A woman who cannot be identified by name is currently living with a flat chest after surviving breast cancer which robbed her of both mammary glands.
The woman sparked sympathy from netizens after posting photos of her chest without breasts on Twitter handle @The_OfficialBiz earlier this week.
She said her story should inspire and encourage women battling breast cancer with hope that there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
“Had breast cancer but still beautiful and a survivor,” she tweeted with emoji of a broken heart, tearful face, then a loving heart and smiley face to symbolize renewed hope.
Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts. It is the most common cancer diagnosed in women after skin cancer according to Mayo Clinic, a non-profit American academic medical centre.
The woman, who cannot be identified by name said she was asymptomatic from the early stages. But that signs and symptoms started appearing when tumour grew large enough to be felt as a lump in the breast.
She said the signs and symptoms of breast cancer include nipple discharge other than breast milk, Sudden change in the size or shape of the breast, and pain in any area of the breast.
However, the aforementioned symptoms may be experienced with other health conditions that are not necessarily cancer.
In countries like the United States, substantial support for breast cancer awareness and research has facilitated efforts in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Late symptoms
When the disease got hold of the breast, late symptoms start showing. They include excruciating bone pain, weight loss, nausea, loss of appetite, jaundice, shortness in breathing, cough, headache, double vision, and muscle weakness.
In Africa, the incidence rates remained generally low and affected women are those in the rural geolocation of the country.
According to a research paper published by Professor Joe-Nat Clegg-Lamptey from the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Ghana, breast cancer is responsible for 28% of all cancers and 20% all cancer deaths in women.
That makes the incidence rates fall below 35 per 100,000 women in most countries within Africa. The statistics fare better than that of Europe and North America were 90 – 120 per 100,000 are estimated to have breast cancer.
In the U.S., however, disparity in breast cancer between African American women and their white counterpart lingers.
While African American women are less likely to develop the disease they are more likely to die with compared to white women.
Statistically, more black die of breast cancer than any other race. They are 41 per cent more likely to die than white women and likely to survive for more than five years after diagnosis with breast cancer.