Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the breast. It can start in one or both breasts. Cancer starts when cells begin to grow out of control. Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer too. It’s important to understand that most breast lumps are benign and not cancer (malignant). Breast cancers can start from different parts of the breast. It can spread when the cancer cells get into the blood or lymph system and then are carried to other parts of the body (metastases). Not all women with cancer cells in their lymph nodes develop metastases, and some women with no cancer cells in their lymph nodes might develop metastases later.
There are many types of breast cancer. The most common breast cancers are carcinomas such as ductal carcinoma in-situ and adenocarcinoma. The level of invasiveness is determined by diagnostic testing and imaging.
Cancer Care of North Florida will take careful steps stage and grade the tumor to assess the best way to create and manage your treatment plan. Our goal is to achieve the very best outcome while preserving your quality of life.
What are the risk factors for Breast Cancer?
It may not be possible to avoid risk factors for breast cancer. The best plan is to catch it early. Lifestyle and hereditary factors include:
- Drinking alcohol
- Being overweight or obese
- Not being physically active
- Not having children and not breastfeeding
- Some methods of birth control
- Menopause hormone therapy
- Breast implants
- Inheriting certain gene changes
- Family history of breast cancer
- Race and ethnicity
- Dense breast tissue
- Early menstruation
- Late menopause
- Previous radiation to the chest
If you fall into any of these categories, do a breast self-exam each month. The self-exam may help you catch problems early when treatment is easier.