Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both breasts. It is the most common type of cancer in women, but it is often cured when found early
The exact cause of breast cancer is not known. Some women with breast cancer have genetic risk factors called mutations in BRCA genes. You also have a higher risk of breast cancer if a member of your family, especially your mother, father, or sister, has breast cancer. However, many women who have breast cancer do not have any of these risks.
Female hormones and increasing age also play a part. The chances that you will develop breast cancer increase as you grow older. About 1 in every 7 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer if she lives to be 80.
If your doctor thinks you might have breast cancer, he or she will want to test the abnormal cells in the breast using a procedure called a biopsy. This is sometimes done by inserting a needle into the abnormal area and taking a few sample cells (needle biopsy). At other times the entire suspicious area will be removed through a small incision in your breast. The sample is then examined under a microscope by a pathologist to see if it contains cancer cells.
The most common symptom of breast cancer is a painless lump in the breast. However, early breast cancer is often found on a mammogram before a lump can be felt.
Other symptoms of breast cancer may not appear until the cancer is more advanced. These include:
1. A thickening in the breast or armpit.
2. A change in the size or shape of the breast.
3. Changes in the skin of the breast, such as a dimple or skin that looks like orange peel.
4. A change in the nipple, such as scaling of the skin, a nipple that turns in, or discharge or bleeding.
5. A change in the color or feel of the skin around the nipple (areola).

Many people believe that only women have breast cancer. But, although much less common, about 1% of all breast cancer occurs in adult men. Most men who are diagnosed with breast cancer are older than 65, but the disease can appear in younger men. For this reason, any breast lump in an adult male is considered abnormal.