Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. In fact, it’s the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the country among women. While there’s not a definitive and 100% reliable therapy for cancer, early detection and treatment can significantly increase your chances of survival. That’s why screening is essential.
In order to stay on top of your breast cancer screening, it’s essential to understand what it is you’re screening for, what you should expect, and how to perform self-exams. In this blog post, we’ll examine everything you need to know about breast cancer.
Breast cancer can be divided into two main categories: ductal carcinoma, which starts in the cells that line the milk ducts, and lobular carcinoma, which begins in the cells that line the lobules that produce milk. In addition, there are other types of breast cancer, such as inflammatory breast cancer and Paget’s disease of the nipple.
Causes and risk factors of breast cancer
The exact cause of breast cancer is unknown, but certain factors can increase the risk, such as:
- Being female, because males can also have breast cancer but have a lower risk
- Getting older, because as we increase our age, the risk of cancer increases
- Having a family history of breast cancer because there’s a possibility that cancer arises in your family due to genes passed down from parents to children
- Having specific gene mutations, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, the most common genes associated with breast cancer
- Having had radiation treatments to the chest repeatedly to treat another condition
- Other risk factors, such as drinking alcohol and being overweight or obese.
⇒ Now, let’s discuss signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
