Cancer occurs when cells in a part of the body begin to grow uncontrollably. Normal cells divide and and grow in an orderly fashion, but cancer cells do not. They continue to grow and crowd out normal cells.

Different kinds of cancers can behave very differently. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments.

Sometimes cancer cells break away from a tumor and spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph system. They can settle in new places and form new tumors.

When this happens, it is called metastasis. Cancer that had spread in this way is called metastatic cancer. As cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it is still named after the body part of origin.

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts from cells of the breast. It is found mostly in woman, but men can get breast cancer as well.

A woman’s breast is made up of glands that make breast milk, ducts, fatty and connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymph vessels. Most breast cancers begin in the cells that line the ducts.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

The lymph system is important because it is one of the ways in which breast cancers can spread. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped collections of immunes system cells that are connected by lymphatic vessels.

Lymphatic vessels are like smalls veins, except they carry a clear fluid called lymph away from the breast. Breast cancer cells can enter lymphatic vessels and begin to grow in lymph nodes.

Most lymph vessels of the breast lead to lymph nodes under the arm. Theses are called axillary nodes. If breast cancer cells reach the underarm lymph nodes and continue to grow, they cause the nodes to swell.

It is important to know whether cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes because if they have, there is a higher chance that the cells have also gotten into the bloodstream and spread to other places in the body.

Most lumps are benign. This means they are not cancerous. Benign breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not spread outside of the breast and are not life threatening.

Some benign breast lumps can increase a woman’s rick of getting breast cancer. Most lumps are caused by fibrocystic changes.

Carcinoma: Used to describe a cancer that begins in the lining later of organs such as the breast. Nearly all cancers are known as carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma: Type of cancer that starts in glandular tissue. The ducts and lobules of the breast are glandular tissue, so the cancer starting in these areas are sometimes called adenocarcinomas.

Carcinoma in situ: Early stage in cancer, when it is still only in the layer of cancer where it began. In breast cancer, in situ means that the cancer cells are only in the ducts or lobules. They have not spread into deeper tissues in the breast.

Invasive carcinoma: Has already grown beyond the layer of cells where it started.

Sarcoma: Cancers that start from connective tissues such as muscle tissue, fat tissue, or blood vessels. Sarcomas of the breast are very rare.

There are many types of breast, though some of them are uncommon.

Ductal carcinoma in situ: Most common types of noninvasive breast cancer. DCIS means that the cancer is only in the ducts. It has not spread through the walls of the ducts into the tissue of the breast. At this stage, the cancer can be cured.

Lobular carcinoma in situ: Begins in the milk- making glands but does not go through the wall of the lobules. Having LCIS increases a woman’s rick of getting cancer later. It is important that women have regular mammograms.

Invasive ductal carcinoma: Most common breast cancer. It starts in a milk passage or duct, breaks through the wall of the duct, and invades the tissue of the breast. From there it may be able to spread to other parts of the body.

Invasive lobular carcinoma: Starts in the milk glands or lobules. It can spread to other parts of the body.

Inflammatory breast cancer: This uncommon type of invasive breast cancer accounts for about 1% to 3% of all breast cancers. There is usually no single lump or tumor. It makes the skin of the breast look red and feel warm.

It also gives the skin a thick, pitted appearance that looks a lot like an orange peel. The affected breast may become larger or firmer, tender or itchy. In its early stages, inflammatory breast cancer is mistaken for an infection.

Certain changes in DNA can cause normal breast cancer cells to become cancerous. Some inherited DNA changes can increase the risk for developing cancer and are responsible for the cancers that run in some families.

Most breast cancer DNA changes happen in single breast cells during a woman’s life rather than having being inherited. These are called acquired changes.

A risk factor is anything that affects a person’s chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, such as smoking, drinking, and diet are linked to things a person does.

Risk factors don’t tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several, doesn’t mean that a person will get the disease. Some women who have one or more risk factors never get breast cancer, and most women who get breast cancer don’t have any risk factors.

Gender: Being a woman is the main risk for breast cancer. Men can also get the disease, but it is about 100 times more common in women then men.

Age: The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. About 2 out of 3 women are age 55 or older when the cancer is found.

Genetic Risk Factors: About 5-10% of breast cancers are thought to be linked to inherited mutations in certain genes. Women with these gene changes have up to 80% chance of getting breast cancer in their lifetimes.

Family History: Breast cancer risk is higher among those whose close blood relatives have this disease; they can be from the mother’s or the father’s side.

Personal History of Breast Cancer: A woman with cancer in one breast has a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast.

Race: White women are slightly more likely than African-American women, but African- American women are more likely to die of this cancer. Part of the reason seems to be because they have faster growing tumors.

Dense Breast Tissue: This means there is more glandular tissue and less fatty tissue. Women with denser breast tissue have a higher risk of breast cancer. It can also make it harder for doctors to spot problems on mammograms.

Menstrual Periods: Women who began having periods early, before age 12, or who went through menopause after the age of 55 have a slightly increased risk.

Earlier Breast Radiation: Women who have had radiation treatment to the chest area earlier in life have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer.

DES Exposure: DES is a drug once used to lower the risk of miscarriage. It is now known to increase the risk of breast cancer for the mother and the child in the womb.

Not having children or having them later in life: Having a slightly higher risk for breast cancer, women who have no had children or had a child after age 30. Being pregnant more than once at early age reduces the number some.

Recent use of birth control pills: Women who are using birth control have a greater risk of breast cancer than women who have never used it. Therefore, before taking the pill, talk to your doctor about the risks.

Alcohol: Use of alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of getting breast cancer. Having one drink a day decreases the risk only a small amount. Having 2-5 drinks a day have 1 ½ times the risk of women who drink no alcohol.

Being overweight or obese: This is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, especially if the weight gain took place during adulthood. Also, the risk seems to be higher if the fat exists in the waist area.

Lack of exercise: Reduces breast cancer risk. The only question is how much exercise is needed. As little as 1 hour and 15 minutes to 2 hours per week reduces the risk by 18%.

Lowering your risk: The only way to lower you risk is by changing those factors that can be changed. Limit use of alcohol, exercise regularly, and keep a healthy weight, you are decreasing your risk.

Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. After lung cancer, it is the second leading cause of death.

In the past few years, 182,460 women in the United States have been found with invasive breast cancer. About 40,480 women die from the disease a year, and about 2 ½ million are survivors of the disease.

What Cancer Cannot Do Cancer is so limited... It cannot cripple love, It cannot shatter hope, It cannot corrode faith, It cannot eat away at peace, It cannot destroy confidence, It cannot kill friendship, It cannot shut out memories, It cannot invade the soul, It cannot reduce eternal life, It cannot quench the spirit, It cannot lessen the power of the resurrection. Anonymous