Did You Know This About Breast Cancer?

Though men are not immune, cancer that strikes the breast is commonly a concern of women.The breast is composed of a collection of glands and fatty tissue which lies between the skin and chest wall. These glands within a womans breast begin to produce milk after the birth of a baby. Special lobes, numbering somewhere between 1520, compose each gland. Special ducts (tubelike structures) serve to transfer the milk from the glands to the nipple. As milk is produced and fills the breast, the glands and ducts enlarge. The size and shape of the breast is primarily determined by fatty tissue. At times, tumors can form in the breast which may be cancerous.

Abnormal cells, growing at an out of control rate, are the building blocks of a cancerous tumor. Benign tumors are noncancerous and incapable of spreading through the body. Tumors with the ability to spread through the body are referred to as malignant, or cancerous. When a malignant tumor is discovered in the breast, the patient is told she has breast cancer. The first place cancer cells are found in the breast is in the glands or ducts; however, they have been known to develop in other areas as well. The number one cancer diagnosis for North American and European women is breast cancer. The number of cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year exceeds 200,000. Breast cancer is the second most deadly form of cancer for American women, with lung cancer being first.

A diagnosis of breast cancer does not necessarily mean a woman will die from the disease. Women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer, but a 1 in 28 chance of dying from it. A womans great risk factor for breast cancer is her age. The older a woman is, the greater her chances of developing it. A womans risk also increases if her first menstrual cycle occurred at a younger than normal age. Additional factors affecting a woman include: a history of breast cancer in her family, how old she was at the time of her first pregnancy and the possibility of mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Due to the fact 100% of breast cancers can be related to gene mutations, a woman with breast cancer in her family history should undergo genetic testing as a precaution. If a woman will exercise regularly, limit her alcohol consumption (no more than 5 drinks per week) and maintain a healthy weight, she will reduce her risk of breast cancer. Additional ideas that are thought to help include: bearing a child prior to age 30 and breastfeed the baby, and avoid longterm use of hormone replacement at menopause. A final thought if a woman shows to have a high risk of breast cancer, she should discuss the use of a drug called Tamoxifen with her doctor. The risk of developing a tumor has been shown to drop by 50% if a woman undergoes a five year course of therapy with this drug.

A womans chances of surviving and curing breast cancer greatly increase with early detection. Three important ways to aid in early detection are with the use of selfexams, clinical exams and mammograms. {{{Between the ages of 2039, a woman should undergo a clinical exam every three years. | A woman between the ages of 20 and 39 is advised to undergo a clinical exam once every three years. | A clinical exam should be part of a womans health care every three years between the ages of 20 and 39. | Between the ages of 2039, women are advised to have a clinical exam once every three years

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