breast cancer

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the breast tissue and there are two main types of it.

Lobular carcinoma is one type and it starts in the glands of the breasts that produce milk.

Ductal carcinoma is a type of cancer that starts in the tubes that carry the milk from the breast to the nipple.

There are uncommon cases where the cancer can start in other parts of the breasts as well. This type of cancer can be invasive or it can be non-invasive. If it is invasive that means it has spread from the lobules to other parts of the breasts. Non-invasive means that it hasn't spread to other areas of the breasts.

There are many types of breast cancer that are very sensitive to estrogen. This simply means that estrogen causes the cancer cells or tumor to increase and grow. There are cancers that have estrogen receptors on their cell's surface. These are called estrogen positive receptors.

Women who have these types of cells usually have a more serious form of cancer and it is more progressive. Unfortunately throughout the course of time it is said that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with cancer in her lifetime. Below are some main causes of breast cancer in women:

Family history plays a big role in whether or not you will contract breast cancer. You have a bigger risk of getting cancer if you have a close relative who has had it. Many people have genes in their body that are more susceptible to cancer. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have the most common defects in them. If a woman has one of these defective genes, she has an 80% chance of getting cancer in her lifetime.

As a woman gets older her chances of getting cancer increases. Most of the advanced cases of breast cancer are in women over 50.

Drinking more than 1 or 2 alcoholic beverages per day also increases a woman's risk for breast cancer. Also women who have never had children or who gave birth after the age of 30 have an increased risk as well.

There are some things you can do to help prevent cancer if you are at a high risk for contracting it. First and foremost seeing your doctor and discussing your options is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself against this disease.

Find more about breast cancer.

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