What is breast Cancer?
 A breast is made up of three main parts: lobules,
ducts, and connective tissue. The lobules are the
glands that produce milk. The ducts are tubes
that carry milk to the nipple. The connective tissue
(which consists of fibrous and fatty tissue)
surrounds and holds everything together.
 Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the
breast grow out of control. There are different
kinds of breast cancer. The kind of breast cancer
depends on which cells in the breast turn into
cancer.
 Most breast cancers begin in the ducts or lobules.
Breast cancer can spread outside the breast
through blood vessels and lymph vessels. When
breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body,
it is said to have metastasized.
Symptoms
 Some warning signs of breast cancer are—
 New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
 Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
 Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
 Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
 Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
 Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
 Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
 Pain in any area of the breast.
 Keep in mind that these symptoms can happen with other
conditions that are not cancer.
 If you have any signs or symptoms, be sure to see your doctor right
away.
What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of
Breast Cancer
 Keep a healthy weight.
 Be physically active.
 If you are taking, or have been told to take, hormone replacement
therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about
the risks and find out if it is right for you.
 Breastfeed your children, if possible.
 If you have a family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, talk to your doctor about other ways to lower
your risk.
 Staying healthy throughout your life will lower your risk of developing
cancer, and improve your chances of surviving cancer if it occurs.
 Risk factors
 A breast cancer risk factor is anything that makes it more likely you'll get breast cancer.
But having one or even several breast cancer risk factors doesn't necessarily mean you'll
develop breast cancer. Many women who develop breast cancer have no known risk
factors other than simply being women.
 Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:
 Being female. Women are much more likely than men are to develop breast cancer.
 Increasing age. Your risk of breast cancer increases as you age.
 A personal history of breast conditions. If you've had a breast biopsy that found lobular
carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or atypical hyperplasia of the breast, you have an increased risk
of breast cancer.
 A personal history of breast cancer. If you've had breast cancer in one breast, you have
an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast.
 A family history of breast cancer. If your mother, sister or daughter was diagnosed with
breast cancer, particularly at a young age, your risk of breast cancer is increased. Still,
the majority of people diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the
disease.
 Inherited genes that increase cancer risk. Certain gene mutations that increase the risk
of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children. The most well-known gene
mutations are referred to as BRCA1 and BRCA2. These genes can greatly increase your
risk of breast cancer and other cancers, but they don't make cancer inevitable.
 Radiation exposure. If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young
adult, your risk of breast cancer is increased.
 Obesity. Being obese increases your risk of breast cancer.
 Beginning your period at a younger age. Beginning your period before age 12 increases
your risk of breast cancer.
 Beginning menopause at an older age. If you began menopause at an older age, you're
more likely to develop breast cancer.
 Having your first child at an older age. Women who give birth to their first child after age 30
may have an increased risk of breast cancer.
 Having never been pregnant. Women who have never been pregnant have a greater risk
of breast cancer than do women who have had one or more pregnancies.
 Postmenopausal hormone therapy. Women who take hormone therapy medications that
combine estrogen and progesterone to treat the signs and symptoms of menopause have
an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer decreases when women stop
taking these medications.
 Drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer.
Stages of BreastCancer
 Healthcare providers use cancer staging systems to plan treatment. Staging cancer
also helps providers set a prognosis, or what you can expect after treatment. Breast
cancer staging depends on factors like breast cancer type, tumor size and location,
and whether cancer has spread to other areas of your body. Breast cancer stages
are:
 Stage 0: The disease is noninvasive, meaning it hasn’t spread from your breast ducts
to other parts of your breast.
 Stage I: There are cancerous cells in nearby breast tissue.
 Stage II: The cancerous cells have formed a tumor or tumors. The tumor is either
smaller than 2 centimeters across and has spread to underarm lymph nodes or larger
than 5 centimeters across but hasn’t spread to underarm lymph nodes. Tumors at this
stage can measure anywhere between 2 and 5 centimeters across, and may or may
not affect the nearby lymph nodes.
 Stage III: There’s breast cancer in nearby tissue and lymph nodes. Stage III is usually
referred to as locally advanced breast cancer.
 Stage IV: Cancer has spread from your breast to areas like your bones, liver, lungs or
brain.
Breast-Self Exam
 A breast self-exam is an early detection tool that uses a combination of
physical and visual examinations of the breasts to check for signs and
symptoms of breast cancer. The purpose of a breast self-exam is to
become familiar with the way your breasts normally look and feel. Knowing
how your breasts normally look and feel, also called breast self-awareness,
will help you identify any changes or abnormalities in your breasts, such as
a new lump or skin changes. Any changes in your breasts discovered
during a breast self-exam should be reported to your healthcare provider
right away.