remains a pressing health concern for women, especially for those with a family history of the disease.

Breast cancer, like other types of cancer, is characterized by excessive cell division (Thomas, 2010). The key difference between cancers lies in the location where this process initially occurs. In the case of breast cancer, the breast tissue is the origin of this abnormal cell overgrowth, which then leads to the formation of a malignant mass of tissue, or a tumor. This tumor may spread to other parts of the body, through the bloodstream and the lymphatic system, in a process called metastasis (Melville, 2011). Metastasis may result in the incessant production of additional tumors that could destroy other body tissues and organs. Diagnosis for cancer falls into two categories, i.e. local and systemic (Melville, 2011).

United States health department officials announced that a common treatment for women with breast cancer can also reduce the chances of getting the disease by almost 50%. But the findings, which apply only to women at high risk for the disease, come with a warning. Research has shown that regular breast cancer diagnosis test have saved the lives of many women (Stein, 2011). However, the benefits of these tests have been hotly debated as they might pose serious risks. The panel recommended that women seem to have symptoms of breast cancer should consult with their doctors and make a decision diagnosis test based on their individual situations.

Despite ongoing research and clinical trials, questions regarding the effectiveness of breast cancer diagnosis test remain unresolved (Finlayson, 2010). This is why new discoveries are especially important. This paper presents an insight about the test used for diagnosis of breast cancer and how they pose a risk to the person.

Thesis Statement

Breast cancer diagnosis tests, currently being used by doctors are not victim friendly and present serious threat to the person.

Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Multiple diagnosis techniques are used by doctors to diagnose the breast cancer in women. These include imaging techniques, biopsy, and laboratory tests. Imaging techniques allows conducting a thorough examination of organ and tissues for breast cancer diagnosis. These include ultrasound, radiography, computed tomography [CT], magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], and mammography to obtain an image ...