Breast Cancer

Cancer that develops in the tissues of the breasts is known as breast cancer. Only in rare cases does it begin from other areas of the breasts. These are the two main types of breast cancer:

• Ductal carcinoma – Starts in the milk ducts and spreads to the nipples
• Lobular carninoma – Starts in the lobules (part that produces milk) and has an increased risk of being invasive (spreading) from one breast to the other or to another part of the same breast.

Surveys reveal that at least 1 in 8 women have a risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer if not screened on time.

Breast Cancer Symptoms
In the early stages of breast cancer, there are no symptoms. As cancer grows, you might come across some changes in your breasts such as:

• Lumps in and around the breast or in the armpit that is not painful
• Redness in the nipple or change in size and shape of the breast
• Fluid oozing from nipples in the form of blood or yellow pus

A breast examination is a must when you experience most of these symptoms. The stages of breast cancer range from 0 to IV. In its advanced stages (III and IV), there is pain in the bones, discomfort in the breasts, skin ulcers, drastic weight loss and swellings.

Causes of Breast Cancer
There is no exact cause of breast cancer. Inherited genes or family history of cancer can be a reason. The risk is also more with women suffering from ductal hyperplasia and those who got their periods early (before the age of 12). Similarly, late menopause could be another factor. Delayed pregnancy (after age of 30), number of miscarriages, increased intake of drugs and alcohol, are the factors attributed to development of breast cancer.

It has been observed that treatments like Hormone Replacement Therapy and exposure to radiation (during the age of breast development) causes breast cancer.