Breast cancer is one of the most spread diseases around the world and it is one of the main causes of death in case of the female population. Despite this, breast cancer information isn’t even half as spread as the actual disease.



What is breast cancer?  - Every month, together with menstruation, woman's breasts suffer temporary changes which can include formation of a knot. Although most of these bumps are not cancerous, any lump that occurs should be examined immediately by a doctor.  Nodules occur most frequently in the lobules - small bags that produce milk - or in the ducts that carry milk to the nipple. But sometimes these may form in other tissues as well. The two main categories of breast cancer are lobular and ductal cancer.

Breast cancer  - Breast cancer usually begins with the formation of a small well-defined tumor. Some tumors are benign, meaning the do not invade other tissues, others are malignant, or cancerous. Malignant tumors have the potential to be metastases, which is bound to spread to other organs as well. Once such a tumor reaches a certain size, is more likely to radiate cells and spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream and lymphatic system.

Different types of breast cancer grow and spread at different rates, some of them take years to spread beyond the breast, while others spread rapidly.  Men may have breast cancer as well, but their number is less than half a percent of all cases. Among women, breast cancer is the most common cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths - after lung cancer.

Statistics show that of eight women who could reach 85 years, will suffer from this disease at some point of their life. Two thirds of the women with breast cancer are over 50 years, and that the remaining are mostly between 39 and 49.

Breast cancer is treatable  - Fortunately, breast cancer is very treatable if detected early. Localized tumors can usually be successfully treated before the cancer is spread, and in 9 of 10 cases, the sick woman will live at least another 5 years. Experts generally consider that the survival of 5 years is a cure.

After the cancer begins to spread, getting rid of it completely is more difficult, although treatment can often keep the disease under control for years. Thanks to the improved procedures for screening and better treatment options, seven in ten female breast cancer victims will survive more than five years after the initial diagnosis, and half of them will survive more than 10 years. This is just brief breast cancer information, mainly just to give you a general idea of the term, and the main symptoms of this disease. Don’t forget to get tested periodically and remember that it is better to prevent than to treat.