Breast Cancer

            Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today (after lung cancer) and is the most common cancer among women, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year worldwide. This is why it is vital to your health to know the facts about breast cancer, and how to detect it early enough so that it does not spread and get worse. In my paper I will be covering all the aspects of breast cancer beginning with what it is all the way to treatment options for those who are diagnosed with the cancer.
             Breast cancer is the development of abnormal cells and clusters of such cells in the breast. These cells are different from normal healthy cells. Cells in the body normally divide only when new cells are needed. Sometimes, cells in a part of the body grow and divide out of control, which creates a mass of tissue called a tumor. If the cells that are growing out of control are normal cells, the tumor is called benign (not cancerous.) If however, the cells that are growing out of control are abnormal and don't function like the body's normal cells, the tumor is called malignant (cancerous). Cancers are named after the part of the body from which they originate. Breast cancer originates in the breast tissue. Like other cancers, breast cancer can invade and grow into the tissue surrounding the breast. It can also travel to other parts of the body and form new tumors, a process called metastasis. .
             We do not know what causes breast cancer, although we do know that certain risk factors may put you at higher risk of developing it. A risk factor is anything that puts you at higher risk of developing a particular disease. A person's age, genetic factors, personal health history and diet all contribute to breast cancer risk. .
             The following characteristics increase your chance of developing breast cancer: a personal history of breast cancer, a family history of breast cancer, beginning your menstrual cycle before age 12, going through menopause at a late age (after 54), having no children, having your first pregnancy after 30, obesity, heavy use of alcohol, and old age.