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Introduction to Breast Cancer

What is Breast Cancer?

Cancer is a general term that refers to cells that grow and multiply out of control and possibly spread to other parts of the body. There are many different types of breast cancer. Each may have different characteristics, and each one may require a different treatment. ¹

Cancer can cause harm in different ways. Cancer cells take nutrition and space away from normal cells. A lump of cancer cells, called a tumor, can invade or destroy normal tissue. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis. ¹

Breast cancer is a common cancer among women in the United States and second only to skin cancer, affecting about 178,480 women in the United States in 2007. ²

Most breast cancer begins in the milk ducts. These ducts connect the milk-producing glands (called lobules) to the nipple. Some breast cancer begins in the lobules themselves, and the rest begins in other tissues. The diagram shows where these body parts are within the breast. ³

Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

A risk factor is something that may increase the chance of developing a disease.

The following are risk factors for developing breast cancer ⁴:

Female gender
Increasing age
Personal history of breast cancer or previous breast biopsies
Family history
Genetic factors - cancer causing mutations in BRCA1 (BReast CAncer gene 1) and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer gene 2) account for 5%-10% of all breast cancer cases
Hormonal factors, such as earlier age at first period, later age at birth of first child, later age at menopause, having no children

Breast Cancer Stages

A cancer's stage refers to how much the cancer has grown and where it has spread. Staging systems help describe the cancer, so that the doctor can decide what treatments are appropriate.

Understanding Your Breast Cancer Pathology Report

Knowing the biological makeup of the tumor helps the doctor understand how quickly any cancer might grow and what treatments may be best.

References:
1. Altman R, Sarg MJ. The Cancer Dictionary-Revised Edition. New York, NY: Checkmark Books; 2000.
2. American Cancer Society Website. Overview: breast cancer - how many women get breast cancer? Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_How_many_people_get_breast_cancer_5.asp Accessed September 2, 2008.
3. American Cancer Society Website. Overview: breast cancer-what is breast cancer? Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_2_1X_What_is_breast_cancer_5.asp Accessed September 2, 2008.
4. American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2005-2006. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, Inc; 2005.

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What do Adjuvant and Metastatic mean? X Close

Adjuvant Care Is defined as additional treatment given after the main treatment plan to decrease the chance of recurrence. Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer can include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, or biological therapy

Metastatic Breast Cancer Breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body; also referred to as invasive or infiltrating