Breast Cancer Treatment and Screening

Breast Cancer

Treatment and Screening for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the leading cause in the death of American women between the ages of 25 and 64. (Jibaja-Weiss et al., 123) Even with the remarkable effort at spreading information on the preventable nature of this condition where early detection is applied, and with the genuine declination in the population of those afflicted, there nonetheless remains a widespread breast cancer crisis in the United States. The reason, theoretical and research-based evidence collectively suggest, is tied directly into the inversely proportional relationship between poverty and access to medical attention. For those who suffer the consequences of this imbalance as a result of low income, birth into an impoverished community, a lack of access to insurance or a whole host of other possible explanations, there is a highly elevated threat of failing to screen and therefore detect breast cancers.

Here, the direct correlation between racial characteristics and socioeconomic disparity illustrates that there is indeed a condition in our healthcare distribution which subjects African-American women to a higher balance of exclusion, non-coverage and shortfalls on knowledge of available treatment opportunities. In the examination by O'Malley et al. (2003), there is evidence to suggest that, especially for younger patients, lacking access to a private doctor or HMO healthcare provider will have a significant impact on one's access to quality care. Measuring a 14 point scale by which to examine the screening consistency of patients from both low and acceptable income standards, the study finds that "among the population over age 50 living below 200% of the poverty threshold, those using community clinics were more likely to be younger, a racial or ethnic minority, less formally educated, in poorer health, uninsured and to face time, transportation or cost barriers to obtaining health care than their counterparts using private doctors' offices/HMOs." (O'Malley, 190) The basic argument is that there is a certainty of a relationship between low-income and diminished health standards and treatment opportunities. Thus, the close association between low-income and the African-American race has a direct bearing on the severe disparity in racial vulnerability to breast cancer.

As stated, this is also often because those in races tending toward lower income will often not receive proper screening and, if even possible, will be forced to undergo a treatment with its own health risks. Upon diagnosis, primary treatment is centered on chemotherapy, which uses traditional radiation methods to attack the cancer cells leached to one's system. Additionally, where tumors are present in the breast, a surgical procedure called a mastectomy will be performed. The mastectomy is generally considered the first choice in attacking a tumor in the breast and is effective in cases where detection occurs early enough. It is a regularly performed surgery which is considered largely reliable. Technically, the surgery consists of "the removal of all of the breast tissue. Mastectomy is more refined and less intrusive than it used to be because in most cases, the muscles under the breast are no longer removed." (BCO, 1)