Breast cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the breast(s).Breast cancer forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that produce milk). Worldwide, breast cancer accounts for 22.9% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) in women. It is widely known that breast cancer generally affects women but a lesser known fact is that it can occur in both men and women.
There are two main types of breast cancer:
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Ductal carcinoma is the most common form of breast cancer. In this case, tumours form in the cells of the ducts. Ductal carcinoma can be invasive with the potential to spread. This form of breast cancer accounts for about one in five new cases.
Lobular carcinoma occurs in the lobules. Lobular breast cancer can be non-invasive or invasive with potential to spread. About one in 10 breast cancer cases are invasive lobular cancer.
Three less common types of breast cancer are inflammatory breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, and recurrent breast cancer.
Some symptoms to watch out for
Breast cancer may cause any of the following signs and symptoms. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following problems:
- A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area.
- A change in the size or shape of the breast.
- A dimple or puckering in the skin of the breast.
- A nipple turned inward into the breast.
- Fluid, other than breast milk, from the nipple, especially if it’s bloody.
- Scaly, red, or swollen skin on the breast, nipple, or areola (the dark area of skin that is around the nipple).
- Dimples in the breast, which look like the skin of an orange.
Other conditions that are not breast cancer may cause these same symptoms.
There are steps every person can take to help the body stay as healthy as possible, such as,
- Maintaining a healthy weight- Overweight and obese women have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight, especially after menopause.
- Maintaining a balanced diet
- not smoking
- limiting alcohol
- exercising regularly
- in case of women, breastfeeding can lower breast cancer risk, especially if a woman breastfeeds for longer than 1 year
While these may have some impact on your risk of getting breast cancer, they cannot eliminate the risk.
Plausible reasons for the occurrence of breast cancer
- Breast cancer is always caused by a genetic abnormality. However, only 5-10% of cancers are due to an inherited abnormality & 85-90% of breast cancers are due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and the “wear and tear” of life in general.
- Women who don’t have a full-term pregnancy or have their first child after age 30 have a higher risk of breast cancer compared to women who gave birth before age 30.
- Radiation to the chest to or to the face increases the risk of developing breast cancer later in life.
