Vitality News Health Articles

Any cancer starting in the breast tissues is known as breast cancer. But breast cancer is subdivided further by category according to exactly where in the breast it started, and the course it took. Each kind has a unique set of risks and chances of survival. Thus, it’s inaccurate to equate breast cancer with any specific survival risk without knowing much more about it. Answering the question, “what is breast cancer?” demands deeper understanding of complicated risk factors in its development.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about one of every eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. While breast cancer is not as common as many other dangerous diseases like heart disease, it is actually more feared. There are a variety of complex factors that determine a person’s level of risk of developing breast cancer, and the interplay of these different potential factors in the development of breast cancer is not understood very well.

Risk factors for breast cancer are much like those for other diseases with genetic components. Such factors include age, family history, individual variations in genetics, and prior personal history of the disease. Lesser factors are environmental exposure to particular chemicals or radiation, history of childbearing, and obesity. Numerous other factors play a part in the development of breast cancer and breast cancer symptoms. But 70% of the women diagnosed with this disease do not have any clear risk factors.

A great deal of research is underway to try to discover more of the causes of breast cancer. In addition, new risk factors that make breast cancer more likely are frequently discovered and disseminated to medical professionals and to the broader public. Several major institutions make risk profiles available that allow people to determine their individual risks of contracting breast cancer. Other sites list breast cancer symptoms, ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer, and other breast cancer information that can be used.

Most people are aware that a lump can be one of the most common breast cancer symptoms. In a majority of cases, lumps are portions of benign, non-cancerous breast tissue. Benign and malignant lumps alike are often called tumors. It is important to know that not all tumors are life-threatening, so hearing the word tumor is not necessarily a diagnosis of cancer.

Nevertheless, the risk that a recently discovered breast lump is actually breast cancer is very real. The consequences of breast cancer spreading with time are very serious. Therefore, any abnormal lump detected in the breast should be immediately reported to a physician.

Answering the question, “What is breast caancer?” requires a deeper understanding of the complicated risk factors involved in its development. An international research team has identified several breast cancer symptoms novel genetic variations associated with the risk of disease. One of the identified genes establishes a role for autopsy, a previously unsuspected biological pathway, in disease pathology. Women can use tools provided online, and at major institutions for breast cancer research, to work up individual risk profiles. The websites also offer information about risk reduction, symptoms to look out for, and many other pieces of important breast cancer information.

- Kimberly Shannon