What Is Breast Cancer and How Does It Develop?
Breast Cancer is a disease most commonly found in women but also found in men. This cancer develops through the abnormal increase in the number of cells in the breast. The type of breast cancer which the individual has is determined by which specific type of cell forms into a cancerous cell. There are three main parts which make up the breast: the lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. Most breast cancers are found in the lobules or ducts.
The most common types of breast cancer are invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma. Invasive ductal carcinoma cells start in the ducts and begin to grow outside of the ducts to other parts of the breast tissue. These cancerous cells can also spread to other parts of the body through blood and lymph vessels. At this point, the cells metastasize, or spread out of the origin of the cancer cells. Invasive lobular carcinoma cells start from the lobules and then metastasize to the surrounding breast tissue and other parts of the body as well.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer:
-Lumps in the breast or underarm
-Swelling of part of the breast
-Irritation or skin dimpling on the breast
-Redness/Flaky skin on or around the nipple
-Nipple discharge other than milk like blood
-Any drastic changes in the size and shape of the breast
-Pain in any area of the breast
Shocking Statistics: USA and Worldwide:
-About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
-Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women both in the developed and less developed world. In 2012, it represented about 12 percent of all new cancer cases and 25 percent of all cancers in women worldwide.
-Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women overall. It is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in 140 of 184 countries worldwide.
-Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women after skin cancer.
-From 2005 to 2014, the most recent 10 years for which data are available, invasive breast cancer incidence rates were stable in white women and increased slightly (by 0.3% per year) in black women.
-For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
-In the U.S. in 2020, it is estimated that 42,690 breast cancer deaths (42,170 women, 520 men) will occur.
-Belgium had the highest rate of breast cancer in women, followed by Luxembourg and then the Netherlands.
-The USA is ranked the 22nd country with the highest rate of breast cancer in women.
Written and Researched By Lakshmi Potturu
