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Breast cancer is cancer that begins in the breast. It is one of the most common types of cancer in American women. Doctors do not yet know what causes breast cancer. Once breast cancer occurs, cancer cells can spread to other parts of your body, making it life-threatening. The good news is that breast cancer is often found early before it has spread, and more treatment options exist than ever before. That means there's more hope of beating breast cancer.
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Breast cancer often causes no symptoms in its early stages. Women with early breast cancer usually do not feel pain or experience any symptoms at all. Screening tests are better able to detect the disease at this time. As the cancer grows, however, it can cause the following changes.
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Some people use statistics to try to figure out their chances of getting cancer or being cured of it. However, statistics only show what happens to large groups of people. Because no two people are alike, you cannot use them to predict what might happen to you.
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The breast is divided into about 20 sections called lobes. Each lobe has groups of tiny bulbs called lobules. These lobules produce milk. Thin tubes called ducts start from the lobes and, forming a pattern like the branches of a tree, carry the milk to the nipple, which is in the center of the areola. The areola is the dark area of skin around the nipple. Fat surrounds the lobules and ducts. Although no muscles are found in the breast, muscles are located over the ribs under each breast.
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