Risk factors and causes of breast cancer

Breast cancer is a common form of cancer among women in the United States, Canada and Europe. However, in Africa and Asia, the prevalence is much lower, indicating the possibility of environmental triggers as well as a genetic predisposition.

While the number one risk factor is simply being female, other risk factors include:

• Age. Breast cancer occurs more often in women over 50 and is less common in premenopausal women. Nearly 80 percent of all newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases occur in women aged 50 and older, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
  
  
• Family history. Women with family history of breast cancer have a greater risk of developing the disease. The risk is highest when the breast cancer occurs in a first-degree relative (mother, sister or daughter) and when the cancer occurs before age 50. A family history of ovarian cancer also increases the risk of breast cancer in women.
  
  
• Genetic factors. Inheriting mutations or alterations of certain genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2 increases the risk of developing breast cancer. The ACS estimates that 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer cases result from inherited mutations of these genes. A woman with these genes has an 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, according to the ACS. Women with a family history of breast cancer may be tested for the mutated gene. However, interpretation of the test results and decisions about treatment are complicated. Recent studies have identified other genes and gene mutations that may be associated with breast cancer. Several studies have shown nearly 200 gene mutations that are associated with some breast tumors.
  
  
• Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. This segment of the population has a higher incidence of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes and a higher prevalence of breast cancer.
  
  
• Previous history of breast cancer or of benign breast tumors. This includes being diagnosed with breast cancer as well as noncancerous tumors. Research has demonstrated the risk of developing breast cancer varies with the actual type of benign breast disease found in a woman.
  
  
• Race. Breast cancer is more common in white women than in those of other races, including Hispanic, Asian or black American. Race also affects the survival rate of breast cancer patients. White women with breast cancer have a 90 percent chance of surviving five years. African American women, however, have a 76 percent chance of surviving five years. The difference in survival may be attributed to later stage diagnosis and poorer treatment options. In addition, recent studies have indicated that African American women may be more likely to get a form of breast cancer that is less responsive to treatment.
  
  
• Hormone factors. Hormones may increase the risk of breast cancer. Hormonal influences that are believed to raise the risk include:
  
  
• Early menarche. Women who started their period before 12 years of age.
  
  
• Late menopause. Women who go through menopause after age 55.
  
  
• Pregnancy history. Women who have their first child after the age of 30 or who have had fewer pregnancies or no pregnancies.
  
  
• Hormone drugs. The use of oral contraceptives has been linked to a slight increase in breast cancer risk. However, women who have stopped using oral contraceptives for 10 years or more share the same risk as those women who never used them. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that uses a combination of estrogen and progestin may increase a woman's risk. The risk increases with the length of use. HRT has been a common treatment for some of the symptoms experienced during menopause, although rates dropped greatly after a 2002 study linked the practice to increased risks for breast cancer, stroke and heart disease. When estrogen is used alone (estrogen replacement therapy [ERT]), the breast cancer risk appears to be lower than with combination HRT including progesterone.
  
  

• Breast density. Women with less fatty, denser breasts, which are normally older women, have an increased chance of breast cancer.
  
  

• Exposure to DES (diethylstilbestrol). A synthetic estrogen widely prescribed from the early 1940s through the early 1970s for pregnant women, DES is believed to slightly increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer. For years, DES was also linked to rare vaginal and cervical cancers in the daughters exposed to the drug during their mothers’ pregnancies. New research shows that these DES daughters also have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
  
  
• Obesity after menopause. In postmenopausal women, estrogen is primarily produced by fat tissue. If a woman is significantly overweight, she has more fat tissue and more estrogen is being produced in their body. In a recent study conducted by the ACS, women who were overweight based on a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 are 1.3 to 2.1 times more likely to die from breast cancer than women with a normal BMI. Women who are obese prior to menopause do not demonstrate the same increased risk.
  
  
• Radiation to the chest area. For women treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma with radiation to the chest before age 30, the chances of developing breast cancer are higher than the general population.
  
  
• Sedentary lifestyle. Women who are physically inactive have a higher rate of breast cancer, possibly due to a sedentary lifestyle leading to a person becoming overweight or obese, which is also an independent risk factor for breast cancer.
  
  
• Use of alcohol. Several studies have concluded that the more alcohol consumed by a woman, the higher her risk of breast cancer becomes. Analysis of these studies suggests that the equivalent of two alcoholic drinks per day may increase the risk of breast cancer by 21 percent. The risk is thought to be related to alcohol causing an increase in the body's hormone levels.
  
  
• Smoking. Smoking significantly increases the risk of developing this disease, particularly for those with a family history of breast cancer.

Although the specific causes of breast cancer are unknown, some associations are becoming clearer. The effect of hormones on tumors and development is apparent, as are changes in the DNA of numerous genes.

