Communty health, health promotion, informatics and Epidemiology (Due 20 hours)

The risk of developing cancer increases as one age. The age at which one starts menopause affects their cancer risk. Starting menopause after the age of 55 increases the risk of developing breast cancer due to exposure to a higher level of estrogen (Wang et al, 2020). The risk of breast cancer is increased by late menopause. Menopause in women that have breast cancer affects the quality of life negatively. Breast cancer causes skin and hair changes. It makes hair fall out all over the body. Breast cancer causes joint pains and bone thinning. The breasts might change in size and color. They might be swollen due to the tumors.

Breast cancer in menopausal patients

Global relevance

There were more than 130,00 and 490,000 deaths in the premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer groups worldwide in 2018. Breast cancer in menopausal patients is relevant because the number of individuals that have been succumbing to the disease has increased. The disease has been reported in various parts of the world. The survival rates of breast cancer in menopausal patients vary from one country to another. For those in high-income countries, the survival rates are high while for those in low-income countries, the survival rates are low. The incidence of cancer in developing nations has increased steadily (Shin et al,2019).

There is a disparity in the availability of detection programs in various countries. Breast cancer in menopausal patients is likely to be treated for patients that come from developing nations. Countries that have been undergoing economic and social transitions have had more cases of postmenopausal breast cancer. Many breast cancer deaths could be avoided worldwide by improving the health outcomes for menopausal patients.

National relevance

Breast cancer in menopausal patients is relevant in the US because it affects a lot of people. The most commonly diagnosed cancer Among American women is breast cancer. 12 percent of women that are born in the US develop breast cancer. The risk of getting diagnosed with cancer increases with age. Those in menopause are more likely to get diagnosed. There have been many deaths due to breast cancer in the US. For women aged 50 years and above, death rates from cancer have been decreasing (Sun et al, 2018).

The decrease in death rates has been due to early detection and treatment advances. Breast cancer is more common in blacks than whites in the US. There is national relevance of breast cancer because there have been many people suffering from the disease, and continued research has been done to identify more effective treatments. The US has spent a lot of money on the treatment of menopausal patients with breast cancer (Sun et al, 2018).

The risk factors for breast cancer are significantly increased by a western lifestyle. Exposure to estrogen has been one of the major risk factors for breast cancer among US citizens. Some breast cancers among menopausal patients in the US have been linked to gene mutations. Mutations are inherited from one father or mother (Nabieva et al, 2019). Women that have BRCA1 gene mutations are very likely to develop breast cancer. The US has a significant number of aging population. Therefore, diseases such as breast cancer are relevant due to the increased risk of getting the disease as one age.

Local relevance and perspective

Breast cancer among menopausal patients is relevant locally because more people are getting diagnosed. Many local people believe that cancer is a "white disease". There is conflicting information from health providers, media, and family members to the menopausal patients with breast cancer (Yeo et al, 2020). Women in various localities have limited knowledge of the subtypes of cancer. Some people are not concerned about the disease because they do not have a family history of the disease. Those who consume less healthy diets are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer in menopause.

Promotion strategies

Breast cancer in menopausal patients is a global health problem. The disease tends to affect people from many countries. There is a need to develop awareness among individuals. They should obtain factual information about breast cancer. Those in menopause might be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer (Trichopoulos et al, 2021). It is good to encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyles. At the global level, the problem should be addressed by organizations such as the World Health Organization. The government should take appropriate measures to address the problem at national and local levels.

References

Nabieva, N., Fehm, T., Haeberle, L., de Waal, J., Rezai, M., Baier, B., ... & Fasching, P. A. (2018). Influence of side-effects on early therapy persistence with letrozole in postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer: Results of the prospective EvAluate-TM study. European journal of cancer, 96, 82-90.

Shin, J. J., Choi, Y. M., Jun, J. K., Lee, K. H., Kim, T. Y., Han, W., & Im, S. A. (2019). Amenorrhea and menopause in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy. Journal of breast cancer, 22(4), 624-634.

Sun, L., Zhu, Y., Qian, Q., & Tang, L. (2018). Body mass index and prognosis of breast cancer: An analysis by menstruation status when breast cancer diagnosis. Medicine, 97(26).

Trichopoulos, D., MacMahon, B., & Cole, P. (2021). Menopause and breast cancer risk. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 48(3), 605-613.

Wang, C., Chen, C., Lin, Y., Zhou, Y., Mao, F., Zhu, H., ... & Sun, Q. (2020). Validation of CTS5 model in large-scale breast cancer population and the impact of menopausal and HER2 status on its prognostic value. Scientific reports, 10(1), 1-9.

Yeo, W., Pang, E., Liem, G. S., Suen, J. J., Ng, R. Y., Yip, C. C., ... & Mo, F. K. (2020). Menopausal symptoms in relationship to breast cancer-specific quality of life after adjuvant cytotoxic treatment in young breast cancer survivors. Health and quality of life outcomes, 18(1), 1-9.