INTRODUCTION: Breast Cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55 years of age, the second overall cause of death among women (exceeded only by lung cancer) and is on the rise worldwide. Breast cancer is more easily treated and often curable if it is found early.

LUMPS: Most breast tumors (abnormal lumps or masses of tissue) are benign (not cancerous). Using the fingertips, a lump may be detected within the breast. If a lump in the breast is found, the doctor may need to cut out a small piece of the lump (biopsy).

There are four types of biopsies: Excisional Biopsy (The removal of an entire lump or suspicious tissue); Incisional Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue); Needle Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump, suspicious tissue, or fluid, using a thin needle); Core Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue using a wide needle).

A group of rapidly dividing cells may form a lump of extra tissue. For example, fibrocystic change is a non-cancerous condition in which a female develops cysts (accumulated packets of fluid), fibrosis (formation of scar-like connective tissue), lumpiness, areas of thickening, tenderness, or breast pain.

RISKS: Women who have an altered gene related to breast cancer and who have had cancer in one breast are at great risk of developing cancer in the other breast. These women also have a high risk of developing ovarian cancer, and may have an increased risk of developing various other cancers.

Age and history of health can affect the risk of developing breast cancer. Each woman’s risk may be higher or lower, depending upon a number of factors, including family history, genetics, age of menstruation, and other factors that have yet to be identified. Breast feeding for several months also seems to reduce the risk.

TREATMENT: Treatment for breast cancer usually depends on the type of cancer and whether it has spread outside of the breast to the rest of the body. Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and endocrine/anti-hormone therapy. Treatment for male breast cancer is usually a mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast.

CONCLUSION: Previously a malady that mostly afflicted white, affluent women in the industrial hubs of North America and Western Europe, breast cancer is now everywhere. But in China, as in most other emerging economies, it is a relatively new concern, something that both patients and doctors are only haltingly learning how to treat.

The newest age-specific data in Denmark show that the incidence of breast cancer is maximal for a woman born between 1945 and 1950, and is on the decline for women born since that time. Greater than 90 out of 100 women whose cancer is found early will be cured. The leading cause of this form of cancer is said to be the use of anti-perspirants. The good news is that it is a highly curable disease when it is found and treated early.