Information on Breast Cancer
Information on Breast Cancer
Author: Joyce Turner
The breasts sit on the chest muscles that cover the ribs. Each breast is made of 15 to 20 lobes. Lobes contain many smaller lobules. Lobules contain groups of tiny glands that can produce milk. Milk flows from the lobules through thin tubes called ducts to the nipple. The nipple is in the center of a dark area of skin called the areola. Fat fills the spaces between the lobules and ducts.
Breast cancer incidence is much higher in industrialised Western countries, whether in Europe or North America, than in developing countries. North American women have the highest incidence of in the world. Among women in the U.S., is the most common cancer and the second-most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer). Women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 (12.5%) lifetime chance of developing invasive and a 1 in 35 (3%) chance of causing their death. In 2007, was expected to cause 40,910 deaths in the U.S. (7% of cancer deaths; almost 2% of all deaths)
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer death in women in the U.S. While the majority of new breast cancers are diagnosed as a result of an abnormality seen on a mammogram, a lump or change in consistency of the breast tissue can also be a warning sign of the disease. Heightened awareness of risk in the past decades has led to an increase in the number of women undergoing mammography for screening, leading to detection of cancers in earlier stages and a resultant improvement in survival rates.
Breast cancer is the number one disease that women in the United States fear the most, and for compelling reasons. It is the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55 years of age and is the second overall cause of death among women (exceeded only by lung cancer). Unfortunately, it is also on
Scientists find a gene that makes cancer spread (Reuters)
Reuters - A single gene appears to play a crucial role in deadly breast cancers, increasing the chances the cancer will spread and making it resistant to chemotherapy, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
Diet tied to survival in breast cancer patients (Reuters)
Reuters - Women with early-stage breast cancer may live longer if they maintain a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, a new study suggests.
Genes Predict Chances of Breast Cancer's Spread (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) -- In a finding that could help
doctors fine-tune breast cancer treatments even further, a new study
confirms that there are genes that increase the likelihood that the
disease will spread throughout a woman's body.
High Insulin May Boost Odds of Breast Cancer (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Dec. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Women with high levels of insulin
in their blood appear to be more likely to develop breast cancer than
those with lower insulin levels.
High insulin levels may increase breast cancer risk (Reuters)
Reuters - Data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study show that higher than normal insulin levels are an independent risk factor for breast cancer.
Trying to prevent lymphedema after breast cancer (AP)
AP - Hospitals in about a dozen states are testing whether some simple steps, such as arm-strengthening exercises, could reduce the risk of one of breast cancer's troubling legacies — the painful and sometimes severe arm swelling called lymphedema. Lymphedema has long been a neglected side effect of cancer surgery and radiation: Many women say they never were warned, even though spotting this problem early improves outcomes.
Cancer Medicine Advances on Many Fronts (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The war against cancer gathered
steam in 2008, as new drugs tackled the toughest cancers with some
success, and advances were made in both disease prevention and risk factor
identification.
British woman to deliver baby screened for breast cancer (AFP)
AFP - A woman is to give birth this week to the first baby in Britain which has been selected to be free of a gene which greatly increases the risk of breast cancer, experts said.
Obesity raises risk of cancer-related lymphedema (Reuters)
Reuters - Painful swelling of the arm or shoulder area following treatment for breast cancer -- a condition called lymphedema - is more common in women who are overweight or obese than in women of normal weight, researchers have found.
Marital Distress May Affect Breast Cancer Recovery (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Marriage problems are
associated with poorer outcomes for women with breast cancer, a new U.S.
study finds.
the rise worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society, this year about 175,000 new cases of invasive and about 43,300 deaths from will occur among women in the USA.
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women in North America and Europe. Close to 200,000 cases of were diagnosed in the United States in 2001. is the second leading cause of cancer death in American women behind lung cancer. The lifetime risk of any particular woman getting is about 1 in 8 although the lifetime risk of dying from is much lower at 1 in 28. Men are also at risk for development of breast cancer, although this risk is much lower than it is for women.
Breast cancer is more easily treated and often curable if it is found early. Monthly breast self-examinations should begin at age 20. Recommended screening methods include breast self-examination and mammography.
The most serious cancers are metastatic cancers. Metastasis means that the cancer has spread from the place where it started into other tissues distant from the original tumor site. The most common place for to metastasize is into the lymph nodes under the arm or above the collarbone on the same side as the cancer. Other common sites of metastasis are the brain, the bones, and the liver.
Death rates from have been gradually declining and continue to decline. These decreases are likely due both to increased awareness and screening and improved treatment methods.
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