Breast Cancer
BREAST CANCER
I) Anatomy of the breast
The breast is a gland designed to make milk.
II) What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is an abnormal growth of cells.
These abnormal growths are called tumors. Not all tumors are cancerous.
Non-cancerous tumors benign
Cancerous tumors malignant
If not treated the cancer may spread to other parts of the body.
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the
second leading cause of cancer death next to lung cancer.
The incidence of breast cancer is very low in women in their twenties,
plateaus at 45 and the increase dramatically after fifty. Fifty
percent of breast cancer is diagnosed in women over sixty-five.
III) Risk factors
Early onset of menses/menstrual cycle prior to age 12
Menopause
Diets high in saturated fats
Family history
Late or no pregnancies
Moderate alcohol intake
Smoking
History of prior breast cancer
Estrogen replacement therapy
Therapeutic radiation to chest wall
Gene mutations
Moderate obesity
Female
**Every woman is at some risk for breast cancer (does not necessarily mean that just because it does not run in your family that you will not develop breast cancer According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation 85% of women with breast cancer have a negative family history
IV) Symptoms/Early signs
A lump in or near your breast
A change in the size or shape of your breast
Veins on the surface become more prominent on one breast
Discharge from the nipple other than breast milk
Breast tenderness
Ridges or depression/pitting of the breast
A change in the way the breast feels
**The earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your...
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