Breast cancer ..
Defenition ;
is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner
lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk.
Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal
carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas.
Incidence:
Breast cancer is the most common
cause of cancer death among women
worldwide. Incidence rates are high in more developed countries whereas rates in less developed
countries .. In Egypt, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, representing 18.9%
of total cancer cases among the Egypt
National Cancer Institute (NCI) series of 10 556 patients during the year 2001,
with an age-adjusted rate of 49.6 per 100 000 population
Risk factors :
Significantly higher risk
A woman with a history of cancer in
one breast has a 3- to 4-fold increased risk of developing a new breast cancer,
unrelated to the first one, in the other breast or in another part of the same
breast. This is different than a recurrence of the previous breast cancer.
Moderately higher risk
·
Getting older. Your risk for
breast cancer increases as you age. About 77% of women diagnosed with breast
cancer each year are over age 50,
·
Direct family history. Having a mother,
sister, or daughter ("first degree" relative) who has breast cancer
puts you at higher risk for the disease.. Having one first-degree relative with
breast cancer approximately doubles a woman's risk, and having two first-degree
relatives increases her risk 5-fold. Having a male blood relative with breast
cancer will also increase a woman's risk of the disease.
·
Genetics. Carriers of
alterations in either of two familial breast cancer genes called BRCA1 or BRCA2
are at higher risk. Women with an inherited alteration in either of these genes
have up to an 80% chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime.
·
Breast lesions. A previous breast biopsy result of
atypical hyperplasia (lobular or ductal) increases a woman's breast cancer risk
by four to five times.
Slightly higher risk
·
Distant family history. This refers to
breast cancer in more distant relatives such as aunts, grandmothers, and
cousins.
·
Previous abnormal breast biopsy. Women with
earlier biopsies showing any of the following have a slight increased risk:
fibroadenomas with complex features, hyperplasia without atypia, sclerosing
adenosis, and solitary papilloma.
·
Age at childbirth. Having your first
child after age 35 or never having children puts you at higher risk.
·
Early menstruation. Your risk
increases if you got your period before age 12.
·
Late menopause. If you begin
menopause after age 55, your risk increases.
·
Weight. Being overweight
(especially in the waist), especially after menopause.
·
Excessive radiation. This is
especially true for women who were given radiation for postpartum mastitis or who
were exposed to a large amount of radiation before age 30 -- usually as
treatment for cancers such as lymphoma.
·
Other cancer in the family. A family history
of cancer of the ovaries, cervix, uterus, or colon increases your risk.
·
Heritage. Female descendents
of Eastern and Central European Jews (Ashkenazi) are at increased risk.
·
Alcohol. Use of alcohol is
linked to increased risk of developing breast cancer. Compared with
nondrinkers, women who consume one alcoholic drink a day have a very small
increase in risk, and those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily, have about 1.5 times
the risk of women who drink no alcohol.
·
Race. Caucasian women
are at a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer than are
African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women.
·
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Long-term use of
combined estrogen and progesterone increases the risk of breast cancer. This
risk seems to return to that of the general population after discontinuing them
for five year
·
| 
