Essay on Breast Cancer

“Cancer” is the name for a group of diseases that start in the body at the cellular level. Even though there are many different kinds of cancer, they all begin with abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These abnormal cells lump together to form a mass of tissue or “malignant tumor”. Malignant means that it can spread to other parts of the body or Metastasize . If the breast is the original location of the cancer growth or malignant tumor, the tumor is called breast cancer. (American Cancer Society, 2014, as cited in cbcf.org)

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world (Breast). Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed: one in eight women will have breast cancer (Walgreens, 2011; Chen, 2010). “I have to admit, like so many women, I always knew there was a chance. But like so many women, I never thought it would be me. I never thought I'd hear those devastating words: 'You have breast cancer.' “- Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a democratic representative of Florida (2011).

24) Prior to the onset of lactation, the mammary glands are prepared for the production of milk by

Over the past decade breast cancer has become one of the most predominant diseases in the United States. Breast cancer starts out as a malignant tumor in the tissues of the breast which is formed from the uncontrolled growth of abnormal breast cells. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but it can also appear in men. (Stephan, 2010)

It is estimated that 40,030 deaths from breast cancer (39,620 women, 410 men) are will occur in 2013. Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Breast cancer death rates have been decreasing steadily since 1989, rates decreased by 3.0% per year in women younger than 50 and by 2.0% per year in women 50 and older between 2005 and 2009. This decline is attributed to prevention, early detection, improved healthcare services and reduced use of MHT.

Externally, each breast has a nipple that is made of erectile muscle tissue. These muscle tissue raises the nipples in response to stimulation or breastfeeding. Surrounding the nipples are the areola and areolar glands. These glands are small pumps with oil (sebaceous) glands that provide lubrication during breast feeding. Sometimes there will be hair growing on edge of the areola. This is normal especially in women on birth control pills.

Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there a number of risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include+++++++etc.

Breast cancer is a form of cancer in the cells of breasts that is caused from a genetic spread of cancerous cells. It can be treated but can also be a deadly situation. Men can have breast cancer, but it appears in more women than men. About one and eight women in the US will develop breast cancer in their lifetime(The Art Healing 23). About 231,840 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. Breast cancer is more than a physical illness; it can lead to a serious decline in the quality of life.

This paper will inform you of Breast Cancer. It is the most common form of cancer in women today but thanks to medical advances it is no longer the number one killer of women.

A female breast consists of fatty and fibrous connective tissues. The interior of the breast is divided into about twenty different sections called lobes. Each of the lobes is further divided in to lobules, which are structures that contain small milk-producing glands. These glands place the milk into tiny ducts. These ducts take the milk through out the breast and store in a chamber located below the nipple.

The mammary glands are the organs of milk production. Mammary glands are located within the breasts. These glands are derived from a modification of sweat glands. The breasts of both males and females have a raised nipple surrounded by a circular, pigmented areola. The areolae have a slightly bumpy surface caused by the presence of rudimentary mammary glands, called areolar glands, just below the surface. Each adult female mammary gland usually consists of 15 to 20 glandular lobes covered by a considerable amount of adipose tissue. The adipose tissue that gives the breast its form. The lobes of each mammary gland form a conical mass and the nipple located at the apex.

According to the American Cancer Society, Each year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer; furthermore Twelve percent of all women will contract the disease, and 3.5% of them will die from breast cancer (American Cancer Society, 2005). There are risk factors that may lead to breast cancer. There are 4 stages of breast cancer and several treatments, although treatments vary from types and stages of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women who are 40 to 55 years old (Breast Cancer, 2009).Cancer occurs when cells divide uncontrollably. It changes from a normal cell to cancerous cells that require gene alterations. Therefore the altered genes and the uncontrolled growth may lead to tumors.

Breast cancer accounts for one third of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States (Cauley, et al., 2007). The first sign in the process of this disease is a lump that forms around the breasts. For this reason, it is necessary to get the yearly mammograms once a woman reaches a certain age. Also, monthly self-examinations can aid in finding breast cancer early. If this condition is found early enough, chances of survival are abundant. Most women who get breast cancer are older than 50 with 86% of the deaths occurring in this age group (Cauley, et al., 2007). Postmenopausal women have a higher risk for breast cancer, because the risk increases when levels of endogenous estradiol rise (Cauley, et al., 2007). Breast cancer is the most common cancer that occurs in women. This epidemic has a higher incidence rate among white women than in African American women, but African American women have a higher mortality rate (Breast Cancer Risk Factors, 2010). White women are more apt to develop this disease than any other ethnicity. However, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African American women (Breast Cancer Risk Factors, 2010).

As a human infant undergoes development after birth, the breast undergoes involution post influences of maternal hormones. During puberty, stromal elements undergo growth and ramification of ductal tree and lobe formation enlarges the breast167. Based on menstrual cycle, the female breast undergoes cyclical changes during

Development of the mammary gland starts during embryogenesis but takes several years to complete; indeed, they are still primitive structures that are not yet connected to the nipple, therefore are not functional at birth (Anderson and Clarke). Until puberty, breasts grow extremely slow in size. However, at puberty, they undergo their first spurt of allometric growth and formation of the milk-producing lobules. The lobules extend into the mammary fat pad, and glands become more complex. During each menstrual cycle, ovarian hormones induce mammary development and new budding of structures up until the age of