Breast cancer is the commonest form of cancer in women and, behind lung cancer, it is the second major cause of cancer death among women. In 2004 some 186,772 new cases of breast cancer were reported by the American Cancer Society and this figure appears to be rising on a yearly basis.
It is also worthy of note that breast cancer is not restricted only to women and that more than 1,800 men contracted the disease in 2004 and that 362 men died of breast cancer that year.
The breasts in women are complicated pieces of machinery consisting of fat, glands and fibrous connective tissue. Each breast has several lobes which are divided into lobules ending in the milk glands and there are also numerous 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 and this condition is referred to as infiltrating ductal cancer. It is also fairly common for breast cancer to originate in the lobules where it is known as lobular cancer. Other types of cancer are merely referred to as inflammatory breast cancer.
Pre-cancerous changes (known as ‘in situ’) are also commonly seen in women and are changes which have not yet spread from the area of the breast where they were originally spotted. Where these changes take place within the ducts then the condition is referred to as ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS and when the changes are spotted in the lobules they are referred to as lobular carcinomas in situ or LCIS.
The most serious form of breast cancer is metastatic cancer which involves the spread of cancer from the place where it began. Breast cancer commonly metastasizes into the lymph nodes under the arms or above the collarbone on the same side as the cancer which results in pain and swelling as the lymphatic drainage system is compromised. Other relatively common sites of breast cancer metastasis include the liver, brain and bones.
Apart from the clear factor of gender, age is a critical factor when considering the chances of getting breast cancer. Despite the fact that breast cancer can and does develop at just about any age the risk of developing it certainly rises with age. A normal woman aged 30 will generally have a 1 in 280 chance of developing breast cancer by the time she reaches 40 years of age. However, this risk then increases to a 1 in 70 chance when that same women is in her forties.
Family history is also an important risk factor for breast cancer with the risk being especially high 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 which can be passed from mother to daughter.
Breast cancer touches many lives these days and for those of us with questions about breast cancer then there is no better place than http://breastcancertreatmentinformation.com to find the answers you need.
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