Cancer has been defined by Oxford languages as a malignant growth or tumor resulting from an uncontrolled division of cells.
Breast cancer is thus a cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts.Breast cancer is more prevalent in women and occurs only very rarely in men.Breast cancer is known to be the most common and invasive type of cancer in females. It is also recorded to be the leading cause of deaths from cancer.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer and about 685 000 deaths occurred from breast cancer globally.
Historically, breast cancer was low in Nigeria, but we have experienced an increase as a result of lifestyle changes as well as urbanization. Currently approximately 18% of deaths in the country are attributed to breast cancer.
The American Cancer Society stated that the most common types of breast cancer are:
Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) , Invasive Breast Cancer (IDC/ILC), Triple-negative Breast Cancer, Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), Paget disease of the Breast, Angiosarcoma of the Breast and Phyllodes Tumor.
There are four known stages of breast cancer. Stages one to four being the most common stages. Stage zero is sometimes used to describe cancer that still is localized to the area In which it started hence they are easily treatable. They are even considered precancerous by some healthcare providers.
The most common symptoms of breast cancer includes;
A lump in the breast, abnormal nipple discharge,
changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast, discomfort in the breast, redness of skin around the breast.
While the risk factors include;
Genetic mutations, incressing age, having dense breasts, personal history of breast cancer or certain non-cancerous breast diseases, family history of breast or ovarian cancer, previous treatment using radiation therapy.
Other risk factors include;
Not being physically active, being overweight or having obesity after menopause, taking hormones or certain oral contraceptives (birth control pills), reproductive history (Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy), harmful use of alcohol, smoking, female gender is the strongest breast cancer risk factor.
There are many reasons for lumps to develop in the breast, most of which are not cancer.
Often, the most common first detectable site of spread is to the lymph nodes under the arm although it is possible to have cancer-bearing lymph nodes that cannot be felt.
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