Breast Cancer By: Marina Barnett Mrs. Evan Period 2

What is breast cancer? Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into or invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it too.

How can someone get breast cancer? There is no known cause of breast cancer however it is known that cancer is often inherited. There is now a list of risk factors that increase the threat of cancer such as smoking, poor diet, and lack of exercise or just the process of aging.

History of breast cancer Breast cancer is one of the oldest known forms of cancerous tumors in humans. The oldest description of breast cancer was discovered in Egypt and dates back to approximately 1600 B.C. Now today we have breast cancer awareness month and walks are held to support women with breast cancer and families with love ones that have or had breast cancer in the month of October.

Incidence of breast cancer Breast cancer is most common cancer among American women, expect for skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman’s life is a little less than 1 in 8 (12%). After increasing for more than 2 decades, female breast incidence rates decreased by about 2% per year from 1999 to 2005.

Symptoms Unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer:  Swelling of all part of the breast  Skin irritation or dimpling  Breast pain  Nipple pain or nipple turning in ward  Redness, scaliness, or thickening of nipple or breast skin  A nipple discharge other than breast milk  A lump in the underarm area

Treatments Surgery- either mastectomy or lumpectomy, also called breast- conserving therapy. There are also different types of mastectomies and lumpectomies. Radiation therapy- systemic treatments are used to destroy or control cancer cells all over the body. Chemotherapy- uses drugs to kill cancer cells side effects can include nausea, hair loss, early menopause, hot flashes, fatigue, and temporarily lower blood counts.

Resources for breast cancer: National alliance of breast cancer organizations (NABCO) American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Cited 2011 American Cancer Society, Inc. Learn about cancer. 11/7/11, A service of National Cancer Insityte.11/4/11.Breast cancer Treatment.11/7/11,