Breast cancer is a carcinoma of the structures and tissues within the breast. Breast cancer occurs in two major areas of the breast. Most commonly, ductal carcinoma begins in the ducts and lobular carcinoma begins in lobules of the breast that produce milk. Breast cancer is rarely found to start in other areas of the breast. As part of breast cancer awareness, there is more information getting out that breast cancer isn’t just a woman’s disease. Men with a specific inherited gene mutation are most at risk for breast cancer. Breast cancer comes in second most prevalent type of cancer in women; skin cancer is the most prevalent.

In the early stages, breast cancer is not usually painful; you may not even feel or notice any changes in your breast. However, as breast cancer progresses, you may notice some changes, such as nipple retraction, nipple discharge, thickening areas in the breast, a lump, dimpling, tenderness, or you may notice the appearance of dry scaly skin on part of the breast. Do not assume that if you notice any of these signs that you must have breast cancer. For instance, you can have leaking from your breasts and inverted nipples and not have breast cancer.

If your breasts are leaking, there is most likely another reason for it, caused by an increase in a specific hormone. You can have inverted nipples and not have breast cancer. If you notice your breasts are leaking, but the liquid is coming from several openings within the nipple, this is a good sign you don’t have breast cancer. If your nipples have always been inverted, you probably have nothing to worry about; however, if your nipples have always turned outward, but recently started to invert, you should see your doctor as soon as possible. Though, there may be other reasons for your breast changes, always go see your health care professional to be checked. October was breast cancer awareness month; many news channels around the country featured a segment of the news dedicated to educate women on breast self-exams, what healthy breasts look like, and there were also segments educating women on the importance of having yearly mammograms.

Many women with breast cancer have a type that is affected by the female hormone, estrogen; this kind of cancer is called estrogen receptor (ER) positive cancer. It is believed that obesity plays a role in the occurrence of breast cancer, because obese women tend to produce more estrogen. Estrogen can cause breast tumors to grow faster.

Most breast cancers occur in women who are postmenopausal; however, many younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer. Young women should do breast self-exams every month to look and feel for breast changes. October is breast cancer month; however, every woman should think of every month as breast cancer month. Every woman should do breast self-exams at the same time of the month every month. Most people are aware of young women celebrities have had breast cancer and undergone mastectomies; thus, all women should take their breast health seriously. Stars like Christina Applegate, Melissa Ethridge, and Olivia Newton John have helped bring about breast cancer awareness to all women around the world. Some women have too many copies of specific genes, which are believed to cause a more aggressive type of breast cancer. Women who inherit these gene mutations are more at risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer some time in their lives.

Family history accounts for up to 30 percent of women developing breast cancer. Women who have a close relative who has or has had colon, breast or uterine cancer, are more at risk for breast cancer. People with a genetic predisposition for developing breast cancer are those with defects in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. If you have a defect in either of these genes you have an approximate 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer in your lifetime.

The gene BRCA1 and BRCA 2 are genes that suppress the growth of tumors. These genes give the instructions to specific proteins to repair DNA that has been damaged. When the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are damaged, they cannot do suppress or prevent abnormal growth of cancer cells. These genes are designed to maintain genetic stability. Having a defect in either of these genes increase one’s chances of developing breast cancer; however, it should be noted that not all people with this defected gene will develop cancer at all.