Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer that affects women. In India, 1 in every 28 women is expected to have breast cancer during their lifetime. The condition is more prevalent in urban areas, with 1 in 22 women having a risk of breast cancer during their lifetime. 

Even though the condition was considered more common among women over the age of 50, the cases of breast cancer affecting women below the age of 50 and even menstruating women have increased significantly over the years. The survival rate of breast cancer is near perfect if it is diagnosed in its nascent stages. However, a cancer diagnosis is still one of the most stressful medical evaluations a person can get. So, how does breast cancer affect a person?

There are two types of impact a breast cancer diagnosis can have on a person: physical implications, namely the pain and discomfort associated with cancer, and the psychological impact, which includes the psychological burden of coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis. Let’s explore each of these effects in more detail to understand what may be in store and how you can deal with it.

How Does Breast Cancer Change Your Life?

Apart from the effects mentioned above, a cancer diagnosis can also have far-reaching societal and economic impacts on a person as well. We will be discussing each of these effects in detail. One of the most crucial things about breast cancer that you must know is that though it may make you feel isolated, nobody is alone in their journey. Help is available at all times to help you and your loved ones go through the journey of beating cancer together.

Physical Impact of Breast Cancer on Your Life

A cancer diagnosis doesn’t automatically mean agonising pain and unbearable breast cancer symptoms. In many cases, breast cancer can be asymptomatic, even in later stages, unless the cancer has started spreading to other parts of the body. The physical impact of breast cancer on your health is mainly related to the treatments that you may need to go through. Going through surgery or systemic treatments like chemotherapy or radiation therapy has a significant impact on your health and can lead to several symptoms, which are discussed below.

Hair & Skin Changes: Hair and skin go through several changes during the treatment of breast cancer, especially if you need to go through radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Hair loss is a common effect of breast cancer treatment, with women often losing a majority portion of their hair due to the treatment processes. The hair loss is not only on the head, it can impact any part of your body that has hair. For the skin, radiation therapy and chemotherapy can make the skin itchy and dry. Sunburn-like spots or marks can appear on the skin near to where the radiation therapy is applied. It is crucial that you understand that these changes can be reversed in some cases, and it is possible to find treatment and cosmetic procedures otherwise to help you reverse the impact of breast cancer treatment.

Fatigue: The type of fatigue being mentioned here is not something that you can sleep off. It makes you weak overall and unable to perform even your daily activities. It can be caused both as a symptom of breast cancer or your body’s response to the treatment for the condition. Either way, fatigue, exhaustion, and weakness are common physical effects that you must know about when you are learning about the physical effects of breast cancer on your health. 

The only way to manage the fatigue and tiredness that comes from breast cancer and its treatment is to improve your lifestyle. Eating a better diet, getting enough rest, and being physically active can help you keep your fatigue in check and improve your body’s ability to fight it off over time.

Scarring & Other Postoperative Risks: Scarring is a concern when surgical treatments are recommended for breast cancer. One of the surgeries recommended for breast cancer is mastectomy. The surgery involves removing the breast tissues along with the tumour to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence. This is an aggressive procedure and can have far-reaching effects on the patient psychologically, as it may involve the removal of one or both breasts. 

Doctors will run you through the entire procedure before they put you through it. They will also show you pictures of other women who have undergone the surgery to help you understand and see what the scarring may look like. The other postoperative risks associated with surgical treatment of breast cancer include the risk of infections in the surgical site or the damage of any surrounding structures during the surgical procedure. 

You must get surgical breast cancer treatment only from the top medical institutions in India, like MASSH, to ensure a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence, surgical infections, or damage to surrounding structures during surgery.

Apart from the effects listed above, there are also other health issues after breast cancer that can affect women. Some of them include:

• Inflammation: Also known as lymphedema, breast cancer treatment can cause swelling in the breasts, which should generally treat itself after the treatment ends.
  
   
• Bone Loss: Going through breast cancer treatment can lead to bone loss in women, which increases their risk of osteoporosis.
  
   
• Early Menopause Symptoms: Breast cancer treatment can induce symptoms like hot flashes, loss or lack of libido, and vaginal dryness, which are generally associated with menopause.
  
   
• Respiratory Problems: Treatments like radiation therapy can cause scarring in the lung tissues, leading to pulmonary fibrosis. This condition can cause dry cough, chest pains, and breathing troubles.

Psychological Impact of Breast Cancer on Your Life

The psychological impact of breast cancer involves coming to terms with the diagnosis and staying mentally strong throughout the treatment process. It also consists of coming to terms with the new reality of your life, which may include changed physical appearance and changes to your reproductive health. These things can have a profound impact on your mental health, especially if the diagnosis is sudden with no significant symptoms or warnings beforehand. 

It is crucial to get the necessary help when you receive a diagnosis, as it can be incredibly isolating to go through the breast cancer treatment process. Doctors, in most cases, will help you out themselves and help you understand the treatment options you have available and the course of action they will use to help you beat cancer. 

They will also recommend you visit counsellors, who will be able to help you understand and comprehend your feelings and slowly come to terms with your diagnosis. It is crucial to be accepting of your diagnosis for the treatments to be working in your best interest. A lot of cancer treatments require patients to make efforts to stay hopeful and optimistic about their lives.

Being in sound mental health allows you to get better rest, focus on your diet, and get the benefits of an active lifestyle without putting your body in a constant state of fight or flight. Quality of life after breast cancer can certainly take a hit, but it is possible to manage them. Here are some of the common psychological struggles women face when going through breast cancer treatment.

Body Image Issues: How you see and perceive yourself is known as your self-body image. When you go through breast cancer, treatment may involve surgical treatments that require the removal of one or both breasts. Even without going through mastectomies, surgical treatment may leave behind scars that do not go away by themselves over time. 

These things can alter your self-image and alter your self-confidence. It is crucial to openly talk about your problems with your body image with counsellors, mental health experts, and doctors to understand the best course of action for you. Thanks to the improvements of modern medicine, there are various cosmetic treatment options that can be used to restore your feminine look or even lighten the visibility of any surgical scars.

Depression: Cancer is arguably the scariest medical condition known to human beings; it is understandable that any person who gets a cancer diagnosis is faced with their own mortality, which can induce bouts of depression. It is crucial to get adequate medical help and identify the symptoms of depression to help yourself get better. Some of the most common symptoms include feeling hopeless or helpless, having low self-confidence, continuous bad or low mood for an extended period, and feeling irritable or intolerant towards others. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is important to speak to your doctors, as they can help you get the required medical treatment to help you feel better. Therapy is also often recommended to patients in such cases, and it can help them better understand and come to terms with their fears and sadness.

Conclusion

Breast cancer has a profound impact on the lives of anyone who has been affected by the condition. However, it is crucial to note it is possible to eliminate breast cancer, and it has been statistically proven more times than not. Knowing about the effects of this condition on your health can make you feel scared and vulnerable. 

It is crucial to know that help is available. Our experts at MASSH are always available to help you get the necessary assistance to manage the various breast cancer symptoms. We specialise in highly advanced minimally invasive breast cancer treatments that can remove malignant tumours with minimal risks of surrounding tissue damage. For more information about breast cancer treatment options at MASSH, check out our website and request a callback today.