breast cancer

Fibrocystic changes can cause breast swelling and pain. The breasts may feel lumpy and sometimes there is a clear or slightly cloudy nipple discharge. Benign breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not spread outside of the breast and they are not life-threatening. (Lawrence, pp. 54) .
             Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. Many well accredited doctors predict approximately 184,200 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the year 2000 among women in this country and roughly 41,200 deaths from the disease. Death rates from breast cancer declined significantly during 1992 to 1996, with the largest decrease in younger women-- both white and black. This decline is probably the result of better detection and improved treatment. We do not yet know exactly what causes breast cancer, but we do know that certain risk factors are linked to the disease. .
             A risk factor is something which increases a person's chance of getting a disease. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors, such as smoking, can be controlled. Others, such as an individual's age or family history, can not be controlled. (Lee, 124) While all women are at risk for breast cancer, the factors listed below can increase an individual's chances of having the disease. Some studies suggest that long-term use (10 years or more) of estrogen replacement therapy, sometimes called hormone replacement therapy (ERT), for relief of menopause symptoms may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer. This risk applies only to current and recent users. A woman's breast cancer risk returns to that of the general population within 5 years of stopping ERT. Replacement therapy also lowers the risk of heart attacks and bone fractures; therefore, women should discuss with their doctors the benefits and drawbacks of ERT.