Breast Cancer
What are the symptoms?
When breast cancer starts out, it is too small to feel and does not cause signs and symptoms. As it grows, however, breast cancer can cause changes in how the breast looks or feels. Symptoms may include:
● A new lump in the breast
● A lump that has changed
● A change in the size or shape of the breast
● Pain in the breast or nipple that does not go away
● Flaky, red, or swollen skin anywhere on the breast
● A nipple that is very tender or that turns inward
● Blood or any other type of fluid coming from the nipple that is not milk when nursing a baby
These symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to get checked.
What is Breast Cancer?
According to a report produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the breast, it is called breast cancer. The breast is made up of three main parts: glands, ducts, and connective tissue. Sometimes, breast cells become abnormal and grow faster than normal cells. These extra cells form a mass called a tumor. Some tumors are “benign,” or not cancerous. Other tumors are “malignant,” meaning they are cancerous and have the ability to spread to other parts of the breast and body and disrupt normal functions in those areas.
All women are at risk for breast cancer. Men can also get breast cancer, but this is rare. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women. Among Hispanic women, it is the most common cause of cancer deaths, and it is the second most common cause of cancer deaths among white, black, Asian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native women. Although more white women get breast cancer, more black women die from it. Each year, approximately 190,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,000 women die from the disease.
View the full report here.
Breast Cancer Facts
40%
Mammography has helped reduce breast cancer mortality in the U.S. by nearly 40% since 1990.
1 in 69
The ten-year risk for breast cancer in a 40 year old woman is 1 in 69.
1 in 6
1 in 6 breast cancers occur in women aged 40-49.
3/4
3/4 of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease and are not considered high risk.
30%
Even for women 50+, skipping a mammogram every other year would miss up to 30% of cancers.