What is Breast cancer?
It is a cancer of the glandular breast tissue.

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.
Although breast cancer in women is a common form of cancer, male breast cancer does occur and accounts for about 1% of all cancer deaths in men.

Risk!

  • Age: The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Most cases of breast cancer occur in women over 60. This disease is not common before menopause.
  • Personal history of breast cancer: A woman who had breast cancer in one breast has an increased risk of getting cancer in her other breast.
  • Family history: A woman’s risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer. The risk is higher if her family member got breast cancer before age 40. Having other relatives with breast cancer (in either her mother’s or father’s family) may also increase a woman’s risk.
  • Certain breast changes: Some women have cells in the breast that look abnormal under a microscope. Having certain types of abnormal cells (atypical hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ [LCIS]) increases the risk of breast cancer.
  • Gene changes: Changes in certain genes increase the risk of breast cancer.
  • Being overweight or obese after menopause: The chance of getting breast cancer after menopause is higher in women who are overweight or obese.
  • Lack of physical activity: Women who are physically inactive throughout life may have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being active may help reduce risk by preventing weight gain and obesity.
  • Drinking alcohol: Studies suggest that the more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.
Symptoms!
A change in how the breast or nipple feels
  • A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
  • Nipple tenderness
A change in how the breast or nipple looks
  • A change in the size or shape of the breast
  • A nipple turned inward into the breast
  • The skin of the breast, areola, or nipple may be scaly, red, or swollen. It may have ridges or pitting so that it looks like the skin of an orange.
Nipple discharge (fluid)
  • Early breast cancer usually does not cause pain. Still, a woman should see her health care provider about breast pain or any other symptom that does not go away. Most often, these symptoms are not due to cancer. Other health problems may also cause them. Any woman with these symptoms should tell her doctor so that problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Treatment!
    * Surgery
    * Radiation therapy
    * Chemotherapy and hormone therapy
    * Biological therapy
    * Treatment choices by stage
 
 
Stages of Breast Cancer!
Stage 1
  • The tumour is no more than 2 centimetres (cm) across (T1)      
  • The lymph nodes in the armpit are not affected      
  • The cancer has not spread
Stage 2
This is divided into two groups:
Stage 2A means
  • The tumour is less than 2 cm, the lymph nodes under the arm contain cancer but are not stuck to each other and the cancer has not spread or    
  • The tumour is less than 5 cm, there are no cancer cells in the lymph nodes in the armpit and the cancer has not spread or  
  • Although no tumour is seen in the breast, the lymph nodes under the arm contain cancer cells but are not stuck together, and there is no sign of spread to other parts of the body
Stage 2B means
  • The tumour is less than 5 cm and the lymph nodes under the arm contain cancer cells but are not stuck to each other, and the cancer has not spread or    
  • The tumour is bigger than 5 cm across, there are no cancer cells in the lymph nodes in the armpit and the cancer has not spread
Stage 3
Stage 3 breast cancer is divided into 3 groups:
Stage 3A means
  • Although no tumour is seen in the breast, the lymph nodes under the arm contain cancer cells and are stuck together, but there is no sign of cancer spread or    
  • The tumour is 5 cm or less, the lymph nodes in the armpit contain cancer cells and are stuck to each other, but the cancer has not spread elsewhere or    
  • The tumour is more than 5 cm, the lymph nodes in the armpit contain cancer cells and may be stuck together, but there is no further spread
Stage 3B means
  • The tumour is fixed to the skin or chest wall, the lymph nodes may or may not contain cancer cells, but there is no further spread
Stage 3C means
  • The tumour can be any size and has spread to lymph nodes in the armpit and under the breast bone, or to nodes above or below the collarbone, but there is no further spread
Stage 4
  • The tumour can be any size      
  • The lymph nodes may or may not contain cancer cells
  • The cancer has spread or metastasised to other parts of the body such as the lungs, liver or bones
Source: www.medicinenet.com