Breast cancer - Symptoms and causes
Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the cells of the breast.
After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it is much more common in women.
Substantial support for breast cancer awareness and research funding has helped create advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer survival rates have increased, and the number of deaths associated with this disease is steadily declining, largely due to factors such as earlier detection, a new personalized approach to treatment, and a better understanding of the disease.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of breast cancer can include:
- A lump or thickening of the breast that feels different from the surrounding tissue
- Change in the size, shape, or appearance of a breast
- Changes in the skin over the breast, such as dimples
- A newly inverted nipple
Peeling, scaling, crusting, or peeling of the pigmented area of skin around the nipple (areola) or the skin of the breast
Redness or pitting on the skin of the breast, like the skin of an orange.
When to see a doctor
If you find a lump or other change in your breast, even if a recent mammogram was normal, make an appointment with your doctor for an immediate evaluation.
Causes
Doctors know that breast cancer occurs when some cells in the breast begin to grow abnormally. These cells divide faster than healthy cells and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass. The cells can spread (metastasize) through your breast to lymph nodes or other parts of your body.
Breast cancer most often begins with cells in the milk-producing ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma). Breast cancer can also begin in the glandular tissue called lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or in other cells or tissues within the breast.
Researchers have identified hormonal, lifestyle, and environmental factors that can increase your risk of breast cancer. But it is not clear why some people who do not have risk factors develop cancer, while other people with risk factors never do. Breast cancer is likely caused by a complex interplay of your genetic makeup and your environment.
Hereditary breast cancer
Doctors estimate that between 5 and 10 percent of breast cancers are related to genetic mutations that are passed from generation to generation.
Several inherited mutated genes have been identified that can increase the likelihood of breast cancer. The best known are breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which significantly increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
If you have a strong family history of breast cancer or other cancers, your doctor may recommend a blood test to help identify specific mutations in BRCA or other genes that are passed through your family.
Consider asking your doctor for a referral to a genetic counselor, who can review your family medical history. A genetic counselor can also discuss the benefits, risks, and limitations of genetic testing to help you make shared decisions.
Risk factor's
A risk factor for breast cancer is anything that increases your chances of having breast cancer. But having one or even more risk factors for breast cancer does not necessarily mean that you will develop breast cancer. Many women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors other than simply being women.
Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:
- To be a woman. Women are much more likely than men to develop breast cancer.
- Increasing age. Your risk of breast cancer increases with age.
- A personal history of breast conditions. If you had a breast biopsy that found lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or atypical hyperplasia of the breast, you have an increased risk of breast cancer.
- Personal history of breast cancer. If you have had breast cancer in one breast, you have a higher risk of developing cancer in the other breast.
- Family history of breast cancer. If your mother, sister, or daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, especially at a young age, your risk of breast cancer increases. Still, most people diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease.
- Inherited genes that increase the risk of cancer. Certain gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed down from parent to child. The best known genetic mutations are known as BRCA1 and BRCA2. These genes can greatly increase your risk of breast and other cancers, but they do not make cancer inevitable.
- Radiation exposure. If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young adult, your risk of breast cancer increases.
- Obesity. Obesity increases the risk of breast cancer.
- Starting your period at an earlier age. Starting your period before age 12 increases your risk of breast cancer.
- The onset of menopause at a later age. If you started menopause at a later age, you are more likely to develop breast cancer.
- Having your first child at an older age. Women who give birth to their first child after age 30 may have an increased risk of breast cancer.
- Never have been pregnant. Women who have never been pregnant have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who have had one or more pregnancies.
- Postmenopausal hormone therapy. Women who take hormone therapy drugs that combine estrogen and progesterone to treat the signs and symptoms of menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer decreases when women stop taking these drugs.
- Drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer.
- Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of screening tests. Together, you can decide which breast cancer screening strategies are right for you.
- Get acquainted with your breasts through Breast Self-Exam to Know Your Breasts. Women may choose to become familiar with their breasts by inspecting themselves occasionally during a breast self-exam for breast awareness. If there is a new change, lumps, or other unusual signs in your breasts, talk to your doctor right away.
- Breast awareness cannot prevent breast cancer, but it can help you better understand the normal changes your breasts undergo and identify any unusual signs and symptoms.
- Drink alcohol in moderation, if you do. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink to no more than one drink a day if you choose to drink.
- Exercise most days of the week. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. If you haven't been active lately, ask your doctor if you're okay and start slowly.
- Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy. Combination hormone therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of hormone therapy.
- Some women experience bothersome signs and symptoms during menopause, and for these women, an increased risk of breast cancer may be acceptable in relieving menopausal signs and symptoms.
- To reduce the risk of breast cancer, use the lowest dose of hormone therapy possible for the shortest possible time.
- Keep a healthy weight. If your weight is healthy, work to maintain that weight. If you need to lose weight, ask your doctor about healthy strategies to achieve it. Reduce the number of calories you eat each day and slowly increase the amount of exercise.
- Choose a healthy diet. Women who eat a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil and nuts may have a reduced risk of breast cancer. The Mediterranean diet focuses mainly on foods of plant origin, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. People who follow the Mediterranean diet choose healthy fats, such as olive oil, over butter, and fish instead of red meat.
Comments