WHAT IS BREAST CANCER?
WHAT IS THE BREAST
The breast is a collection of glands and fatty tissue that lies between the skin and the chest wall. The glands inside the breast produce milk after a woman has a baby. Each gland is also called a lobule, and many lobules make up a lobe. There are 15 to 20 lobes in each breast. The milk gets to the nipple from the glands by way of tubes called ducts. The glands and ducts get bigger when the breast is filled with milk, but the tissue that is most responsible for the size and the shape the breast is the fatty tissue. There are also blood vessels and lymph vessels in the breast.
Lymph is a clear liquid waste product that gets drained out of the breast into lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small, pea-sized pieces of tissue that filter and clean the lymph. Most lymph nodes that drain the breast are under the arm in what is called the maxilla.
WHAT IS BREAST CANCER?
Collections of cells that are growing abnormally or without control are called tumors. Tumors that do not have the ability to spread throughoutthe body may be referred to as "benign" and are not thought of as cancerous. Tumors that have the ability to grow into other tissues or spread to distant parts of the body are referred to as "malignant."
Malignant tumors within the breast are called "Breast Cancer".
Any of the types of tissue in the breast can form a cancer, cancer cells are most likely to develop from either the ducts or the glands. These tumors may be referred to as "invasive ductal carcinoma" (cancer cells developing from ducts), or "invasive lobular carcinoma" (cancer cells developing from lobes).
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and the second common cause of cancer deaths in women in the U.S. While the majority of new breast cancers are diagnosed as a result of an abnormality seen on a mammogram, a lump or change in consistency of the breast tissue can also be a warning sign of the disease. Awareness of breast cancer risk has led to an increase in the number of women undergoing mammograms for screening, leading to detection of cancers in earlier stages and a improvement in survival rates. Breast Cancer is the most common cause of death in women between the ages of 45 to 55.
Breast cancer is a common form of cancer, male breast cancer does occur and accounts for about 1% of all cancer deaths in men.
HOW MANY WOMEN GET BREAST CANCER?
The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2009.
- 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer
- 40,170 deaths from breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the Unite States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women after lung cancer.
The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35.
Breast cancer death rates are going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and improved treatment. Right now there are about two and a half million breast cancer survivors in the United States
today.
DO MEN GET BREAST CANCER?
Breast cancer in men is rare, but it does happen. Men do have breast
tissues. The overall ratio of female to male breast cancer is the United States is 100 to 1. Although it sounds like a small number, that is still roughly 1.990 men who will be diagnosed, and about 450 who will die.
The most common symptoms of male breast cancer include a lump in the chest area, skin dimpling or puckering or nipple changes. Because breast cancer is so much more common in females, many men do not even realize they can develop this disease. Unfortunately this can delay diagnosis and
as a result, some cancers are not found until they have progressed to a later stage. However, when cancer is found at the same stage among men and women, the survival rates are similar. Because the male breast is much smaller that the female breast, it is more likely the disease will spread to the chest wall. For this reason, it is important to find the cancer early in order to successfully treat it. See your doctor if you have any persistent lumps or changes in your chest area.
A man's risk: Known factors that increase your risk of breast cancer include:
- A genetic condition such as Klilnefelter's syndrome that is associated with high estrogen levels.
- Family members (male or female) with breast cancer, especially with a BRCA2 mutation.
- Chronic liver disorders, alcoholism and obesity.
- Getting older.
HOW DO MEN KNOW THEY HAVE BREAST CANCER?
To diagnose breast cancer in men include a complete medical history, clinical breast exam, mammogram and biopsy.
The types of breast cancer found in men are the same as those found in women, as are the staging system and patterns of how the disease spreads. Treatments for breast cancer in men are the same as treatments for breast cancer in women. A mastectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the breast with cancerous tumor. It is generally the treatment of choice for male breast cancer. Chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapies are also used following surgery.
WHAT CAUSES BREAST CANCER?
Certain changes in DNA can cause normal breast cells to become cancerous. DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes, the instructions of how our cells work. Some inherited DNA changes can increase the risk for developing cancer and are responsible for the cancers that run in some families but the most breast cancer DNA changes happen in single breast cells during a woman's life rather than having been inherited. These are called acquired changes and most breast cancers have several of these acquired gene mutations. so far, the causes of most acquired mutations that could lead to breast cancer remains unknown.
While we do not know exactly what causes breast cancer, we do know that certain risk factors are linked to the disease. A risk factor is something that affects a person's chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different factors. Some risk factors, such as smoking, drinking, and diet are linked to things a person can change. Others like a person's age, race, or family history can't be changed.
