Breast Cancer
The breasts are glands that can make milk. Each breast sits on chest muscles that cover the ribs. Breast cancer begins in cells in the breasts when new cells form when the body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.
Not all tumors are cancer. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors are not cancer, and are rarely life-threatening. Malignant tumors are cancer, and malignant tumors generally are more serious than benign tumors. They may be life-threatening. Malignant breast cancer tumors often can be removed, but they can grow back. No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer. Doctors can seldom explain why one woman gets breast cancer and another does not. Doctors do know that bumping, bruising, or touching the breast does not cause breast cancer. And breast cancer is not contagious. No one can "catch" this disease from another person.
Breast cancer can cause changes that women should watch for including a change in how the breast or nipple feels, a lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area, or a change in the size or shape of the breast. If a woman has a breast change, her doctor must determine whether it is due to breast cancer or some other cause.
Women with breast cancer have many treatment options. These include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and biological therapy. Many women receive more than one type of treatment for breast cancer. In addition, at any stage of disease, women with breast cancer may have treatment to control pain and other symptoms of the cancer, to relieve the side effects of treatment, and to ease emotional problems. As always, the diagnosis and advice of a doctor are recommended for anyone concerned about breast cancer
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