What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women. It occurs when breast cancer cells multiply and become tumors. Approximately 80% of breast cancer cases are invasive, meaning a tumor can spread from the breast to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer usually affects women over 50, but it can also affect women under 50. Men can also develop breast cancer.

Types of breast cancer explained​
Healthcare providers determine the types and subtypes of cancer so they can tailor treatment to be as effective as possible with the fewest side effects. Common types of breast cancer include:

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC): This cancer originates in the milk ducts and spreads to the surrounding breast tissue. It is the most common type of breast cancer in the United States.

Lobular breast cancer: This breast cancer originates in the milk-producing glands (lobules) of the breast and often spreads to the surrounding breast tissue. It is the second most common breast cancer in the United States.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): Like ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), this breast cancer originates in the milk ducts. The difference is that DCIS does not spread beyond the milk ducts.

Less common breast cancers include:

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC): This invasive cancer is aggressive and spreads more rapidly than other breast cancers.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC): This rare, fast-growing cancer presents as a rash on the breast. IBC is rare in the United States.
Paget's disease of the breast: This rare cancer affects the skin of the nipple and may present as a rash. Less than 4% of all breast cancers are caused by Paget's disease.

Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

• A lump or thickened area of ​​skin in the breast that feels different from the surrounding tissue.
• A nipple that feels flat or retracted. Changes in the color of the breast skin. In fair-skinned people, the breast skin may appear pink or red. In dark- or black-skinned people, the breast skin may appear darker than the rest of the breast, or it may appear red or purple.
• Changes in the size, shape, or appearance of the breast.
• Changes in the skin overlying the breast, such as orange peel or flaking.
• Flaking, scaling, crusting, or peeling of the breast skin.

What causes breast cancer?

While there is no specific cause of breast cancer, some lifestyle factors are linked to an increased risk of developing this condition:

Alcohol consumption: The risk increases with increasing alcohol consumption.
Lack of physical activity.
Excess weight: Living with obesity is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer after menopause.
Smoking, especially if you started smoking during adolescence.
Other factors that cannot be changed also influence the likelihood of developing breast cancer:

Being a woman: 99% of breast cancers occur in women.

Advanced age: The older you are, the greater the likelihood that cells will be damaged and turn into cancer.

Family history: Having several relatives with prostate, pancreatic, breast, or ovarian cancer can increase your risk.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

Tests to Confirm Breast Cancer
To determine the cause of breast changes, your doctor typically uses a three-step process called "triple screening," which includes:

• History and clinical breast examination
• Imaging tests, such as a mammogram or ultrasound
• A biopsy, which involves taking a sample of tissue cells and analyzing them under a microscope to check for cancer.
• The biopsy sample is taken from an area of ​​the breast that shows abnormalities on examination or breast imaging.

Staging and Further Tests
If breast cancer is confirmed, your doctor will order further tests, such as a CT scan, blood tests, a bone scan, or a positron emission tomography (PET), to confirm the cancer's stage.

Your healthcare team may use a 5-stage system:

• Stage 0 (in situ) refers to preinvasive breast cancer that occurs only in the milk ducts or lobules.
• Stages I to IIB (early) refer to early, small breast tumors (5 cm or less).
• Stages IIB to IIIC (advanced, localized) tumors have spread to adjacent lymph nodes in the sternum or armpit.
• Stage IV (advanced, metastatic) tumors have spread to other parts of the body.

How is breast cancer treated?
The treatment your medical team will recommend depends on the specific type and stage of breast cancer.

Surgery
This treatment involves removing localized tumor from the breast. A lumpectomy (breast-conserving surgery) involves removing the tumor and some healthy tissue, preserving as much of the breast as possible. A mastectomy involves removing the entire breast affected by the tumor. During breast surgery, the axillary lymph nodes are often also removed.

Radiation
Radiation therapy is often used to destroy any remaining breast cancer cells after a lumpectomy. It is sometimes used after a mastectomy if there is a risk of cancer recurrence in the chest area.

Radiation therapy to the axilla may be necessary if the lymph nodes are not surgically removed.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves the use of anticancer drugs to destroy any remaining cancer cells in the body. It can be used before or after surgery or radiation therapy, or in conjunction with other treatments.

Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy involves the use of drugs that reduce or block estrogen and progesterone levels in the body. It is used to stop or slow the recurrence of hormone-receptor-positive tumor cells.

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