Breast Feeding and Breast Cancer Prevention - Research Proposal Example

Breast Feeding and Breast Cancer Prevention Abstract Healthcare providers and childbirth educators have for a long time been promoting breast feeding as a protective measure against breast cancer (Winchester, 2006). This article summarizes the best evidence to help educate and enlighten patients about the protective effect of breast feeding against breast cancer. Though not entirely dependable without other protective medicine, the study reveals breast feeding having a moderate protective effect from breast cancer. However, it is still unclear whether it provides complete protection, since many studies have had different variables including age, smoking, medication and family history as possible risk factors. Mid-wives and nurses have professional mandate to give information to mothers and pregnant women regarding their breast feeding choice? This information will also include how their respective choices will affect their general health. However, it is quite crucial that the information bases on evidence. Researchers have found evidence that breast feeding can protect women from breast cancer, but how that happens, they have not provided an elucidative explanation. Therefore, this study does not give an assurance of complete dependence on breast feeding as a protective measure against breast cancer. Introduction Contribution of breast feeding to breast cancer prevention remains imprecise despite there being enough evidence to make people believe that child bearing has protective effect against breast cancer. Earlier research indicates that women having their first babies after the age of 25, or those having lesser than four children are at a high risk of breast cancer. It also reveals that having a baby before 25 years of age, or having more children, offered protection against breast cancer, triggered by hormones. Carlson (2012) writes that currently, researchers are busy exploring the possibility of breast feeding being helpful to women carrying either one of the breast cancer faulty genes. A study earlier found that one of the breast cancer genes can be terminated by breast feeding. Though in this case, the mother was required to breast feed for more than a year. This was particular for BRCA1, which is one of the breast cancer faulty genes. The other one is BRCA2, and did not show any response to breast feeding, regardless of the length. Since the Swedish study, researchers have been giving contradicting results about breast cancer and breast feeding (Carlson, 2012). This means that research is ongoing to try and further elucidate whether it is a myth or a fact. This study looks at experimental research to prove the fact that breast feeding will actually offer a protective advantage against breast cancer. Objective This research draws its hypothesis on already done researches to assume that there is a protective advantage against breast cancer in breast feeding. Therefore, the main objective is to find out the truth in the allusions that the earlier researches have come up with. It focuses on evidence to prove that there is truth in breast feeding having a protective effect on breast cancer. Further, the study also intends to give mothers and would be mothers the probable duration of breast feeding that will help to check the risk of breast cancer, despite it being a very personal decision how long one plans to breast feed. Background Globally, breast cancer accounts for almost 10.4% of all the cancers among women. A large percentage of this occurs in third world countries (Goldberg, 2009). Control would be gained among women and health practitioners if it was to be detected earlier before becoming critical. This means that ignorance has been the cause of high cancer mortality rates in developing countries around the world. Screening practices and breast cancer awareness will help a great deal in enlightening people about the disease. The level of ignorance about breast feeding can also be reduced if breast feeding campaigns are to be intensified. Goldberg (2009) writes that treatment of breast cancer varies from individual to individual. This is because cancer occurrences depend on a variety of factors, including age, family history of the disease, among others. Because of this reasons, it is important to seek ways of protecting oneself against the disease. Breast feeding has been found to be one of the protection techniques against the disease. Method To evaluate the hypothesis, the research employed a cross sectional study method by use of a structured questionnaire in a period of two months. The questionnaire covered demographic principle and breast cancer risk factors. The correspondents were 376 cases with control groups of 425 cases. The researchers matched the subjects according to demographic variations, reproductive health issues and their socio-economic status. After this, they computed the odds ration and 95% CI (Confidence Interval) as association measures from logistic models. All the P values that they reported were two sided. The research also obtained estimates of breast cancer relative risks that had associations with breast feeding