breast cancer

Breast cancer in women has been on the decline and this is being related to more awareness and early screening. Cancer of the breast is the leading cause of death in women followed by lung cancer. More cases of this cancer have been reported in the developed counties compared to the developing countries. Out of every 36 deaths in women, one of them is likely to have died from cancer of the breast. According to the American Cancer Society, around 1.3 million women world wide are diagnosed with the cancer and 465,000 women die due to the disease.

It occurs when the damaged cells or the cells that are supposed to die off start to multiply uncontrollably causing a mass known as a tumor. The tumor can form in the ducts or the lobules in both men and women but more common in women. The best way to detect cancer of the breast early is by going for regular mammograms. This is an x ray of the breast.

Treatment of cancer will depend on the stage, rate of growth of the tumor, its size and the stage. Some of the treatment options include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Treatment can also involve multiple therapies. Early detection of breast cancer is important because treatment will be more effective. This together with proper treatment will also reduce the chances of death from the condition.

According to statistics by the National Cancer Institute, although all women can get breast cancer, the risk is higher with not only age but also race. 77% of reported cases of cancer of the breast are usually of women over the age of 50. They also conclude that;

Cancer of the breast is likely to be detected late in African American women making their death rates higher compared to white women. However, the death rates for white women over the age of 70 are higher than those of African women of the same age.

In the United States, white, African American women and Hawaiian women have the highest incidences of developing invasive breast cancer compared to Vietnamese, Korean and American Indian women.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, white women have the highest incidences of this cancer followed by black, Hispanic, Asian and American Indians. Black women have the higher rates of death from the cancer followed by white, Hispanic, American Indians and Asian women.

Emma Wanjiku is an experienced writer and publisher who focusses/reports on issues affecting you. Her research is based on aspects and topics of life that matter. She is a trained journalist. For daily health tips and fitness information, access her health site at http://www.emmalifetips.com/

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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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