Having risk factors do not mean a person will get breast cancer. Some women who have several risk factors never get breast cancer. Most women who get breast cancer have no risk factors... While all women are
at risk for breast cancer, the factors listed below increase a woman's chances of having breast cancer.
Risk factors you cannot change:
Gender: Simply being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer. While men also get breast cancer, it is about 100 times more common in women than in men.
Age: The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older.
About 2 out of 3 women with invasive breast cancer are age 55 or older when the cancer is found.
Genetic risk factor: About 5% of breast cancers are thought to be linked to inherited changes (mutations) in certain genes. The most common gene changes are those of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Women with these gene changes have up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer during their lifetime. Other gene changes may raise breast cancer risk as well.
Family history: Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have breast cancer. The relatives can be from either the mother or father's side of the family. Having a mother, sister, or a daughter with breast cancer about doubles a woman's risk. (It's important to note that 70% to 80% of women who get breast cancer do not have family history of breast cancer).
Personal history of breast cancer: A woman with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is different from a return of the first cancer.
Race: White women are slightly more likely to get breast cancer than African-American women. But African American are more likely to die of this cancer. Part of the reason seems to be because African-American women have faster growing tumors. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer.
Dense breast tissue: Dense breast tissue means there is a more glandular tissue and less fatty tissue. Women with denser breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer. Dense breast tissue can also make it harder for doctors to spot problems on mammograms.
Menstrual periods: Women who began having periods early (before age 12) or who went through the change of life (menopause) after the age of 55 have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. They have had more menstrual periods and as a result have been exposed to more of the hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
Earlier breast radiation: Women who have had radiation treatment to the chest area (as treatment for another cancer) earlier in life have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer.
Treatment with DES: In the past, some pregnant women were given the
drug DES (diethylstilbestrol) because it was thought to lower their chances of losing the baby. Recent studies have shown that these women (and their daughters who were exposed to DES while in the womb), have a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer.
Breast cancer risk and lifestyle choices
Not having children or having them later in life: Women who have not had children, or who had their first child after the age of 30 have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer. Being pregnant more than once and at an early age reduces breast cancer risk. pregnancy reduces a woman's total number of lifetime menstrual cycles, which may be the reason for this effect.
Recent use of birth control pills: Studies have found that women who are using birth control pills have a slightly greater risk of breast cancer than women who have never used them. Women who stopped using the pill more than 10 years ago do not seem to have any increased risk. It's a good idea to talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of birth control pills.
Post menopausal hormone therapy (PHT): Post menopausal hormone therapy (also known as hormone replacement therapy or (HRT), has been used for many years to help relieve symptoms of menopause and to help prevent thinning of the bones (osteoporosis). There are 2 main types of PHT. For women who still have a womb (Uterus), doctors generally prescribe estrogen and progesterone (known as combined PHT). Estrogen alone can increase the risk of cancer of the uterus, some progesterone is added to help prevent this. For women who no longer have a uterus (those who have had a hysterectomy), estrogen alone can be prescribed.
This is commonly known as estrogen replacement therapy (ERT).
Combined PHT: Long-term use (several years or more) of the
combined PHT increases the risk of breast cancer and may in-
crease the chances of dying of breast cancer. The breast cancer
may also be found at a more advanced stage, may be because
PHT seems to reduce the effectiveness of mammograms. Five
years after stopping PHT, the breast cancer risk seems to drop
back to normal.
ERT: The use of estrogen alone does not seem to increase the risk
of developing breast cancer much, if at all. But when use of long
term (for more than 10 years), some studies have found that ERT
increases the risk of ovarian and breast cancer.
Not breast-feeding: Some studies have shown that breast-feeding slightly lowers breast cancer risk, especially if the breast-feeding lasts 1 1/2 to 2 years. This could be because breast-feeding lowers a woman's total number of menstrual periods, as does pregnancy.
Alcohol: Use of alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of getting breast cancer. Women who have one drink a day have a very small increased risk. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have abut 1 1/2 times the risk of a woman who drinks no alcohol. The American Cancer Society
suggests limiting the amount you drink to one drink a day.
Being overweight or obese: Being overweight or obese is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, especially for women after change of life and if the weight gain took place during adulthood. Also the risk seem to be higher if the extra fat is in the waist area. The American Cancer Society
recommends you maintain a healthy weight throughout your life and avoid gaining too much weight.
Lack of exercise: Studies show that exercise reduces breast cancer risks. The only question is how much exercise is needed. One study found that as little as 1 hour and 15 minutes to 2 1/2 hours a week reduced the risk a little more. The American Cancer Society suggest that you exercise for 45 to 60 minutes 5 or more days a week.
The information you find on our site is for education only it does not take the place of you seeking medical help from a license professional if you have any signs of breast cancer or any other medical issues.