Support groups and resources for breast cancer patients

A strong support network can help breast cancer patients navigate their treatments and all of the uncertainty that can arise after a cancer diagnosis. Many women undergoing treatment for breast cancer lean on friends and family for everything from emotional support to help with household tasks and much more. Though family and friends

are often invaluable to women during their battles with breast cancer, sometimes a little support from women going through the same ups and downs can be just what patients need to stay the course and overcome their disease.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women across the globe. The WCRF estimates that breast cancer accounts for roughly 25 percent of all cancers in women. The World Health Organization reports that

2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. Those figures are significant, but it’s important that women recognize that five-year survival rates have improved dramatically in recent decades. In fact, the American Cancer Society notes that the five-year survival rate for localized breast cancers is 99 percent, while the rate for breast cancers that has spread outside the breast to nearby structures or lymph nodes is 86 percent.

Rising survival rates for breast cancer mean that millions of women across the globe have already survived the disease, and many such women play vital roles in support groups that help women every day.

CancerCare® is a national organization in the United States that is dedicated to providing free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer. All CancerCare® services are provided by oncology social workers and renowned cancer experts. The following are just a few of the support groups cancer patients can access through www.cancercare.org.

• Breast Cancer Patient Support Group: This free, 15-week online support group is for people diagnosed with breast cancer who are currently receiving treatment. Access the group at https://www.cancercare. org/support_groups/43-breast_cancer_patient_support_group.

• African American Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patient Support Group: This group is for African Americans diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer who are currently receiving treatment. The group is free and continues for 15 weeks. Access the group at https://www.cancercare.org/support_groups/197african_american_triple_negative_breast_cancer_patient_support_group.

• Metastatic Breast Cancer Patient Support Group: This free, 15-week support group is for people diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer who

No one, regardless of their age, occupation, skin color, or socioeconomic status, is immune to cancer. In fact, individuals might be hard pressed to say no one in their family and/or circle of friends has been diagnosed with cancer at some point.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there were 18.1 million new cancer cases across the globe in 2018. Among women, when excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, no cancer was more prevalent globally than breast cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund reports that, in 2018, breast cancer accounted for 25.4 percent of all new cancer diagnoses in women. That figure is nearly three times as high as the percentage of cases of colorectal cancer, which accounted for the second most new cancer cases diagnosed in women in 2018.

It’s understandable to be fearful of such figures, which can make

a breast cancer diagnosis seem almost inevitable. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that not all risk factors for breast cancer are set in stone. Though age and family

history, two known risk factors for breast cancer, may be beyond a woman’s control, she still can exercise some control over other risk factors.

• Physical activity: The CDC notes that women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than

those who are. The Office on Women’s Health, a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, notes that women should get two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity

aerobic physical activity every week or 75 minutes of vigorousintensity aerobic activity each week. This should be accompanied by muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days each week. Carrying around extra weight can make moving around more difficult, so the Office on Women’s Health urges larger women to start slowly if it’s been awhile since they exercised. In

addition, aging women can speak with their physicians for advice about exercise regimens they should or need not avoid.

• Taking hormones: The CDC notes that hormone replacement therapies that include both estrogen and progesterone taken during menopause can increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer when taken for more than five years. In addition, the CDC reports that oral contraceptives, such as birth control pills, have been linked to a higher risk for breast cancer. Women can speak with their physicians about how to control hormone-related risk factors for breast cancer.

• Alcohol consumption: Studies have found that the more alcohol a woman consumes the greater her risk for breast cancer becomes.

Smoking, exposure to chemicals that have been found to cause cancer and changes in hormones related to working night shifts are some additional risk factors for breast cancer that women may be able to control.

Breast cancer affects millions of women across the globe each year. Though that may instill a feeling of helplessness, women should know that many risk factors for breast cancer are within their control.