About Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is most common cancer in women. In the U.S., a woman's lifetime probability of developing breast cancer is 1 in 8.

While the incidence of breast cancer has increased, survival of the disease is at an all time high. Breast cancer detected early can usually be treated successfully.

The breast

A woman's breast is made up of:

Glands called lobules (that produce milk)
Ducts (that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple)
Fat cells
Connective tissue
Blood vessels
Lymph system

Types of breast cancer

Breast cancer is a tumor (carcinoma or malignancy) that develops from cells in the breast. There are more than 15 types of breast cancer. The 2 main types of breast cancer are:

Ductal Carcinoma

In Situ - cancer that begins in the duct of the breast and is contained inside the wall of the duct.

Infiltrating (invasive) – cancer that breaks through the ductal wall and spreads to the fatty tissue of the breast. About 80% of invasive breast cancer is this type.

Lobular Carcinoma

In Situ - cancer that begins in the lobule of the breast and stays within the wall of the lobule.

Infiltrating (invasive) – cancer that breaks through the lobules and spreads to nearby tissue. About 10% of invasive breast cancer is of this type.

Symptoms

Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. Often, there are no symptoms at all. But as cancer grows, it can cause:

A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
A change in the size or shape of the breast
Nipple discharge, tenderness or inversion
Ridges or pitting of breast (skin looks like the skin of an orange)
Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin

The least common type of breast cancer is inflammatory breast cancer. It is breast cancer that does not appear like breast cancer. The symptoms can be very different from common breast cancer symptoms. Symptoms include:

Rapid increase in breast size
Redness
Skin hot to touch
Persistent itching
Thickening of breast tissue

Risk factors

Some of the risk factors that may raise the risk of breast cancer include:

Family history of breast cancer (especially in a first degree relative, like mother or sister)
Benign breast disease
Early onset of menstruation
Late onset of menopause
First child born after age 30
No full-term pregnancies
Long-term use of postmenopausal hormones

However, the majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not have any risk factors.

Prevention

Some ways that have been shown to lower the risk of breast cancer include:

Breastfeeding
Limited alcohol intake
Regular exercise
Maintaining a healthy weight
Increasing vegetable intake