Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer that occurs in women and, after lung cancer, it is the second main cause of cancer death among women. In 2004 some 186,772 new breast cancer cases were reported according to the American Cancer Society and this number would seem to be rising on a yearly basis.
It should also be noted that breast cancer is not confined solely to women and that more than 1,800 men contracted the disease in 2004 and 362 men died of breast cancer that year.
Women's breasts are complex structures which consist of glands, fat and fibrous connective tissue. Each breast has several lobes which are divided into lobules and end in the milk glands and there are also a large number of tiny ducts from the milk glands that connect together and end in the nipple.
Eight out of ten breast cancer cases start in these ducts in a condition referred to as infiltrating ductal cancer. It is also quite common for cancer to occur in the lobules where it is called lobular cancer. Other types of cancer are referred to as inflammatory breast cancer.
Changes such as pre-cancerous changes (called 'in situ') are also very common in women and are changes that have not spread from the area of the breast where they started. If these changes are found within the ducts then the condition is called ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS and if changes occur in the lobules they are referred to as lobular carcinomas in situ or LCIS.
The most serious form of breast cancer is known as metastatic cancer which involves the spread of a cancer from the place where it began. Breast cancer generally metastasizes into the lymph nodes above the collarbone or under the arms on the same side as the cancer which produces pain and swelling to the affected area as the lymphatic drainage system becomes compromised. Other common sites for breast cancer metastasis are the liver, brain and the bones.
Besides the obvious factor of gender, age is a very significant factor when considering the chances of getting breast cancer. Although breast cancer can and does arise at any age the risk of developing it increases with age. A normal woman of 30 will generally have a 1 in 280 chance of developing breast cancer by the time she reaches 40. However, this risk then rises to a probable 1 in 70 chance of developing breast cancer when that same women reaches her forties.
The risk factor for breast cancer is also affected by family history with the risk being especially high when you have a close relative (such as a mother or aunt) who has developed cancer of the breast at a young age.
Scientist have recently found what is thought to be a cancer gene that can be passed down from mother to daughter.
Breast cancer touches many lives today and for those of you with questions about breast cancer then there can be no better place than http://breastcancertreatmentinformation.com to find the answers we are seeking.
