What is Breast cancer
cancer is cancer of breast tissue. Worldwide, it is the most common
form of cancer in females, affecting approximately 10% of all women
at some stage of their life in the Western world. Although
significant efforts are made to achieve early detection and
effective treatment, about 20% of all women with breast cancer will
die from the disease, and it is the second most common cause of
cancer deaths in women.
The risk of getting breast cancer increases with age. For a woman
who lives to the age of 90 the chances of getting breast cancer her
entire lifetime is about 12.5% or 1 in 8. Men can also develop
breast cancer, but their risk is less than 1 in 1000 (see sex and
illness). This risk is modified by many different factors. In a very
small ( 5%) proportion of breast cancer cases, there is a strong
inherited familial risk. Some racial groups have a higher risk of
developing breast cancer - notably, women of European and African
descent have been noted to have a higher rate of breast cancer than
women of Asian origin. (figures from breastcancerorg) However, these
apparent racial differences diminish when geography is altered, as
Asian women migrating to the western world, gradually acquire risk
approaching that of western women.
The probability of breast cancer rises with age but breast cancer
tends to be more aggressive when it occurs in younger women. One
type of breast cancer that is especially aggressive and
disproportionately occurs in younger women is inflammatory breast
cancer. It is initially staged as Stage IIIb or Stage IV. It also is
unique because it often does not present with a lump so that it
often is not detected by mammography or ultrasound. It presents with
the signs and symptoms of a breast infection like mastitis.
Common symptoms of Breast Cancer
Itching in the armpit or around the
Ridges and thickened areas of the skin of nipple or breast.
Appearance of a bruise that does not go away.
Nipple getting inverted.
Breast is warm to the touch.
A discharge from the nipple.
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