An Introduction To The Mystery Of Breast Cancer

                                                                                         

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and, after lung cancer, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. In 2004 some 186,772 new breast cancer cases were reported by the American Cancer Society and this figure would seem to be rising year on year.

It is also worthy of note that breast cancer is not restricted only to women and that 1,815 men contracted the disease in 2004 and that 362 men died of breast cancer that year.

Women's breasts are complex structures which consist of glands, fat and fibrous connective tissue. They have several lobes which are split into lobules and end in the milk glands and there are also a large number of tiny ducts from the milk glands which connect together and end in the nipple.

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

Pre-cancerous changes (called '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 are noted within the ducts then the condition is referred to as ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS and when changes are spotted in the lobules they are called 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. It most frequently 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 relatively common sites for breast cancer metastasis are the brain, liver and the bones.

Besides the clear factor of gender, age is another critical factor when considering the chances of getting breast cancer. Although breast cancer can and does occur at any age the risk of getting it certainly rises with age. A normal woman of 30 will usually have a 1 in 280 chance of developing breast cancer during the next ten years of her life. However, this then rises to a 1 in 70 chance 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 (such as an aunt or mother) who has developed cancer of the breast at a young age.

Although it has yet to be confirmed, there is believed to be a cancer gene which can be passed down from mother to daughter.

About the author:
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