Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and, next to lung cancer, it is the second main cause of cancer death in females. In 2004 some 186,772 new breast cancer cases were reported according to the American Cancer Society and this number would seem to be going up on a yearly basis.
It should also be noted that breast cancer is not confined solely to women and that 1,815 men were also diagnosed with the disease in 2004 and that 362 men died of breast cancer that year.
The breasts in women are complex structures comprising fat, glands and connective fibrous tissue. Each breast has numerous lobes which are divided into lobules ending in the milk glands and there are also a large number of tiny ducts from the milk glands that connect together and culminate in the nipple.
Eight out of ten breast cancer cases originate in these ducts and this condition is called infiltrating ductal cancer. It is also quite common for cancer to originate in the lobules where it is known as lobular cancer. Other forms of cancer are known as inflammatory breast cancer.
Pre-cancerous changes (called 'in situ') are also very commonly seen in women and are changes that have not yet spread from the area of the breast where they were originally spotted. If these changes take place within the ducts then the condition is known as ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS and if they are found 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. Breast cancer most 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 becomes compromised. Other common sites of breast cancer metastasis include the brain, liver and bones.
Excluding the very obvious factor of gender, age is a critical factor when it comes to breast cancer. Although breast cancer can and does occur at just about any age the risk of getting it increases with age. A normal woman aged 30 will generally have a 1 in 280 chance of getting breast cancer by the time she reaches 40. However, this risk then rises to a probable 1 in 70 chance of developing breast cancer when that same women is in her forties.
Family history is also an important risk factor for breast cancer with the risk being at its highest when you have a close relative (like a mother or aunt) who has developed cancer of the breast at a young age.
Scientist have recently found what is thought to be a cancer gene that can be passed down from mother to daughter.
RESOURCE BOX/ABOUT THE AUTHOR Breast cancer touches many of us nowadays and for those of you with questions about breast cancer then there can be no better place than http://breastcancertreatmentinformation.com to find the answers we are seeking.
Article Source: http://www.articlebiz.com/
It should also be noted that breast cancer is not confined solely to women and that 1,815 men were also diagnosed with the disease in 2004 and that 362 men died of breast cancer that year.
The breasts in women are complex structures comprising fat, glands and connective fibrous tissue. Each breast has numerous lobes which are divided into lobules ending in the milk glands and there are also a large number of tiny ducts from the milk glands that connect together and culminate in the nipple.
Eight out of ten breast cancer cases originate in these ducts and this condition is called infiltrating ductal cancer. It is also quite common for cancer to originate in the lobules where it is known as lobular cancer. Other forms of cancer are known as inflammatory breast cancer.
Pre-cancerous changes (called 'in situ') are also very commonly seen in women and are changes that have not yet spread from the area of the breast where they were originally spotted. If these changes take place within the ducts then the condition is known as ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS and if they are found 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. Breast cancer most 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 becomes compromised. Other common sites of breast cancer metastasis include the brain, liver and bones.
Excluding the very obvious factor of gender, age is a critical factor when it comes to breast cancer. Although breast cancer can and does occur at just about any age the risk of getting it increases with age. A normal woman aged 30 will generally have a 1 in 280 chance of getting breast cancer by the time she reaches 40. However, this risk then rises to a probable 1 in 70 chance of developing breast cancer when that same women is in her forties.
Family history is also an important risk factor for breast cancer with the risk being at its highest when you have a close relative (like a mother or aunt) who has developed cancer of the breast at a young age.
Scientist have recently found what is thought to be a cancer gene that can be passed down from mother to daughter.
RESOURCE BOX/ABOUT THE AUTHOR Breast cancer touches many of us nowadays and for those of you with questions about breast cancer then there can be no better place than http://breastcancertreatmentinformation.com to find the answers we are seeking.
Article Source: http://www.articlebiz.com/
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