1,600 people will die every day this year because of cancer. One in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. It is also true that most women won’t recognize their symptoms until the cancer has grown into a life-threatening tumor. Understanding and recognizing those symptoms can literally be the difference between life and death.
Cancer is the second highest cause of death in the US. Nearly everyone has lost a love one to it. And yet to many, it is as mysterious as it is deadly. What is breast cancer really? How do you recognize it? Can it be prevented? Is there any cure? I’m going to answer these, as well as many other questions like these, in this research paper. So what is breast cancer? First of all, let’s …show more content…
A benign tumor is the “safer” kind of tumor because it doesn’t spread and is easily treatable, sometimes going away on its own. A malignant tumor metastasizes meaning it will spread to other parts of the body if not completely eradicated. Breast cancer is an active, malignant tumor that starts in the breast. It can develop in both men and women, but men are roughly 100 times less likely to develop cancer in the breast according to a 2014 study by the American Cancer Society. The cancer most commonly forms in the area surrounding the lobules and duct tissue, which is the part of the breast where breast milk is made and transferred to the nipple. Men have very few lobules, sometimes none at all, which would explain why their chance of developing breast cancer is much lower. To understand better these areas of the breast and the comparison between men and women’s breasts, see figure 1 …show more content…
Scarier still, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 8 US women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime making it the most common form of cancer in women and no one even knows why it forms! Although the “why” of breast cancer formation is a mystery, much has been learned about the “how”. Breast cancer will follow a set pattern of growth through five distinct stages. I’ll give a brief overview of these stages but be aware that there are “sub-levels” to each of these stages that I will not go over. Stage 0, most commonly known as Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), is a “non-invasive” stage where signs of cancer have been detected, but they haven’t started to spread throughout the breast or other parts of the body. Regular examinations are a must in order to discover the cancer in this stage because it is unlikely there will be any symptoms. Treatments in this stage can include surgery, radiation therapy, endocrine therapy, biological therapy, or even multiple treatment options can be used together. Frequent mammograms (about once a year) can help detect cancer in this
Cancer is the second highest cause of death in the US. Nearly everyone has lost a love one to it. And yet to many, it is as mysterious as it is deadly. What is breast cancer really? How do you recognize it? Can it be prevented? Is there any cure? I’m going to answer these, as well as many other questions like these, in this research paper. So what is breast cancer? First of all, let’s …show more content…
A benign tumor is the “safer” kind of tumor because it doesn’t spread and is easily treatable, sometimes going away on its own. A malignant tumor metastasizes meaning it will spread to other parts of the body if not completely eradicated. Breast cancer is an active, malignant tumor that starts in the breast. It can develop in both men and women, but men are roughly 100 times less likely to develop cancer in the breast according to a 2014 study by the American Cancer Society. The cancer most commonly forms in the area surrounding the lobules and duct tissue, which is the part of the breast where breast milk is made and transferred to the nipple. Men have very few lobules, sometimes none at all, which would explain why their chance of developing breast cancer is much lower. To understand better these areas of the breast and the comparison between men and women’s breasts, see figure 1 …show more content…
Scarier still, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 8 US women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime making it the most common form of cancer in women and no one even knows why it forms! Although the “why” of breast cancer formation is a mystery, much has been learned about the “how”. Breast cancer will follow a set pattern of growth through five distinct stages. I’ll give a brief overview of these stages but be aware that there are “sub-levels” to each of these stages that I will not go over. Stage 0, most commonly known as Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), is a “non-invasive” stage where signs of cancer have been detected, but they haven’t started to spread throughout the breast or other parts of the body. Regular examinations are a must in order to discover the cancer in this stage because it is unlikely there will be any symptoms. Treatments in this stage can include surgery, radiation therapy, endocrine therapy, biological therapy, or even multiple treatment options can be used together. Frequent mammograms (about once a year) can help detect cancer in this