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echokang

Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 69
Breast Cancer Q & a
Posted: 05-26-05 02:13am

What is breast cancer?


Breast cancer is cancer that affects the breast. The vast majority of breast cancer occurs in women, although men can develop breast cancer too.


A breast tumor is considered benign if it is limited to a few cell layers and does not invade surrounding tissues or organs. Yet if the tumor spreads to surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered malignant, or cancerous. Carcinoma is the term used to describe most common cancers that arise from epithelial (surface or lining) tissues. By contrast, sarcoma is the term used to define tumors that arise from bone, muscle, fat, or connective tissue.


The breasts are, in essence, a collection of fatty tissue and glands that have been adapted to secrete milk after a woman gives birth. The glands that produce milk are called lobules and the tubes that connect them to the nipples are called ducts. Correspondingly, carcinoma of the breast develops when malignant changes occur in the cells that line the lobules or, more commonly, the ducts.



There are two major types of breast cancer:
facts about breast cancer:

a diagnosis of breast cancer is alarming, but the good news is that most women recover from it. Improvements in breast cancer detection have helped to limit the harmful potential of this disease. In fact, during the last decade, the majority of breast cancers reported in the u.S. Were small, very treatable, early-stage tumors.


Overall, about 83% of women survive breast cancer, suckers by recent 5-year survival statistics. Although these numbers don't guarantee that a person will be in the 'favorable' statistical group, they do show that the likelihood of beating breast cancer is good. If breast cancer is detected and treated in the early stages, the chances of complete recovery are even better.


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Last edited by echokang on 06-02-05 22:44pm; edited 1 time in total
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echokang

Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 69
Breast Cancer, Hormone Type May Be Linked
Posted: 05-29-05 21:52pm

A new report adds weight to the idea that recurring breast cancer may be related to which hormones are used in therapy for women after menopause.

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