More than 90 percent of people diagnosed with breast cancer are over age 40. Breast cancer in children and teens is extremely rare, but it does sometimes occur. Young girls and teens should learn to do breast self-exams; they will learn what feels normal, so they will be better able to detect any later lumps or other changes that may indicate cancer.
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See All 2 AnswersBreast cancer can be detected early, before there are any symptoms and before a lump can be felt in the breast. The screening test for breast cancer is a special x-ray called a mammogram. Currently, screening mammograms are recommended for women ages 50 to 74, usually every year or two. If you or your doctor has a concern about breast cancer, a mammogram may be done sooner or more frequently. -
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Donna Hill Howes, RN , Family Medicine, answeredSee All 4 AnswersResearchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, are not aware of any conclusive evidence linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates food, cosmetics, medicines, and medical devices, also does not have any evidence or research data that ingredients in underarm antiperspirants or deodorants cause cancer. -
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There are a few illness-related risk factors that can raise your chance of developing breast cancer. If you are overweight or obese, take hormone therapy to fight menopause symptoms, or have had previous radiation treatments of the chest, your risk of breast cancer goes up. However, in most cases, women who get breast cancer have none of these risk factors.
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Dr. Devon J. Webster, MD , Oncology, answeredSee All 3 AnswersAll breast cancer needs to be treated. Some types of breast cancer are more serious than others. DCIS is the least serious type of breast cancer and is completely cured by surgery (and possibly radiation). Bigger tumors are more serious than smaller ones, cancer that has invaded the lymph nodes is more serious than cancer that has not, and breast cancer that does not have the estrogen receptor (ER negative) is more serious than breast cancer with the estrogen receptor (ER positive.) The good news is that 4 out of 5 breast cancers are completely cured! -
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Dr. Vincent T DeVita Jr , Oncology, answeredSee All 2 AnswersAlthough many risk factors may increase your chance of developing breast cancer, it is not yet known exactly how some of these risk factors cause cells to become cancerous. Hormones seem to play a role in many cases of breast cancer, but just how this happens is not fully understood.
Certain changes in DNA can cause normal breast cells to become cancerous. DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes -- the instructions for how our cells function.
Some genes contain instructions for controlling when our cells grow, divide, and die. Certain genes that speed up cell division are called oncogenes. Others that slow down cell division, or cause cells to die at the right time, are called tumor suppressor genes. Cancers can be caused by DNA mutations (changes) that "turn on" oncogenes or "turn off" tumor suppressor genes.
Inherited gene mutations
Certain inherited DNA changes can increase the risk for developing cancer and are responsible for the cancers that run in some families. For example, the BRCA genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are tumor suppressor genes. Mutations in these genes can be inherited from parents. When they are mutated, they no longer suppress abnormal growth, and cancer is more likely to develop.
Acquired gene mutations
Most DNA mutations related to breast cancer, however, occur in single breast cells during a woman's life rather than having been inherited. These acquired mutations of oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes may result from other factors, such as radiation or cancer-causing chemicals. But so far, the causes of most acquired mutations that could lead to breast cancer remain unknown. Most breast cancers have several gene mutations that are acquired. -
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Like any other surgery, complications such as bleeding or infection can occur. Preventive mastectomy is irreversible and can have psychological effects on a woman due to a change in body image and loss of normal breast functions. A woman should discuss her feelings about mastectomy, as well as alternatives to surgery, with her health care providers. Some women obtain a second medical opinion to help with the decision.
This answer is based on source information from the National Cancer Institute
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Atypical Hyperplasia is a condition in which abnormal breast cells are found in either the breast lobules (atypical lobular hyperplasia) or the breast ducts (atypical ductal hyperplasia). Atypical hyperplasia is not cancer. But having it increases breast cancer risk.
This answer is based on source information from Office of Women's Health.
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Dr. Stuart A. Linder, MD , Plastic Surgery, answeredSee All 2 AnswersBenign breast disease is found in many women and has no cancerous changes. Benign breast tissue can include cysts or benign lumps or masses. Most common benign tissue include fibrocysts or fibroadenomas. These have no risk of malignancy and do not transform from benign to cancerous. However, any woman with a new mass, even with a history of benign masses in her breasts, should have this mass diagnosed by ultrasound, mammogram, and if necessary, biopsy. Remember, approximately one out of seven to eight women will develop breast cancer in her life. -
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See All 7 AnswersBreast cancer is cancer that forms in cells of the breast. The breast consists of lobules (glands that make breast milk), ducts (small tubes that carry milk from the lobules to the nipple), fatty and connective tissue, blood vessels and lymph vessels.
The milk-producing ducts and glands are the two most likely areas to develop cancerous cells. In rarer cases, breast cancer begins in fatty tissues, also known as stromal tissues. Breast cancer may also occur in surrounding lymph nodes, especially those of the underarm.