Breast Cancer - What To Expect

Hormones play an important role in menstruation and menopause cycle. Therefore, excessive production of estrogen, which is the female hormone and stimulates the growth of cells in the breast, may be responsible for breast cancer. Hormonal therapy which is given for menopause and oral birth control pill also increases the risk of breast cancer.

Lobules are the milk-producing glands of the breast and the starting point of breast cancer. These lobules are usually tube-shaped ducts that carry milk from the lobules to the nipples. It can also occur in the connective tissue of the breasts.

The nature of metastatic breast cancer is such that it requires surgical intervention. Metastatic breast cancer is stage 3 and occurs in the lymph nodes and has not yet spread to the adjacent organs. The stages are segregated into categories 3A, 3B and 3C and treatment is based on size of the tumour, the number and the lymph nodes that are involved. Generally, mastectomy or lumpectomy is used to treat stage 3 breast cancers. In lumpectomy, your breast is conserved and only the portion having cancer is removed. In mastectomy, on the other hand, the whole breast along with surrounding tissues is removed.

There are numerous reasons why breast cancer is more risky for some women. It has been generally seen that breast cancer occurs in women aged between 30 and 50 years of age and also in women who have a late pregnancy. However, the exact reason for breast cancer is not known and research is ongoing.