Breast Cancer
Theresa LaDoux 6th per.
Overview
The breast is made up of glands lobules that can make milk and thin tubes called ducts that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple. Breast tissue also contains fat and connective tissue, lymph nodes, and blood vessels.
The most common type of breast cancer ductal carcinoma, which begins in the cells of the ducts. Breast cancer can also begin in the cells of the lobules and in other tissues in the breast. Invasive breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread from where it began in the ducts or lobules to surrounding tissue.
Risks
No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there are a number of risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include:
Age - the chance of getting breast cancer rises as a woman gets older
Genes - there are two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that gently increase the risk. Women who have family members with breast or ovarian cancer may wish to be tested.
Personal Factors - beginning periods before age 12 or going through menopause after age 55
Research questions
2. What is a cell’s main purpose in life? if you are a single cell, your main purpose is just to survive
3. How does cancer get started? (carcinogenesis?) Cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells.