What are the risk factors for breast cancer?

A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease, such as cancer.
Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing skin to strong
sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, mouth, larynx (voice box), bladder, kidney, and several other organs.

But risk factors don't tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. Most women who have one or more breast cancer risk factors never develop the disease, while many women with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors (other than being a woman and growing older). Even when a woman with risk factors develops breast cancer, it is hard to know just how much these factors might have contributed.

Breast cancer: Do we know the causes ?

Many risk factors can increase your chance of developing breast cancer, but it is not yet

known exactly how some of these risk factors cause cells to become cancerous.

Hormones seem to play a role in many cases of breast cancer, but just how this happens is not fully understood.

DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes—the instructions for how our cells function. We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than how we look.

Breast Cancer Resources

American Cancer Society (ACS)
Phone:	1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345)
Web Address:	http://www.cancer.org
The American Cancer Society (ACS) conducts educational programs and offers many services to people with cancer and their families. Staff at the toll-free number have information about services and activities in local areas and can provide referrals to local ACS divisions.

Breast Cancer Treatment

There are two major goals of breast cancer treatment:

1) To rid the body of the cancer as completely as possible.
2) To prevent cancer from returning.
 

How Is the Type of Breast Cancer Treatment Determined?

The type of breast cancer treatment recommended for you will depend on the size of your tumor, the extent of disease in your lymph nodes and/or throughout your body (the stage), and the presence of the HER2 oncogene and endocrine receptors (estrogen and progesterone receptors). Age, menstrual status, underlying health issues, and personal preferences play a role in this decision making process as well.

Top Cancer-Fighting Foods

Fighting Cancer by the Plateful

No single food can reduce your risk of cancer, but the right combination of foods may help make a difference. At mealtimes, strike a balance of at least two-thirds plant-based foods and no more than one-third animal protein. This "New American Plate" is an important cancer fighting tool, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Check out better and worse choices for your plate.

Are Fears That Deodorant Causes Breast Cancer Unfounded?

Study Shows Suspect Chemical Found in Breast Tissue of Women Who Don’t Use Underarm Products

Jan. 12, 2012 -- Have you ever gotten one of those scary chain emails telling you that your deodorant may cause breast cancer? If so, you are not alone. These show up in many people's in-boxes from time to time.

It has to do with certain underarm products that contain preservatives called parabens. These chemicals can act like the hormone estrogen in the body. Estrogen is known to fuel certain breast cancers. Many breast cancers develop in the part of the breast closest to the armpit, where antiperspirants and other underarm products are used.

BREAST CANCER... QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Breast cancer ..Almost we hear daily news or researches or statistics about this disease .. And our role as a Breast Cancer blog to look and work to provide you the healing answers to your questions and how to prevent this disease
So this article is not intended for those who suffered the disease only, but for every woman in the world ...

Here is a collection of frequently asked questions about breast cancer and those answers ...

BREAST AWARENESS AND SELF EXAM

Beginning in their 20s, women should be told about the benefits and limitations of breast self-exam (BSE). Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any new breast changes to a health professional as soon as they are found. Finding a breast change does not necessarily mean there is a cancer.
A woman can notice changes by being aware of how her breasts normally look and feel and by feeling her breasts for changes (breast awareness), or by choosing to use a stepby- step approach (see below) and using a specific schedule to examine her breasts.
If you choose to do BSE, the information below is a step-by-step approach for the exam.

TYPES OF BREAST CANCER

There are several types of breast cancer, but some of them are quite rare. In some cases a
single breast tumor can be a combination of these types or be a mixture of invasive and in
situ cancer.

WHAT IS CANCER?

The body is made up of trillions of living cells. Normal body cells grow, divide into new
cells, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person's life, normal cells
divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells
divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries.
Cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. There are
many kinds of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal
cells.

WHAT IS BREAST CANCER?

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor
is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread
(metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women,
but men can get it, too.

Breast Cancer causes

Currently, there are more than 180,000 new cases of breast cancer every year in the United States and 46,000 deaths, and it has been estimated that one of every eight American women living to age 95 years will develop breast carcinoma. Until 1983, breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths among females; despite an increase in the incidence of breast carcinoma, it is now second to lung cancer because of the larger increase in the number of women developing lung cancer.

ANGELINA JOLIE'S DOUBLE MASTECTOMY: Q&A

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News

May 14, 2013 -- Actress and activist Angelina Jolie's recent decision to have a preventive double 

mastectomy highlights the difficult choices facing women who find out they have a high risk for breast cancer because of their genes.

Although relatively rare, mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes raise the risk of breast cancer by as much as 80%, experts say. The mutations also raise the risk of ovarian cancer.

7 symptoms of breast cancer

That breast cancer among the diseases that scientists did not put their hands on the main cause of him, Although breast cancer affects a woman among 8 women at least, and scientists agreed on early detection is a key factor for the cure of breast cancer.

Breast Cancer – Be Aware and Beware

With rapid industrialization and urbanization, the incidence of breast cancer is rising fast among Indian women. Proper awareness and proper treatment under proper guidance can help millions to reduce the brunt of this menace.Breast Cancer is the commonest cancer among urban women inIndia. As per National Cancer Registry, over 1 lakh women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. 60% of these diagnoses present at an advanced stage with less than 15% chance of survival. If these women have been diagnosed early, their survival chances can be more than 90%.