What is Breast Cancer?

Cancer is a broad term for a class of diseases characterized by abnormal cells that grow and invade healthy cells in the body. Breast cancer starts in the cells of the breast as a group of cancer cells that can then invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body.

When you’re told that you have breast cancer, it’s natural to wonder what may have caused the disease. But no one knows the exact causes of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.

A tumor is a mass of abnormal tissue. There are two types of breast cancer tumors: those that are non-cancerous, or ‘benign’, and those that are cancerous, which are ‘malignant’.

As you learn about breast cancer, we will repeatedly reference the anatomy of the breast. Understanding the different parts and functions will help you better grasp the details of breast cancer.

All people, whether male or female, are born with some breast cells and tissue. Even though males do not develop milk-producing breasts, a man’s breast cells and tissue can still develop cancer. Even so, male breast cancer is very rare. Less than one percent of all breast cancer cases develop in men, and only one […]

There is much that we know and much that we have yet to understand. However, we do know that cancer spreads in three important ways:

Did you know that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime? While you can’t prevent cancer, it is important to be proactive about your health. Get the free Healthy Living and Personal Risk Guide to help you protect your overall health and assess your breast cancer risk.

Everyone has genes that pass along hereditary information from generation to generation. Sometimes changes occur in the gene code, and these changes are called mutations. Learn how gene mutations can affect breast cancer risk, as well as about how genetic testing works.