October is designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. RnB Magazine is dedicating this week for Breast Cancer Awareness Week. Everyday we will have a story related to Breast Cancer Awareness. So what Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast divide and grow without their normal control. Tumors in the breast tend to grow slowly. By the time a lump is large enough to feel, it may have been growing for as long as 10 years. Some tumors, however, are aggressive and grow much faster.
Breast cancer does not only affect women, men can be diagnosed with it also.
Though boys and girls begin life with similar breast tissue, over time, men do not have the same complex breast growth and development as women. At puberty, high testosterone and low estrogen levels stop breast development in males. Some milk ducts exist, but they remain undeveloped, and lobules are most often absent. However, breast problems, including cancer, can occur in men.
Invasive breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells from inside the ducts or lobules break out into nearby breast tissue. Cancer cells can travel from the breast to other parts of the body through the blood stream or the lymphatic system. They may travel early in the process when the tumor is small or later when the tumor is large.
The lymph nodes in the armpit (the axillary lymph nodes) are the first place breast cancer is likely to spread. In advanced stages, the cancer cells may spread to other parts of the body like the liver, lungs, bones and brain (a process called metastasis).
When abnormal cells grow inside the ducts, but have not spread to nearby tissue or beyond, the condition is called ductal carcinoa in situ ductal (DCIS). The term “in situ” means “in place.” With DCIS, the abnormal cells are still “in place” inside the ducts. DCIS is a non-invasive breast cancer (you may also hear the term “pre-invasive breast carcinoma”).
Although the abnormal cells have not spread to tissues outside the ducts, they can develop into invasive breast cancer. Learn more about DCIS and the risk of invasive breast cancer.
Now that you have some background information on what Breast Cancer is, make sure you read my tomorrow on the warning signs of Breast Cancer.
