Free Essays on Breast Cancer

In this essay I will be discussing a very serious issue that affects thousands of women each year; breast cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death of women between the ages of 40 and 49 in North America. This paper will go on to talk about the facts of the disease and who is at risk, prevention, detection and treatments. Although there is no known cure for breast cancer, knowledge of the disease is sure to save many lives. For many women, breasts are a very visible symbol of femininity, â€Å" a focal point of sexuality or fashion as well as a proud source of nurturing new life. For others, the breast is a body part shrouded by custom and religious taboos†. Breasts are made up of several kinds of cells: adipose (fatty tissue), stroma (connective tissue), and the epithelium that forms milk-producing glands. Breast size depends on heredity and body weight. A common misconception is that the larger the breast the greater the risk for breast cancer. VERY UNTRUE. There is not just one contributing factor to the existence of breast cancer. There are numerous causes and by studying these factors we can see who is at high risk. Women between the ages of 25-29 who have used or are using oral contraceptives are 16% more likely to develop breast cancer. As a woman’s age increases so does her risk. For example an 80 year old woman has a 1 in 10 chance of getting breast cancer, while a 25 year old woman has a 1 in 19,608 chance of getting the disease. Only 5-10% of women who develop breast cancer has a family history of the disease. The delivery of a child before the age of 20 causes hormonal changes in the breast tissue which provides modest protection against breast cancer. Delaying the first child until after the age of 30 or not having any children at all increases the risk of breast cancer 2 to 4 times. It could be said that having children might save your life as it has also been proven that breast-feeding... Free Essays on Breast Cancer Free Essays on Breast Cancer Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, it accounts for one of every three diagnoses in the United States. Breast cancers are malignancies, life threatening tumors that develops in one or both breasts. A female breast consists of fatty and fibrous connective tissues. The interior of the breast is divided into about twenty different sections called lobes. Each of the lobes is further divided in to lobules, which are structures that contain small milk-producing glands. These glands place the milk into tiny ducts. These ducts take the milk through out the breast and store in a chamber located below the nipple. Breast cancer can either be invasive (spreading) or noninvasive (non-spreading). An invasive cancer penetrates the wall of a duct. This type of cancer is the most common, constituting about seventy percent of all cases. Infiltrating lobular cancer that spreads through a wall of a lobule accounts for about eight percent of all breast cancer. This type is likely to appear in both of the breast, often in seven separate locations. The cause of breast cancer is unknown but researchers are suggesting that estrogen, a hormone produced by the ovaries, may be involved. Studies suggest that the longer a women is exposed to the hormone (i.e. If she starts to menstruate before the age of twelve or if she went through menopause after the age of fifty-five and/or had children after the age of thirty) are at a greater risk. Recently two breast cancer susceptibility genes have been identified. The first one is BRCA1 (a flaw in this gene is common to those who have breast cancer) and the second is BRCA2 (a defect in this gene is associated with breast cancer alone). People who have a mutated BRCA1 gene have an eighty-six percent risk of developing breast cancer by the age of seventy. Women are one hundred times more likely to get breast cancer than men. More than eighty percent of breast cancer occur in women over the ag... Free Essays on Breast Cancer In this essay I will be discussing a very serious issue that affects thousands of women each year; breast cancer. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death of women between the ages of 40 and 49 in North America. This paper will go on to talk about the facts of the disease and who is at risk, prevention, detection and treatments. Although there is no known cure for breast cancer, knowledge of the disease is sure to save many lives. For many women, breasts are a very visible symbol of femininity, â€Å" a focal point of sexuality or fashion as well as a proud source of nurturing new life. For others, the breast is a body part shrouded by custom and religious taboos†. Breasts are made up of several kinds of cells: adipose (fatty tissue), stroma (connective tissue), and the epithelium that forms milk-producing glands. Breast size depends on heredity and body weight. A common misconception is that the larger the breast the greater the risk for breast cancer. VERY UNTRUE. There is not just one contributing factor to the existence of breast cancer. There are numerous causes and by studying these factors we can see who is at high risk. Women between the ages of 25-29 who have used or are using oral contraceptives are 16% more likely to develop breast cancer. As a woman’s age increases so does her risk. For example an 80 year old woman has a 1 in 10 chance of getting breast cancer, while a 25 year old woman has a 1 in 19,608 chance of getting the disease. Only 5-10% of women who develop breast cancer has a family history of the disease. The delivery of a child before the age of 20 causes hormonal changes in the breast tissue which provides modest protection against breast cancer. Delaying the first child until after the age of 30 or not having any children at all increases the risk of breast cancer 2 to 4 times. It could be said that having children might save your life as it has also been proven that breast-feeding...