INTRODUCTION: Breast Cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55 years of age, the second overall cause of death among women (exceeded only by lung cancer) and is on the rise worldwide. Breast cancer is more easily treated and often curable if it is found early.
LUMPS: The majority of breast tumors (abnormal masses of tissue) are benign (not cancerous). By using the fingertips, a lump may be detected within the breast. If a lump in the breast is detected, the doctor may need to cut out a small piece of the lump (known as biopsy).
There are four kinds of biopsies: Excisional Biopsy (The removal of all of a lump or suspect tissue); Incisional Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue); Needle Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump, suspicious tissue, or fluid, using a thin needle); Core Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspect tissue using a wide needle).
A group of rapidly dividing cells may form a lump of extra tissue. For example, fibrocystic change is a non-cancerous condition in which a female develops cysts (accumulated packets of fluid), fibrosis (formation of scar-like connective tissue), lumpiness, areas of thickening, tenderness, or breast pain.
RISKS: Women who have an altered gene related to breast cancer and who have had cancer in one breast are at great risk of developing cancer in the other breast. These women also have a high risk of developing ovarian cancer, and may have an increased risk of developing various other cancers.
Age and health history can have an affect on the risk of developing breast cancer. A woman's risk may be higher or lower, depending upon several factors, including family history, genetics, age of menstruation, and other factors yet not identified. Breast feeding for several months also seems to reduce the cancer risk.
TREATMENT: Treatment for breast cancer usually depends on the type of cancer and whether it has spread outside of the breast to the rest of the body. Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and endocrine/anti-hormone therapy. Treatment for male breast cancer is usually a mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast.
CONCLUSION: Previously a disease that afflicted mostly white, affluent women in the industrial hubs of North America and Western Europe, breast cancer can now be found everywhere. But in China, as in most other growing economies, it is a relatively new concern, something that both patients and doctors are only beginning to learn how to treat.
The latest age-specific data in Denmark show that the incidence of breast cancer is maximal for women born between 1945 and 1950, and is on the decline for women born more recently. More than 90 out of 100 women whose cancer is found early will be cured. The leading cause of breast cancer is said to be the use of anti-perspirant. The good news is that it is a disease that can be treated and cured.
About the Author:
About the author: Richard H. Ealom is an expert ezinearticles.com writer with more than 50 articles on diseases,causes,cures. To learn more about Breast Cancer visit "Breast Cancer Breakthrough USA!" You have the right to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.
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