The most frequent invasive malignancy in women is breast cancer. It is also one of the top causes of cancer death in women.
Breast cancer survival rates have increased considerably as a result of advances in detection and treatment. Between 1989 and 2017, the overall rate of breast cancer decreased by nearly 40%.
However, according to a 2019 study, the rate in women aged 20–39 years in the United States may no longer be dropping.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS):
- In the United States, there are over 3.8 million breast cancer survivors.
- The risk of dying from breast cancer is 1 in 38. (2.6 percent).
- By the end of 2021, 281,550 new instances of invasive breast cancer will have been diagnosed.
- By the end of 2021, approximately 43,600 women will have died from breast cancer.
The importance of being aware of the symptoms and the need for screening is critical in lowering the chance of death.
Males can be affected by breast cancer in rare cases. The focus of this article will be on breast cancer in women.
Symptoms of Breast Cancer
The initial indicators of breast cancer are often a swollen tissue area in the breast, a lump in the armpit, or a lump in the breast.
Other symptoms include:
- The pain in the armpits or breasts does not change with the menstrual period
- pitting, similar to an orange’s surface, or color changes, such as redness in the breast skin
- a rash on one nipple or around it
- a nipple discharge that may contain blood
- a nipple that is depressed or inverted
- a change in the breast’s size or form
- nipple or breast skin that is peeling, flaking or scaling
The majority of breast lumps aren’t malignant. Anyone who sees a lump in their breast should have it examined by a medical practitioner.
Is Breast Cancer Excruciatingly Painful?
One of the first indicators of breast cancer is a lump or mass in the breast. These bumps are frequently painless. Pain in the nipple or breast area that appears to be related to a person’s menstrual cycle is possible.
Breast cancer pain usually comes on gradually. Anyone who is experiencing breast pain, particularly if it is severe or prolonged, should seek medical advice.
Causes of Breast Cancer
Thousands of lobules and fat, connective tissues make up a female’s breasts after puberty. These are little glands that have the ability to generate milk. Milk travels to the nipple through tiny tubes called ducts.
Breast cancer occurs as a result of DNA damage or genetic alterations. These can be linked to estrogen exposure, inherited genetic abnormalities, or hereditary cancer-causing genes like the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
The immune system of a healthy person targets any aberrant DNA or growths. This does not happen when a person has cancer.
As a result, cells in breast tissue multiply at an uncontrollable rate and do not perish as they should. This uncontrolled cell proliferation develops a tumor that depletes the nutrition and energy available to neighboring cells.
The inner lining of the milk ducts or the lobules that supply them with milk is where breast cancer generally begins. It can then spread to other areas of the body.
Stages
The extent of the tumor and whether it has developed to lymph nodes or other places of the body are used by doctors to assess the cancer stage.
Breast cancer can be staged in a variety of ways. Stages 0–4 are included in one, with subcategories at each stage. Each of these major stages is described below. Substages can reveal details about a tumor’s features, such as its HER2 receptor status.
Stage 0: Also recognized as ductal carcinoma in situ. The malignant cells have only spread to the ducts and not to the surrounding tissues.
Stage 1: The tumor is up to 2 centimeters (cm) wide at this stage. No lymph nodes have been damaged, or there are small groupings of cancer cells in lymph nodes.
Stage 2: At this second stage, the tumor is about 2 cm across and has started to spread to nearby nodes, or it is 2–5 cm across and has not spread to the lymph nodes.
Stage 3: The tumor has expanded to numerous lymph nodes and is up to 5 cm in diameter, or the tumor is larger than 5 cm and has spread to a few lymph nodes.
Stage 4: Here, cancer has spread to other organs, most commonly the bones, liver, brain, or lungs.
Risk Factors
Breast cancer is more likely as a result of the following factors, some of which may be avoided.
Age
Breast cancer risk progresses as you become older. Breast cancer has a 0.06 percent risk of developing in the next decade if you are 20 years old. This proportion rises to 3.84 percent by the age of 70.
Genetics
People who have particular mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are more likely to get breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or both. These genes are transferred down through the generations.
Mutations in the TP53 gene have also been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
A person’s risk of having breast cancer increases if a close relative has or has had breast cancer.
Personalities with a family history of breast, ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer should have genetic testing, according to current guidelines.
Family History
Personalities with a family history of breast cancer linked to BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene abnormalities should also get tested, according to the guidelines. This is true for people, for example, with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
History of Breast Lumps or Breast Cancer
A person who has had breast cancer before is more likely to have it again than someone who has never had it.
Having some forms of noncancerous breast lumps raises your chances of getting cancer later on. Lobular cancer and atypical ductal hyperplasia in situ are two examples.
Ask your doctor about genetic testing if you have a family history of breast, ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer.
Dense Breast Tissue
Dense breast tissue is most likely to be linked with a diagnosis of breast cancer.
Estrogen Exposure and Breastfeeding
Long-term estrogen exposure seems to raise the risk of breast cancer. This exposure could include beginning periods at a young age or going through menopause later in life. Estrogen levels in the body are higher between these dates.
Breastfeeding appears to lower the risk of breast cancer, especially when done for more than a year. This could be because of the decrease in estrogen exposure that occurs after pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Body Weight
Obesity after menopause may raise the risk of breast cancer, probably as a result of higher estrogen levels. A high sugar intake could also have a role.
Consumption of Alcohol
The consumption of copious amounts of alcohol on a regular basis appears to play a role in the development of breast cancer.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) proclaims that research regularly shows that women who drink alcohol have a more tremendous risk of breast cancer than those who don’t. Women who use moderate to large amounts of alcohol are at a higher risk than women who consume less alcohol.
Exposure to Radiation
Radiation therapy for cancer other than breast cancer may raise the risk of acquiring breast cancer later in life.
Treatments Using Hormones
Oral contraceptives have been proven in studies to marginally raise the risk of breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
According to the American Cancer Society, investigations have linked hormone replacement therapy, particularly estrogen-progesterone therapy, to an increased risk of breast cancer.
Race
Breast cancer mortality is nearly 40% higher among Black women than among white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to other studies, African American women are more likely than any other ethnicity to die of breast cancer.
This is most likely due to biological and socioeconomic factors. According to a study published in 2021, Black women are more likely to acquire severe breast cancers.
Other studies have found that characteristics including low socioeconomic level have a role in cancer racial disparities. People from marginalized groups find it difficult to obtain decent health insurance, which is generally linked to a person’s employment in the United States.
A 2020 study on the relationship between insurance status and early-stage breast cancer detection found that difficulty accessing healthcare may be one of the reasons why people from marginalized groups frequently receive breast cancer diagnoses at a late stage when survival is less likely even with treatment.
