Breast cancer

“Breast cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American women, is the disease women fear most. Experts predict 178,000 women will develop breast cancer in the United States in 2007. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but it's far less common. For 2007, the predicted number of new breast cancers in men is 2,000”. www.mayoclinic.com

Do you ever worried? you might have breast cancer.? SEE YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY

The breast is formed is by comparing it to an upturned bush. Its leaves are known as lobules and they produce milk that drains into ducts that are the branches of the breast tree. These in turn drain into 12 or 15 major or large ducts which empty onto the surface of the nipple.

Breast cancer develops from the cells that line the breast, lobules and the draining ducts.

Cancer cells that remain confined to the lobule and the ducts are called 'in situ' or 'non-invasive'. They are sometimes also referred to as pre-cancers in recognition of the fact that these cells have not yet gained the ability to spread to other parts of the body, which is the feature that most people associate with cancer.

An invasive cancer is one where the cells have moved outside the ducts and lobules into the surrounding breast tissue.

What are the signs?

If there are no outward signs of breast cancer that you can see or feel. If there are outward signs, the more common ones include a lump, an area of thickening, or a dimple in the breast. Less common signs include breast swelling and redness or an enlarged underarm lymph node.

But even if you have one or more of these signs, it still doesn't mean you have breast cancer. Remember that most breast lumps turn out to be benign (not cancerous).

So knowing the signs and symptoms of breast cancer may help save your life. When the disease is discovered early, you have more treatment options and a better chance for a cure.

Most breast lumps aren't cancerous. Yet the most common sign of breast cancer for both men and women is a lump or thickening in the breast. Often, the lump is painless. Other potential signs of breast cancer include:

• Any flattening or indentation of the skin over your breast
• Retraction or indentation of your nipple
• A change in the size or contours of your breast
• Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange
• A spontaneous clear or bloody discharge from your nipple, often associated with a breast lump

A number of conditions other than breast cancer can cause your breasts to change in size or feel. Breast tissue changes naturally during pregnancy and your menstrual cycle. Other possible causes of noncancerous breast changes include fibrocystic changes, cysts, fibroadenomas, infection or injury.

If you find a lump or other change in your breast — even if a recent mammogram was normal — see your doctor for evaluation. You may want to wait through one menstrual cycle before seeing your doctor. If the change hasn't gone away after a month, have it evaluated .

Source : breastcancer.org , mayoclinic.com