Breast cancer facts and statistics

When cancer begins in the tissues of the breast, it is called as Breast cancer which is mainly of two types; Ductal carcinoma, and Lobular carcinoma. Generally, breast cancers are of Ductal carcinoma type that begins in the tubes. Lobular carcinoma is the rare type of breast cancer that starts in other areas of the breast, called lobules. Breast cancer could be invasive (spread in the breast from the lobule or milk duct to other tissues) or noninvasive (not attacked other breast tissues).

Breast cancer is caused by many reasons such as age and gender; family history of breast cancer; genus; menstrual cycle; alcohol use; hormone replacement therapy; and radiation. The risk of breast cancer is increased with increasing age of women (over 50 years). Approximately 20 - 30% of women are fighting with breast cancer because they have a family history of the disease. Breast cancer is developed by some genes that are found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes generally produce proteins that defend people from cancer but these defective genes can cause breast cancer.

One of these defects can increase up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer in women sometime during their life. Women, who have got hormone replacement therapy with estrogen for some years or more, have a bigger risk for breast cancer. Men are also affected by breast cancer, however it is uncommon and over 300 men are diagnosed every year. Almost 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. After lung cancer, the second largest cause of death from cancer for women is breast cancer in the UK. Breast cancer was cause of 627 deaths in 2008 in Wales.