Overview
What is cancer?
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in an organ (such as the breast, cervix, ovary or lung). Cancer cells grow together to form a mass called a tumor. Cancer is life threatening because cancer cells can invade surrounding tissue and spread through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to distant parts of the body (metastasize). Early detection before the cancer spreads provides the best chance of cure.
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Men can also develop breast cancer, but it is rare, accounting for less than 1 percent of all cases. Breast tumors, both benign and malignant, can develop in any part of the breast. Most tumors, however, arise from ducts that carry milk from the lobule, where milk is produced, to the nipple. About one in seven adult women in the United States develop breast cancer. If detected at an early stage when the tumor has not spread to lymph nodes, most women, about 97 percent, are cured. Early detection of breast cancer is due mainly to annual mammography screening and physical breast examinations.
More on Breast Cancer
What Every Woman Needs to Know
Raise Your Breast Cancer Awareness
Calculating Cancer Risk
Who Gets Breast Cancer?
Breast Cancer: Overcoming the Fear
If You're Concerned About Breast Cancer
Treating Breast Cancer During Pregnancy
Will My Cancer Come Back? Coping with the Fear of Recurrence
Life After Cancer: Your Survivorship Plan
Should You Have a Mastectomy to Prevent Breast Cancer?
In the Encyclopedia:
Breast reconstruction
Breast self-examination
Breast ultrasound
Breast cancer
Lumpectomy
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