after divisions along lines of age, age at first conception, and parity. Further studied was the menopausal status. Thereafter, the researchers, who were social and medicine scientists, had interactive sessions with their subjects, where each of the subjects got individual and private education on breast cancer prevention through prolonged breast feeding. Results From the study, the researchers concluded that breast feeding is protective against breast cancer (p=.0001, 0R 0.38, CI 0.26-0.55), and parity was found to significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer (p0.001, OR 2.04, CI 0.4-0.99). Furthermore, the researchers found that only 12% of the women had notions of breast feeding being a preventive measure against breast cancer. The rest of the subjects did not have any idea on links between breast cancer and breast feeding. A whole 52% of the subjects did not have ideal information about the disease; rather, they had sketchy ideas about it. They did not understand why they would be advised to breast feed as a protective measure against the disease, and had ideas like it would be a danger to the health of the baby. Most of the subject (92%) said they had never thought of breast feeding beyond seven months. Discussion Singletary, Robb and Ames (2008) write that during pregnancy, breast feeding and parity, there are several changes that occur in and on the breasts. They are anatomic and physiological changes. The results indicate that full time pregnancies and proficient breast feeding reduced the risk of breast cancer significantly, in comparison to non pregnant and non breast feeding mothers. To help more, the researchers concluded that breast feeding should go up to a length of 25 to 36 months, and a recommendation of 1 to 3 pregnancies. Explanation Although researchers do not give adequate explanation on how breast feeding helps to check incidences of breast cancer, they give evidence of the fact that breast feeding helps to protect women against breast cancer. It is conclusive that women, who breast fed for a considerable amount of time, at least one year, reduced the risk of breast cancer. Further, the results provide evidence that women breast feeding for longer periods keep themselves protected against breast cancer. Additionally, there is evidence in the fact that most women in first world countries either do not breast feed or breast feed for shorter periods, hence there is high rates of the disease in those countries. Discussion According to Hunt (2008), breast cancer is one of the deadliest cancers around the world today. These findings clearly indicate that mothers, and generally lactating women, have a competitive edge against the disease since breast feeding can help protect them against it. With such findings, it is possible to prevent the disease in future. It will also serve as avenues to further research in developing treatments for the disease. A woman getting pregnant before reaching 30 years reduces her lifetime number of menstrual cycles. Theoretically, this is believed to be the reason for low cancer incidences in such women (Winchester, 2006). Pregnancy and general lactation reduces the levels of estrogen produced by the ovaries. Reduction in estrogen production reduces the risk of getting breast cancer because 80% of breast cancer is triggered by this hormone (Roy & Vadlamudi, 2012). Conclusion Basing on evidence, breast feeding has a significant protective effect on breast cancer. The study above proves that women who frequently breast feed reduce their risks of getting the disease significantly in comparison to women who do not breast feed (Kedrowski & Lipscomb, 2008). Therefore, this study confirms the hypothesis. However, the study does not give the evidence of how breast feeding does reduce the occurrence of the disease, even though it gives the evidence of it reducing the risk. This leaves the reader with a question: how? Recommendations From this study, mothers should breast feed their babies for a period of at least one year, and women should also consider having their first children before the age of thirty years. However, this should not hinder them from seeking medical advice and help regarding the disease (Hassey, 2004). References Hassey, K. (2004). Contemporary issues in breast cancer: a nursing perspective. Washington DC: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Winchester, D. J. (2006). Breast cancer (2nd ed.). Hamilton: B.C. Decker. Goldberg, G. (2009). Breast-feeding early influences on later health. Dordrecht: Springer. Kedrowski, K. M., & Lipscomb, M. E. (2008). Breastfeeding rights in the United States. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers. Hunt, K. K. (2008). Breast cancer (2nd ed.). New York: Springer. Singletary, S. E., Robb, G. L., & Ames, F. C. (2008). Advanced therapy of breast disease. Hamilton, Ont.: B.C. Decker. (Original work published 2000) Carlson, J. (2012, February 26). What you need to know about breast cancer. The Bismark Tribune, pp. 13-14. Roy, S., & Vadlamudi, R. (2012). Role of Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Breast Cancer Metastasis. 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