Breast Cancer - 01

Breast Cancer is a growth of abnormal cells within the breast. Breast cancer is not a single disease but rather a group of diseases that can develop in the ducts (which carry milk to the nipple), the lobules (milk producing areas) or other parts of the breast.

After non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. For 2007, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that more than 178,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed, adding to the 2 million women who have been diagnosed and treated previously for this disease. In addition, the ACS estimates that nearly 40,500 women are expected to die from breast cancer in 2007, making it the second leading cause of cancer death among women (surpassed only by lung cancer).

Although rare, men can also develop breast cancer. In the United States, about 2,000 men are expected to develop breast cancer in 2007, and about 450 men will die from the disease, according to the ACS. However, breast cancer primarily affects women.

Common ways to screen for breast cancer include monthly breast self-examination, clinical breast examination performed by a physician and screening mammography. However, to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer, a biopsy is performed in which all or part of the mass is removed and then analyzed by a pathologist who views the specimen under a microscope.

Based on the findings by the pathologist, if the tumor is cancerous (malignant) then additional tests, such as an MRI, ultrasound or PET scan may be ordered. All these tests provide the physician with additional information as to the location and stage (extent of spread) of the cancer and other information about the tumor and how it may respond to treatment.

There are several options for breast surgery ranging from the breast-sparing lumpectomy to the now rarely used Halsted radical mastectomy, which removes the breast, the chest muscles and nearby lymph nodes.

In addition to surgery, a patient may receive additional treatment based on the type of breast cancer, its size and other important factors. The size of the tumor, the possible spread of the cancer to the lymph nodes and any possible spread to other organs or tissues helps the oncologist (cancer physician) determine the stage of the cancer. This information, in turn, gives the physician the necessary input to select the best treatment options for the patient. These options can include a wide variety of combinations of treatment, including surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or biological therapy.

A major study released in 2006 indicated that the number of new cases of breast cancer dropped significantly in the reporting period of 2002 to 2003. The ACS has reported a leveling off of new cases from 2001 to 2003, after 20 years of increases.

Overall survival rates for breast cancer are quite high when the disease is detected and treated in its earliest stages. When breast cancer progresses undetected to later stages, the survival rates drop. The 5-year survival rate for cancer that is localized (not spread to the lymph nodes or areas outside of the breast) is 98 percent. If the cancer has spread to nearby tissues, the 5-year survival rate is 83 percent.

According the ACS, large gains in survival rates for several cancers, including breast cancer, have been recorded over the past two decades. The overall survival rate for all stages of cancer at 5 years is 89 percent and at 10 years is 80 percent.

What about the kids (Joke)

There was a couple that had been married for 20 years. Every time they made love the husband always insisted on shutting off the light.
Well, after 20 years the wife felt this was ridiculous. She figured she would break him out of this crazy habit. So one night, while they were in the middle of a wild, screaming, romantic session, she turned on the lights.
She looked down. and saw her husband was holding a battery-operated leisure device...
A vibrator!
Soft, wonderful and larger than a real one.
She went completely ballistic - "You impotent bastard," She screamed at him, "how could you be lying to me all of these years? You better explain yourself!"
The husband looks her straight in the eyes and says calmly: "I'll explain the toy . . . you explain the kids.

Speeding (joke)

A police officer pulls a man over for speeding. As the officer approaches the car he can see that the man is very anxious about something.
"Good afternoon Sir. Do you know why I stopped you?"
"Yes, officer... I know I was speeding -- but it is a matter of life or death."
"Oh, really? How's that?"
"There's a naked woman waiting for me at home."
"I don't see how that is a matter of life or death."
"If I don't get home before my wife does, I'm a dead man."

Home Remedies For Cough

• Lemon quarter sprinkled with black pepper powder and salt

• Extracted juice of ginger and honey can be mixed and taked daily

• Boil basil leaves, peppercorns and lemon juice with water till the mix becomes half, add honey to this and have it as often as you can.

• Soak almonds overnight, grind to a paste and use it with butter and sugar in case of a dry cough.

• Hot milk with honey works very well

• Chewing a piece of cardamom or a clove is very helpful

• Turmeric powder dissolved in hot milk or eve hot water is very effective for coughs

• Heat some coconut oil with powdered camphor and allow it to cool down to a lukewarm state. Once there, apply the oil to the chest, back, nose, throat and forehead. The cold usually subsides after continuous application twice a day for about 2 days.

• Use a humidifier as it really helps in diluting the mucous.

• Boil 5 garlic cloves in 2 cups of water; take the cloves out and drink up the warm water.

• Have a hot chicken soup with lots of ginger and peppercorns especially if one has a wet cough for it is a natural decongestant.