Breast Cancer Basics

You may be all too familiar with the basics about breast cancer. But if you aren’t, here are some facts.

Breast cancer definition and types

In breast cancer, certain cells in the breast grow uncontrollably. A tumor is a group of these uncontrolled cells.

There are different types of breast cancer: early-stage, metastatic, and recurrent. Early-stage means a tumor is confined to the place it started; it may not have spread at all, or may have spread to the lymph nodes. Metastatic means that cancer has spread from its original place to other parts of the body. Recurrent cancer is what happens when cancer returns in a person who seemed to be disease-free after treatment.

Statistics

In the United States:

• There are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors.
• Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women.
• Over 182,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected among women in 2008; among men, the number is about 2,000.
• Survival rates from breast cancer have increased steadily since 1990, thanks to earlier detection and improved treatment.

Symptoms

Often, the first sign of breast cancer is an abnormality that can’t be felt by a woman or her doctor: it’s discovered by a mammogram. A mammogram is an x-ray exam of the breast that is used to find and evaluate breast abnormalities. This procedure can be done both in women who have no breast complaints or symptoms and in women who have breast symptoms, including problems such as a lump, pain, or nipple discharge. Even a larger tumor may show up as a painless mass. It’s less common to have any of these persistent changes to the breast: thickening, tenderness, swelling, redness or scaliness, or nipple abnormalities.

Risk factors

The risk of getting breast cancer is affected by several things: some you can change, and some you can't.

Some Risk factors you can't change

• Being female – Breast cancer is about 100 times more common in women than in men.
• Age – The risk goes up with time. About 2 out of 3 women with invasive breast cancer are age 55 or older.
• Genetics – Some 5%-10% of breast cancers may be associated with mutations in genes.
• Family history – Breast cancer in a close blood relative does pose a higher risk for getting the disease. However, as much as 80% of women with breast cancer don't have a family history.
• Race – Caucasian women are slightly more likely to get breast cancer than are African-American women. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer.

Some Risk factors you can change

• Alcohol use – Women who have 2 to 5 drinks a day have about 1 ½ times the breast cancer risk of women who don't drink. But, one drink a day poses a very small increased risk.
• Excess weight – Being overweight or obese is linked to higher risk, especially for women who have gone through menopause, and those who carry extra fat around the waist.
• Inactivity – Exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.

Stages

The word "stage" describes the extent of breast cancer: the size of the tumor, and whether or not it has spread to lymph nodes and/or the other parts of the body. This is important, because the stage of breast cancer is the biggest reason to choose a particular treatment.

Stages are identified in groups that start at 0 and go up in Roman numerals, from I through IV (1-4). Generally, the lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. This is an overview of stages of breast cancer and what they mean in most cases:

• Stage 0: The tumor has stayed in the part of the breast where it started
• Stage I: Cancer has spread into nearby parts of the breast, but not outside it. The tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller.
• Stage II: The tumor is between 2-5 centimeters, or the cancer has spread outside the breast to the lymph nodes under the arm on the same side as the breast cancer.
• Stage III: The tumor is larger than 5 centimeters, or has spread to areas around the breast.
• Stage IV: The tumor has spread beyond the breast and nearby areas, possibly to the base of the neck, lungs, liver, bone, or brain.

Staging is complicated, so if there is something about it you don’t understand, be sure to ask your healthcare provider. For additional information on staging, please visit www.cancer.org.

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