Breast Cancer
The best breast cancer treatments are screening and lifestyle changes
Leena Gauba writes that while breast cancer treatments are now plentiful it ’ s best to take precautionary measures
Woman having a mammogram
For most women , just hearing the words “ breast cancer ” can send shivers down their spine . This is because it is now the leading type of cancer and the main cause of death among women globally . Annually , around half a million women worldwide die of breast cancer and more than 1.5 million are diagnosed with the disease .
The female breast , which is actually an organ , is also known as the mammary gland and consists of different parts , such as body fat , lobes , lobules , milk duct lymph nodes , and blood vessels . Mostly made up of fat cells called adipose tissue , a healthy female breast has 12-20 sections called lobes , each made up of lobules that are tiny glands with sac like structures that produce milk . The milk passes through lactiferous duct tubes and is then delivered through the nipple .
Breast cancer occurs when the uncontrolled growth of breast cells forms tumours . Cancer typically starts with abnormal changes in genes called mutations .
These genes are responsible for regulating the growth of cells and keeping them healthy . Normally , the cells in the body are replaced through an orderly process of cell growth , with old ones dying while new ones are developed . But sometimes these mutations can cause genetic changes that result in cells growing without control or order and forming tumours . A tumour can be benign , meaning not harmful to a person ’ s health , or malignant . Malignant tumours are cancerous and , if left untreated , can spread to other parts of the body .
The most common type of breast cancer , ductal carcinoma , begins in the lactiferous duct where milk is drained from the lobules to the nipples . Another form of breast cancer , lobular carcinoma , originates in lobules but is less common . Breast cancer can also develop in the stromal tissues which include the fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast . Cancer cells can invade nearby breast tissue and move towards the underarm lymph nodes that are important
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