Breast
Cancer Website | Information | Awareness
Breast Cancer
We know that cancer is one of the most deadly illness known to man. Cancer
comes in many forms and types which affect either the male or female more.
One of the most common cancer type of cancer that primarily found in women
is Breast
Cancer. Male breast cancer can happen but the percentage is much
lower than for females.
Breast cancer is a cancer that occurs in the tissues
of the breast. It involves
a group
of
abnormal
cells
which
start
to have
abnormal
growth
patterns. It
is a illness which is found primarily in women, although approximately
1% of breast cancer occurs in men. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer that
occurs in women and following lung cancer, it is the second leading cause
of cancer death
in females. 184,200
new cases of breast cancer were reported in the year 2000 by the American
Cancer Society, and this figure appears to be rising on a yearly basis.
The breasts in women are a complicated piece of
biological tissue which consist of glands, fat and connective fibrous
tissue. They have
several lobes,
divided
into lobules which end in the milk glands. There are tiny ducts which form
the numerous tiny glands and after connecting together, end in the nipple. Eighty percent of breast cancer cases occur in these
ducts, and this condition is known as infiltrating ductal cancer. Cancer
which develops in the
lobules is known as lobular cancer and approximately 10-15% of breast
cancers are
this type of cancer. Other types of cancers are known as inflammatory
breast cancer.
Changes such as precancerous changes (known as in situ)
are also common in women. These are changes which have not spread from the
place in
the breast
where they started. When these changes do occur within the ducts, the
condition is known as ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS. When they occur
in the lobules,
they are known as lobular carcinomas in situ or LCIS. Routine mammography
routinely diagnoses DCIS.
The most serious types of breast cancer are known as
metastatic cancer. This type of cancer involves the spread of the cancer
from the place
where it
began. It most commonly metatasizes into the lymph nodes above the
collarbone or under
the arms on the same side of the cancer. This results in pain and
swelling to the affected area as the lymphatic drainage system is then
compromised.
Other common sites of breast cancer metastasis include the brain,
liver and the bones. Approximately 50% of women who develop breast cancer
do not have any risk factors apart from age and their gender. Due to the
fact breast
cancer
occurs mostly
in women, their sex is the biggest risk factor.
Another critical factor is age. Although breast cancer
can and does occur at any age, the risk of developing it increases as you
get
older. A normal
woman
aged 30 will usually have a 1 in 280 chance of developing breast
cancer during the next ten years of her life. This then increases
to a probable
1 in 70
chance of developing breast cancer when she reaches the age of
40 to 50 years.
The risk factor for breast cancer is also affected by
family history. This risk is at its highest if a close relative has developed
cancer of the
breast at a young age. The risk increases further if the relative
is close such
as a mother, aunt or daughter. There has recently been found
what is thought to
be a cancer gene which can be passed down from mother to daughter.
Breast cancer statistics
One of the most deadly illness that any healthy woman can have is Breast cancer.
Breast cancer can strike at any age, even in women as young as 20 although
the mean age is much later at age 40. Breast cancer can strike suddenly,
without warning, in seemingly healthy women who has all along been leading
a healthy
lifestyle. The chances of having breast cancerfor women is very high, as
high as one in 6-8 women.
The best prevention for breast cancer is being knowledgeable
about the illness, perform breast self examination regularly, be highly aware
of changes in your breasts and have regular visits to the doctor.
We’ve compiled a list of breast cancer statistics
that can help you to realize exactly how severe of a problem breast cancer
is in the world today. - Breast cancer is the second biggest cause of death
by cancer in women. It is second only to lung cancer in women’s cancer
mortality rates.
- In any given year, as many as 1.2 million women on
average across the world will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
- In the year 2000 alone, 202,044 women in North America
were diagnosed with a new case of breast cancer. Also in the year 2000, 51,184
North
American
people died as a result of breast cancer.
-The risk of a woman getting breast cancer at some point
in her life is around 1 in 8. The risk for getting breast cancer before age
30,
however, is a mere
1 in 2,212.
- The 5-year survival rate for women under age 45 for
breast cancer is 81 percent.
-Roughly 77 percent of all breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women
that are 50 years of age or older.
- Few realize that breast cancer can occur in men as
well. While nowhere near as prevalent in men, an estimated 1,860 males will
be diagnosed
with breast
cancer this year.
- The highest risk of breast cancer is faced by those
with white, Hawaiian, or African American ancestry. This risk faced by these
ethnicities
is roughly 4 times as prevalent as the chance faced by the lowest
risk group.
-After women reach age forty, it is highly recommended
for them to get a mammogram yearly. However, only 66.9 percent of all
women over
40 have
had
a mammogram
in the past two years.
- Breast cancer IS the leading cause of cancer deaths
in a specific age group of women: 40 to 59.
-While the threat of breast cancer is still quite serious,
statistics show that the death rates of women from breast
cancer in the
United States have
decreased by about 2.8 percent every year from 1990 to
2000.
As you can see, breast cancer is a problem that is far-reaching
and life-altering.
Unfortunately, the statistics do not
show that a full
100 percent of women
get anannual mammogram. If you are a woman over the
age of 40, it is important to
ensure that you are not one of the 33.1 percent of women
who are in the dark about the status of their breast
health.
Early detection
of breast
cancer
can lead to being able to fix the problem before
it becomes too late.
Fear is never
an adequate excuse for not getting a yearly mammogram;
it is
an important and necessary process for those who
are high in risk
for breast
cancer.
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