Breast Cancer

The breasts sit on the chest muscles that cover the ribs. Each breast is made of 15 to 20 lobes. Lobes contain many smaller lobules. Lobules contain groups of tiny glands that can produce milk. Milk flows from the lobules through thin tubes called ducts to the nipple. The nipple is in the center of a dark area of skin called the areola. Fat tissue fills the spaces between the lobules and ducts.

The breasts also contain lymph vessels. These vessels lead to small, round organs called lymph nodes. Groups of lymph nodes are near the breast in the axilla (underarm), above the collarbone, in the chest behind the ribs, and in many other parts of the body. The lymph nodes trap bacteria, cancer cells, or other harmful substances.

The breast cancer is the cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually in the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules.

It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare.

When breast cancer cells spread, the cancer cells are often found in lymph nodes near the breast. Also, breast cancer can spread to almost any other part of the body.

Risk Factors

No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer.  Doctors do know that bumping, bruising, or touching the breast does not cause cancer. Breast cancer is not contagious.

The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Most cases of breast cancer occur in women over 60. This disease is not common before menopause.

A woman who had breast cancer in one breast has an increased risk of getting cancer in her other breast.

A woman's risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer. The risk is higher if her family member got breast cancer before age 40. Having other relatives with breast cancer (in either her mother's or father's family) may also increase a woman's risk.

Some women have cells in the breast that look abnormal under a microscope. Having certain types of abnormal cells increases the risk of breast cancer.

Changes in certain genes increase the risk of breast cancer.

The older a woman is when she has her first child, the greater is her chance of breast cancer.

Women who had their first menstrual period before age 12 are at an increased risk of breast cancer.

Women who went through menopause after age 55 are at an increased risk of breast cancer.

Women who never had children are at an increased risk of breast cancer.

Large, well-designed studies have shown no link between abortion or miscarriage and breast cancer.

Breast cancer is diagnosed more often in white women than Latina, Asian, or African American women.

Women who had radiation therapy to the chest (including breasts) before age 30 are at an increased risk of breast cancer. Studies show that the younger a woman was when she received radiation treatment, the higher her risk of breast cancer later in life.

Breast tissue may be dense or fatty. Older women, whose mammograms (breast x-rays) show more dense tissue, are at increased risk of breast cancer.

The chance of getting breast cancer after menopause is higher in women who are overweight or obese.

Women who are physically inactive throughout life may have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being active may help reduce risk by preventing weight gain and obesity.

Studies suggest that the more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.

Symtoms

Common symptoms of breast cancer include:

-              A change in how the breast or nipple feels

o            A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area

o            Nipple tenderness

-              A change in how the breast or nipple looks

o            A change in the size or shape of the breast

o            The skin of the breast, areola, or nipple may be scaly, red, or swollen. It may have ridges so that it looks like the skin of an orange.

Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. Most often, these symptoms are not due to cancer. Other health problems may also cause them.