Breast Cancer Is a Type of Cancer

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that originates from tissues in the breasts commonly from within the inner lining of milk ducts or alternatively lobules which supply milk to the ducts. Breast cancer can occur in both humans and other mammals but .The majority cases in humans occur in women, however breast cancer also occurs in men but in very rare instances. Those few cases of breast cancer in men occur to men in the ages between 60 and 70.from statistics white women are seen to be at a higher risk of the development of malignant breast cancer as compared to Hispanics or Asians. Breast cancer comes second when it comes to cause of deaths due to cancer in women aged between 45-50.there is an increase in the number of women who are diagnosed with cancer each year. If cancer is detected early enough than the chances of survival rate is increased. Annual breast cancer screening and preventive steps at early stages can be of great assistance when it comes to the monitoring of early stages.

Cancer can be broadly categorized into two, invasive and non-invasive. Under these two broad categories there are three different types of breast cancer which are ductal carcinoma in situ which is the most common type of noninvasive and it has not spread and therefore has a high cure rate. The other one is Invasive ductal carcinoma, starts in the breast duct and proceeds to the surrounding tissue. This is the most common breast cancer. The last common type of breast cancer is Invasive lobular carcinoma starts begin in breast glands that produce milk.

Breast cancer risk factors

Though experts do not sure of what certainly causes breast cancer since it is hard to know the exact reason why certain people develop cancer while others do not. Any risk factors that increase an individual's chance of developing breast cancer. These risk factors include age; the chance of one being diagnosed with breast cancer increase over 80% cases of breast cancer occur in women aged over 50 years. Another risk factor is genetics the risk of breast cancer development is greater in women whose relatives have been diagnosed with the disease. If one has a close relative like mother, daughter or sister increases a woman's risk of breast cancer. History of breast cancer is another risk factor as women who have been earlier diagnosed with breast cancer even the non-invasive one has a great chance of developing the disease again as compared to women who do not have a history of this disease. One has a certain type of breast lamps then they have a high chance of developing breast cancer. These can be non-cancerous breast lumps which include ductal hyperplasia; dense breast tissue is another risk factor whereby women who have dense breast tissue are more likely to develop breast cancer. Other risk factors are alcohol consumption, lifestyle, obesity, treatment with radiation therapy and so on (MediLexicon International Ltd., 2012).

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer

Presently, most breast cancer cases are discovered sooner than the symptoms are present. For example, women may start feeling some abnormalities on the mammography or breast lump. The presence of a lump in the armpit or in the collarbone that fails to go away for sometimes may be a sign of cancer. The possible symptoms of breast cancer are breast discharge or changes in skin that overlays the breast. However not all breast lumps are cancerous, but they have to be evaluated by a doctor to find out whether the person has a cancer or not. The discharging of breast may be a common problem and a symptom of breast cancer. It is mostly concerning whether it only comes from one breast or it is too bloody. The changes in the skin that overlays the breast may include changes in texture and puckering. The changes are more often than not caused by the skin diseases, but are today associated with breast cancer.

Treatment of Breast Cancer