Breast Cancer: Everything You Need to Know

Breastcancerdevelops from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the breast tissue. These growing cells form atumorin the breast, which can sometimes be felt as a lump. There are several types of breast cancer, but the most common type is ductal carcinoma, which arises in the milk ducts (the passages through which milk flows toward the nipple). A small percentage of breast cancers develop in the lobules (small glands in which milk is produced) and are called lobular carcinoma.

Ductal and lobular cancers are further classified by whether the cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. If the breast cancer cells are confined within the milk ducts or lobules, it is called noninvasive or in situ cancer. When the cancer has grown into surrounding tissue or spread to other parts of the body, it is called invasive or infiltrating cancer. About 80 percent of all breast cancers are invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC).

Why do these cells start growing abnormally? We'll investigate next.

The precise cause of breast cancer is unknown; it is most likely due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some women who exhibit many of the risk factors of breast cancer never contract the disease, while some who manifest none of the risk factors may succumb to it.

There does appear to be a link between breast cancer and the hormoneestrogen. It's possible that the more that a woman is exposed to estrogen, the greater risk she has of breast cancer at some point. Researchers are investigating events in a woman's life, such as her age of first and last menstruation, her age atchildbirthand whether she breastfed or underwent hormone therapy, as these events all affect the estrogen levels in the body.

Researchers have identified two genes that may increase the risk of breast cancer. These genes are called BRCA1 and BRCA2. It's possible to undergo genetic testing to determine if you carry the gene, but doctors warn that the exams can't tell you whether you'll actually get breast cancer. Talk to your doctor if you feel you're at a high risk for breast cancer.

The two most important risk factors to doctors right now are a woman's family history of breast cancer and her age. A woman with a blood relative who had breast cancer is two to three times more likely to develop the disease herself, while women who are older than 60 have a greater risk than younger women [source:WebMD]. But there are other risk factors as well, which we'll talk about next.

There are some risk factors for breast cancer that are within your control, while there are others that are out of your hands.

Risk factors include:

Breast cancer can develop for quite a while without any visible symptoms. As thecancerprogresses, these symptoms may become apparent:

See your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Your doctor may then order amammogram, or an X-ray of the breast. In the United States, the government recommends that women over the age of 50 get a mammogram every two years; women who exhibit many of the risk factors listed on the last page should consult their doctors about when to start getting regular mammograms. Mammograms are often how doctors detect abnormalities in the breast, though they may also use tools such as breastultrasound,breast magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) or biopsies.

Breast cancers are divided into different groups, called stages, based on the size of thetumor, whether it is invasive or noninvasive, and whether it has spread through thelymphnodes to other parts of the body. Stage 0 cancer indicates a small, noninvasive tumor, while Stage IV is the highest stage, indicating cancer has spread. To determine whether the cancer is invasive and has spread outside the breast, a surgeon removes one or more lymph nodes and examines them for cancer cells.

The course of treatment depends on the stage of the cancer, the woman's age and her general state of health. Treatment options include:

After enduring a scary diagnosis and a strenuous treatment, it can be frustrating to learn that you still have to be on guard for a recurrence of the cancer. Still, the odds are with you — 90 percent of women with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer live more than five years after receiving their initial diagnosis, while 84 percent survive more than 10 years. Survival rates depend on many factors, including how early the cancer is diagnosed and whether it stayed just in the breast area or spread [source:CancerNet].

Originally Published: Nov 13, 2006