Description

Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. There are different kinds of breast cancer. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into cancer. Breast cancer can begin in different parts of the breast. A breast is made up of three main parts: lobules, ducts, and connective tissue. The lobules are the glands that produce milk. The ducts are tubes that carry milk to the nipple. The connective tissue (which consists of fibrous and fatty tissue) surrounds and holds everything together. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts or lobules. The most common kinds of breast cancer are : ● Invasive ductal carcinoma : The cancer cells grow outside the ducts into other parts of the breast tissue. Invasive cancer cells can also spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. ● Invasive lobular carcinoma : . Cancer cells spread from the lobules to the breast tissues that are close by. These invasive cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body. Risk Factors You Can Change : ● Not being physically active : Women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. ● Being overweight or obese after menopause : Older women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a normal weight. ● Taking hormones : Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (those that include both estrogen and progesterone) taken during menopause can raise risk for breast cancer when taken for more than five years. Certain oral contraceptives (birth control pills) also have been found to raise breast cancer risk. ● Reproductive history : Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy can raise breast cancer risk. ● Drinking alcohol : Studies show that a woman’s risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she drinks.

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