Topic: Explaining About Breast Cancer – Facts About Breast Cancer – New cases: An estimated 178,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2007. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. After continuously increas-ing for more than two decades, female breast cancer incidence rates leveled off from 2001-2003. About 2,030 new cases of breast cancer are expected in men in 2007.
In addition to invasive breast cancer, 62,030 new cases of in situ breast cancer are expected to occur among women in 2007. Of these, approximately 85% will be ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Similar to trends in invasive female breast cancer, in situ breast cancer incidence rates have stabilized since the late 1990s, which may reflect the recent plateau in mammagraphy utilization.
Deaths: An estimated 40,910 breast cancer deaths (40,460 women, 450 men) are expected in 2007. Breast cancer ranks second among cancer deaths in women (after lung cancer). Death rates from breast cancer have steadily decreased in women since 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50 (a decrease of 3.3% per year) than in those 50 years and older (2.0% per year). These decreases are due to a combination of earlier detection and improved treatment.
Signs and symptoms: The earliest sign of breast cancer is usually an abnormality detected on a mammogram before it can be felt by the woman or a health care professional. Larger tumors may become evident as a painless mass. Less common symptoms include persistent changes to the breast, such as thickening, swelling, distortion, tenderness, skin irritation, scaliness, or nipple abnormalities such as ulceration, retraction, or spontaneous discharge. Typically, breast pain results from benign conditions and is not an early symptom of breast cancer.
Risk factors: Aside from being female, age is the most important factor affecting breast cancer risk. Risk is also increased by inherited genetic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, a personal or family history of breast cancer, high breast tissue density (a mammographic measure of the amount of glandular tissue relative to fatty tissue in the breast), biopsy-confirmed hyperplasia (especially atypical hyperplasia), and high-dose radiation to the chest as a result of medical procedures.
Reproductive factors that increase risk include a long menstrual history (menstrual periods that start early and/or end late in life), never having children, recent use of oral contraceptives, and having one’s first child after age 30. Some potentially modifiable factors that increase risk include being overweight or obese after menopause, use of postmenopausal hormone therapy (especially combined estrogen and progestin therapy), physical inactivity, and consumption of one or more alcoholic beverages per day. Many studies have shown that being overweight also adversely affects survival for post-menopausal women with breast cancer.
Breastfeeding, moderate or vigorous physical activity, and maintaining a healthy body weight are all associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. A medication called tamoxifen decreases breast cancer risk in women at increased risk. A recent study confirmed that another medication, raloxifene, is as effective as tamoxifen in reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer in post-menopuasal women and may have fewer side effects.
However, raloxifene is not yet recommended for the prevention of breast cancer. Cancer-causing mutations in the inherited susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for approximately 5%-10% of all breast cancer cases. Widespread testing for these mutations is not recommended because they are present in far less than 1% of the general population. However, women with a strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer should be offered counseling to determine if genetic testing is appropriate.
Recent studies suggest that prophylactic removal of the breasts and/or ovaries in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers decreases the risk of breast cancer considerably, although not all women who choose this surgery would have developed these cancers. Women who consider these options should undergo counseling before reaching a decision.
Read also: Breast Cancer – Facts About Breast Cancer Part 2 | Topic: Early Detection, Treatment and Survival of Breast Cancer.
Legal Department of the American Cancer Society.
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