BREAST CANCER

The breasts are modified skin glands, and are referred to as the mammary glands. In women, however,they are active,functioning parts of the body throughout much of life.

The size and shape of the breasts in different individuals varies from round to conical. The consistency is usually firm and elastic,but varies a great deal, depending upon the presence and amount of fatty tissue. Rarely are the two breasts equal in size, the left is usually larger.

Even in the normal healthy body of man,cells regularly die but are replaced by new cells. When however,cells of the body start to divide and multiply without any purpose,this leads to the formation of a tumor. In human pathology, many kinds of tumors are possible. There are different classifications of tumors. The most important classifications is whether a tumor is dangerous or not for the life of the individual. In case it is dangerous, the tumor is called malignant.In this classification, the other group of tumors is in principle not dangerous for the human body. This group is called benign tumors. It should be noted however that there are malignant tumors of all grades of malignancy, some are even relatively benign.

Malignant tumors may originate from epithelium (skin, colon,etc). They are called carcinoma. When they take their origin in cells of connective tissue, they are called sarcoma. When they originate in lymph glands, they are called lymphoma. All malignant tumors together are called cancer. One of the most feared carcinomas is carcinoma of the breast in woman called breast cancer.

Every year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Breast cancer ranks second as the leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. Until recently breast cancer topped the list of leading causes of cancer deaths in women, but lately lung cancer has claimed the top position. If skin cancer is excluded, breast cancer is the commonest cancer among American women.

Breast cancer begins in the breast and spreads first to the lymph nodes of the armpit (axilla). In certain cases of malignant lumps, lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy is as effective as a radical mastectomy. Typically, lumpectomy does not require a breast replacement (prosthesis).