Understanding Breast Cancer and How to Manage Your Chances of Getting It
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a time to raise awareness about the importance of detecting breast cancer early, when it’s easier to treat. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. The statistics you’ll find throughout this article are hard to ignore, starting with these:
- About 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
- 1 in 39 women (3 percent) will die from breast cancer
- In 2020, it's estimated that about 30 percent of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers.
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women between ages 55 and 64.
- About 10 percent of breast cancers occur in women younger than 45.
Breasts are made up of a variety of different tissues, including ducts, lobes, and glands that produce milk and carry it to the nipple. Breasts also contain lymph nodes and fatty tissue. Cancer develops when the cells in the breast mutate and grow out of control. These cells create a tumor. About 80 percent of breast cancers form in the milk ducts. These are called ductal carcinomas. Other breast cancers develop in the glands of lobes that produce milk. These are lobular carcinomas.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer?