Breast Cancer
Angela Bornhofer
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the breast. The damaged cells can invade surrounding tissue, but with early detection and treatment most people continue a normal life.
Causes
There are many risk factors that can increase you chance of getting breast cancer along with a couple of natural causes.
- Hormones seem to play a role
- BCRA Genes (BCR1 and BCRA2)
- Acquired gene mutations
- Inherited gene mutations
Symptoms & Signs
- nipple tenderness
- change in skin texture
- enlargement of pores in the skin of the breast
- lump in breast
- any unexplained changes of the breast
- dimpling
- unexplained shrinkage or swelling
- nipple that has turned slightly inverted
- skin becoming scaly, red, swollen
Both Men and Women...
Both men and women can get breast cancer, but is more common in women. Men don't have breasts, so how can they get breast cancer? The truth is that boys and girls, men and women all have breast tissue. Breast cancer in men is a rare disease. Less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men. In 2014, about 2,360 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease. For men, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
Treatments
- surgery
- radiation therapy
- chemotherapy
- hormone therapy
- targeted therapy
- bone-directed therapy
Facts
- Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women
- An estimated 220,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer
- More than 40,000 of those women will die