Chronic Diseases

A Short Introduction To The Mysterious World Of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the commonest form of cancer in women and, next to lung cancer, it is the second main cause of cancer death in females. In 2004 some 186,772 new cases of breast cancer were reported according to the American Cancer Society and this number would seem to be going up year on year.

It should also be noted that breast cancer is not confined only to women and that more than 1,800 men contracted the disease in 2004 and that 362 men died of breast cancer in the same year.

The breasts in women are complicated pieces of machinery which consist of fat, glands and fibrous connective tissue. They have a number of lobes which are split into lobules ending in the milk glands and there are also numerous tiny ducts from the milk glands that connect together and culminate in the nipple.  

Eighty percent of breast cancer cases occur in these ducts and this condition is known as infiltrating ductal cancer. It is also relatively common for cancer to develop in the lobules where it is called lobular cancer. Other types of cancer are referred to as inflammatory breast cancer.

Pre-cancerous changes (referred to as ‘in situ’) are also very common in women and are changes which have not spread from the place in the breast where they started. Where these changes take place within the ducts then the condition is referred to as ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS and when they are spotted in the lobules they are called lobular carcinomas in situ or LCIS.

The most serious type of breast cancer is metastatic cancer which involves the spread of cancer from the place where it began. Breast cancer usually metastasizes into the lymph nodes above the collarbone or under the arms on the same side of the body as the cancer which produces pain and swelling as the lymphatic drainage system becomes compromised. Other common sites for breast cancer metastasis include the brain, liver and the bones.

Aside from the clear factor of gender, age is a very significant factor when considering the chances of getting breast cancer. In spite of the fact that breast cancer can and does arise at any age the risk of developing it increases as you get older. A healthy woman aged 30 will normally have a 1 in 280 chance of developing breast cancer during the next ten years of her life. However, this then rises to a probable 1 in 70 chance of developing breast cancer when that same women is in her forties.  

The risk factor for breast cancer is also affected by family history with the risk being at its highest when you have a close relative (like a mother or aunt) who has developed cancer of the breast at a young age.

Although it has yet to be confirmed, there is thought to be a cancer gene that can be passed from mother to daughter.

Breast cancer touches many of us 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 you are looking for.