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After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in women. An estimated 40,000 women will die from it this year. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is dedicated to educating people about breast cancer (including the benefits of early detection) and motivating research into its causes and possible cures.
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Although young women should show their doctors any lump that does not disappear within a few days, they don't need to worry very much about breast cancer. It's a scary and serious disease--one that affects one in eight women over the course of their lifetime--but it is extremely rare among teenagers.
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If your mother, sister or daughter has been diagnosed with breast cancer, however, you are at a higher risk of being diagnosed yourself when you get older. Smoking, drinking and consuming a diet high in animal fat content also increases the risk.
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Women under 40 aren't advised to receive regular mammograms (a special x-ray), but it is a good idea to have your nurse or doctor check out your breasts annually after you hit the age of 20. You should also get in the habit of giving yourself a monthly self-exam.
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White, non-Hispanic women report the highest incidence of breast cancer in the U.S., but African-American women are more likely to die from it than any other racial/ethnic group. Also, the older you are, the more likely you are to get breast cancer.
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There are a number of ways to treat breast cancer, ranging from hormone therapy to chemotherapy (a drug therapy designed to kill cancer cells or slow their growth) to radiation--and in extreme cases, partial or total removal of the breast and surrounding tissues (lumpectomies and mastectomies, respectively).
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Men can also develop breast cancer, although it's relatively rare. It's expected that 1,500 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
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