Breast Cancer

Causes and Risk Factor of Breast Cancer

• Age and gender -- Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older. Most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50
  
• Family history of breast cancer -- You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast, uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer
  
• Genes -- Some people have genes that make them more likely to develop breast cancer. The most common gene defects are found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes normally produce proteins that protect you from cancer. If a parent passes you a defective gene, you have an increased risk for breast cancer
  
• Menstrual cycle -- Women who got their periods early (before age 12) or went through menopause late (after age 55) have an increased risk for breast cancer.

Other risk factors include:

• Alcohol use
• Childbirth - Women who have never had children or who had them only after age 30 have an increased risk for breast cancer. Being pregnant more than once or becoming pregnant at an early age reduces your risk of breast cancer
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) -- You have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have received hormone replacement therapy with estrogen for several years or more
• Radiation -- If you received radiation therapy as a child or young adult to treat cancer of the chest area, you have a much higher risk for developing breast cancer. The younger you started such radiation and the higher the dose, the higher your risk

Symptoms

Early breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms. This is why regular breast exams are important. As the cancer grows, symptoms may include:

• Breast lump or lump in the armpit that is hard, has uneven edges, and usually does not hurt
• Change in the size, shape, or feel of the breast or nipple -- for example, you may have redness, dimpling, or puckering that looks like the skin of an orange
• Fluid coming from the nipple -- may be bloody, clear to yellow, green, and look like pus

Men can get breast cancer, too. Symptoms include breast lump and breast pain and tenderness.
Symptoms of advanced breast cancer may include:

• Bone pain
• Breast pain or discomfort
• Skin ulcers
• Swelling of one arm (next to the breast with cancer)
• Weight loss

Signs and Tests

The doctor will ask you about your symptoms and risk factors. Then the doctor will perform a physical exam, which includes both breasts, armpits, and the neck and chest area.
Tests used to diagnose and monitor patients with breast cancer may include:

• Breast MRI to help better identify the breast lump or evaluate an abnormal change on a mammogram
• Breast ultrasound to show whether the lump is solid or fluid-filled
• Breast biopsy, using methods such as needle aspiration, ultrasound-guided, stereotactic, or open
• CT scan to see if the cancer has spread
• Mammography to screen for breast cancer or help identify the breast lump
• PET scan
• Sentinal lymph node biopsy to see if the cancer has spread

Treatment

• Chemotherapy medicines to kill cancer cells
• Radiation therapy to destroy cancerous tissue
• Surgery to remove cancerous tissue -- a lumpectomy removes the breast lump; mastectomy removes all or part of the breast and possible nearby structures

Prevention

• Choose foods and portion sizes that promote a healthy weight
• Choose whole grains instead of refined grain products
• Eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day
• Limit processed and red meat in the diet
• Limit alcohol consumption to one drink per day