Breast cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow in the breast tissue.
Cancer occurs when cells in the body divide without control or order. If cells keep dividing uncontrollably, a mass of tissue forms. This is called a growth or tumor. The term cancer refers to malignant tumors. They can invade nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body.
Although most people think of breast cancer as affecting women, men can develop breast cancer as well. Breast cancer in men can be more aggressive.
- Sex: female, although men can also get breast cancer
- Age: 50 or older
- Personal history of breast cancer
- Family members with breast cancer
- Changes in breast tissue, such as atypical ductal hyperplasia, radial scar formation, and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
- Changes in certain genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, and others)
- Race: Caucasian
- Increased exposure to estrogen over a lifetime through:
- Early onset of menstruation
- Late onset of menopause
- No childbearing or late childbearing
- Absence of breast-feeding
- Taking hormone replacement therapy for long periods of time ( :: Prempro for more than four years)
- Tobacco use
- Increased breast density (more lobular and ductal tissue and less fatty tissue)
- Radiation therapy before the age of 30 years old
- Overuse of alcohol
Note: Studies show that most women with known risk factors do not get breast cancer. Many women who get breast cancer have none of the risk factors listed above except age.
- A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area or in the neck
- A change in the size or shape of the breast
- Nipple discharge or tenderness, or the nipple pulled back (inverted) into the breast
- Ridges or pitting of the breast skin (like the skin of an orange)
- A change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels (for example, warm, swollen, red, or scaly)
Note: These symptoms may also be caused by other, less serious health conditions. Anyone experiencing these should see a doctor.
