In October, we wear pink

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held in October every year, aims to promote screening and prevention of the disease by supporting women, taking action and raising awareness.

“Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast,” according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc. 

Angela Tanguma, a family nurse practitioner and an advanced practice registered nurse with UT Health, explained the significance of the pink ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“It’s mainly to honor survivors, to remember the people who have contracted breast cancer disease, and to continue to provide awareness to women and support the process that is being put together,” Tanguma said. “And, the idea is to one day be able to defeat breast cancer.”

Dr. Jose Cruz, an oncologist at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, said there are different types and stages of breast cancer.  

“Breast cancer can be divided into many different subtypes,” Cruz said. “The most common is the cancer that comes from the woman’s breast. That’s called invasive ductal carcinoma. … Breast cancer can range from Stage I to Stage IV. …

“When we talk about breast cancer, we usually divide the cancer by biologic subtype. So, there’s the estrogen receptor positive breast cancer that for the most part tends to be a lot slower. It divides more slowly. Then we have your aggressive type of breast cancer that’s HER2. And it is the cancer that’s a little bit more aggressive.”

One in eight women in the United States and 2.3 million worldwide are affected by the disease, according to breastcancer.org.

The disease is not exclusive to women.

“In the United States, less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men,” according to breastcancer.org

UT Health RGV Student Health provides a wide range of women’s wellness services. Students can receive services in the Student Health Center on the Edinburg campus and Cortez Hall 237 on the Brownsville campus. 

Tanguma recommends an annual women’s wellness exam. 

“So, we recommend that you follow up or you see your provider at least once a year,” she said.

Several symptoms of breast cancer should trigger a red flag response rate, according to Tanguma.

“Coming to a health care provider is good and getting your breast screening exams is important,” she said.  “The provider can also check and make sure that he or she doesn’t feel any lumps or bumps in the breast. 

 “Any changes of the skin and the changes of the nipple, and the nipple discharge. Those are things that can start the screening. And then another form of more reliable screening that is normally offered to women that are having issues or women who are older than 40 years of age is what we call the mammogram.”

Tanguma said one of the risk factors associated with breast cancer is gene inheritance.

“Breast cancer is associated with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes,” she said. “If you have a family history of breast cancer, it’s always important to make sure that you’re genetically screened to make sure that you don’t have those genes or mutations.”

Women can access health services at UT Health RGV Student Health.

The services include “assessment and management of common women’s health concerns such as vaginal infections, STD diagnosis and treatment, menstrual irregularities, premenstrual syndrome, pelvic pain, urinary tract infections, breast evaluation and mammogram referral as needed,” according to the center’s webpage.

Subhash C. Chauhan, professor and chairman of the UTRGV School of Medicine South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, provided recent statistics on breast cancer.

Chauhan said 297,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer annually.

He explained the treatment options for those who have been diagnosed.

“Chemotherapy is the use for the treatment of breast cancer,” he said. “But in lots of cases now, we are using antibody therapies, Herceptin or antibody therapy.”

UT Health RGV Student Health clinics are providing free Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirts to show support for those with the disease. Students can obtain a clinical breast exam, instructions on breast-self examination and mammogram referrals at the clinic. 

A Cancer and Surgery Center is scheduled for completion at a new UTRGV academic campus in McAllen. In January 2025, the first patient will be provided with outpatient cancer services.