The Major Cause of Breast Cancer Almost Everyone Ignores

Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the cells of the breast.

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it is much more common in women.

Significant support for breast cancer awareness and funding for research has helped advance the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Survival rates for breast cancer have increased, and the number of deaths associated with this disease continues to decline, largely due to factors such as earlier detection, a new personalized approach to treatment, and a better understanding of the illness.

Types

1. Angiosarcoma
2. Recurrent Breast Cancer
3. Inflammatory Breast Cancer
4. Male Breast Cancer
5. Localized Ductal Carcinoma
6. Lobular Carcinoma in Situ
7. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
8. Paget’s Disease of the Breast

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include the following:

• A lump or thickening in the breast that feels different from the surrounding tissue.
• Change in size, shape, or appearance of a breast.
• Changes in the skin over the breast, such as dimpling.
• Recent nipple inversion
• Flaking, skin sloughing, crusting, and peeling of the pigmented area of ​​skin around the nipple (areola) or the skin of the breast
• Redness or small holes in the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange.

When To See a Doctor

If you find a lump or other change in your breasts, even if you had normal results on a recent mammogram, make an appointment with your doctor for immediate evaluation.

Causes

Doctors know that breast cancer occurs when some cells in the breast start to grow abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or tumor. The cells can spread (metastasize) through the breast to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body.

Most often, breast cancer begins with cells in the ducts to produce milk (invasive ductal carcinoma). Breast cancer may also begin in glandular tissue known as lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or in other cells or tissue within the breast.

Researchers have identified hormonal, lifestyle, and environmental factors that can increase your risk of breast cancer. But it’s not clear why some people who don’t have risk factors develop cancer, but others who do have risk factors don’t. Breast cancer is likely caused by a complex interaction of your genetic makeup and your environment.

Hereditary Breast Cancer

Doctors estimate that 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are related to gene mutations passed down through generations in a family.

Several inherited mutated genes have been identified that can increase the chance of breast cancer. The best known are breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which significantly increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

If you have a strong family history of breast cancer or other types of cancer, your doctor may recommend a blood test to help identify specific mutations in BRCA or other genes that are being passed down in your family.

Consider asking your doctor to refer you to a genetic counselor, who can assess your family health history. A genetic counselor can also discuss the benefits, risks, and limitations of genetic testing to help you with shared decision-making.

Risk factor’s

A risk factor for breast cancer is anything that makes it more likely to get breast cancer. But having a risk factor for breast cancer, or even several doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to get it. Many women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors except being female.

Factors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include:

• To be a woman. Women are much more likely than men to get breast cancer.

• Advanced age. The risk of breast cancer increases with age.

• Personal history of breast diseases. If you have had a breast biopsy that detected localized lobular carcinoma or atypical hyperplasia of the breast, you have an increased risk for breast cancer.

• Personal history of breast cancer. If you’ve had cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of developing cancer in the other.

• Family history of breast diseases. If your mother, sister, or daughter has been diagnosed with breast cancer, especially if it was when they were very young, your risk increases But, for the most part, people diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease .

• Inherited genes that increase the risk of breast cancer. Certain mutations in genes that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children. The best known gene mutations are BRCA1 and BRCA2. These genes can greatly increase your risk of breast and other cancers, but they don’t make the disease inevitable.

• Exposure to radiation. If you had radiation treatments to your chest during childhood or when you were very young, your risk of breast cancer increases.

• Obesity. Obesity increases your risk of breast cancer.

• Start menstruating at a young age. Starting your period before the age of 12 increases your risk of breast cancer.

• Starting menopause at a later age. Beginning menopause at a later age increases the risk of breast cancer.

• Having the first child at a later age. Women who have their first child after age 30 may have an increased risk of breast cancer.

• Women who have never been pregnant. Women who have never been pregnant have a higher risk of breast cancer than those 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 is reduced when you stop taking these drugs.

• Drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases your risk of breast cancer.

Prevention

Breast cancer risk reduction for women at average risk

Making changes in your daily life can help you reduce your risk of breast cancer. Try the following:

• Talk to your doctor about screening for breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about when to start breast cancer screening and tests, such as clinical breast exams and mammograms.Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of screening tests. Together you can decide which breast cancer screening strategies are best for you.

• Get familiar with your breasts during a self-exam for breast awareness. Women may wish to become familiar with their breasts by occasionally inspecting their breasts during a self-examination to gain breast awareness. If there is a change that is new, there are lumps or other unusual signs in your breasts, talk to your doctor right away.Breast awareness can’t prevent breast cancer, but it can help you better understand the normal changes your breasts go through and identify any unusual signs and symptoms.

• If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Limit the amount of alcohol you consume to one drink per day, if you choose to drink.

• Exercise most days of the week. Aim to get 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. If you haven’t exercised lately, ask your doctor if it’s okay to start, and start slowly.

• Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy. Combination hormone therapy may increase the risk of breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of hormone therapy.Some women experience bothersome signs and symptoms during menopause, and for these women, it may be acceptable to assume the increased risk of breast cancer in order to relieve menopausal signs and symptoms.To reduce your risk of breast cancer, use the lowest possible dose of hormone therapy for the shortest possible time.

• Maintain a healthy weight. If your weight is healthy, try to maintain it. If you need to lose weight, ask your doctor about healthy strategies to achieve it. Reduce the number of calories you consume each day and slowly increase the amount of physical activity.

• Opt for a healthy diet. Women who follow a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil and mixed nuts may have a reduced risk of breast cancer. The Mediterranean diet is focused on plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. People who follow the Mediterranean diet choose healthy fats, such as olive oil, instead of butter, and fish instead of red meat.

Reduced risk of breast cancer in high-risk women

If your doctor has reviewed your family history and determined that you have other factors, such as precancerous breast disease, that increase your risk of breast cancer, you can discuss options to reduce your risk, including:

• Preventive medications (chemoprophylaxis). Estrogen-inhibiting drugs, such as selective estrogen receptor modulators and aromatase inhibitors, reduce the risk of breast cancer in women who are at high risk for the disease.These drugs carry a risk of side effects, so doctors reserve them for women at very high risk of breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks.

• preventive surgery. Women at very high risk of breast cancer may choose to have their healthy breasts surgically removed (prophylactic mastectomy). Also, by removing your healthy ovaries (prophylactic oophorectomy) to reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.