Breast cancer is a disease that not only affect the person afflicted with such condition, but also their families, friends and communities. It has been identified that approximately one in every eight women will be afflicted with breast cancer in her lifetime. Because of these, the American Cancer Society signs breast cancer as one of the leading causes of cancer death among women. Just in 2009, about 192,370 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer; frightening as these figures may appear, it is important to remember that breast can be prevented if it is diagnosed early.

Only few cases of breast cancer occurs with genetic predisposition. Most of them are sporadic or simply do not relate to family history disease. It is also noteworthy that the risk of acquiring breast cancer is higher as a woman grows older. Although rare, breast cancer can also affect men most especially those who are between the ages of 60 and 70.

During its initial stages, breast cancer does not present any identifiable symptoms. However, the most common signs breast cancer demonstrate includes lump and cysts formation in or near the breast or in the armpit area, breast changes in shape and size, blood or clear fluid discharge from the nipple, a change in the appearance or feel of breast skin or nipple, and nipple retraction. Once you feel any of these signs, it is best to have an appointment with your doctor. Granting that you might have just passed your mammogram test, it is still recommended to seek immediate medical attention.

It is still unclear what induces breast cancer. The only thing that is clear at the moment is that breast cancer grows when some of the breast cells develop abnormally. Compared to the usual slow pace of cell division, these cells divide very fast. Eventually, these cells forms into a tumor that could affect the breast lymph nodes and can also spread to other body parts.

Recent researches have also shown that there are certain things that can increase a person's risk of acquiring breast cancer. At the moment, it is still not clarified why some people who show no risks at all develop the disease, or why those who are more at risk do not acquire the disease. Yet, it is most likely that such form of cancer is caused by the combination of individual genetic makeup and the environment he or she is in. The most common things that can increase your risk of acquiring breast cancer include being a female, family or personal history of the disease, increasing age, radiation exposure, inherited genes, obesity, and early onset of menstruation, late menopause, having your first child at an older age, alcohol consumption, and receiving postmenopausal hormone therapy.

Generally, breast cancer is a medical condition that can significantly affect not only the person affected but also their families and friends. However, it should be remembered that this disease can be cured through early detection of its signs. It should also be understood that the signs breast cancer shows serves as notices for people to be aware of their health conditions. Similar with any health concerns, the prevention is better than cure perspective is always a good one to follow when it comes to breast cancer.