comparing breast cancer in men and women
COMPARING BREAST CANCER IN MEN AND WOMEN Breasts are made up of glandular tissues held together by connective tissue and fat. A cancer is a group of abnormal cells growing together in an uncontrolled way, invading and damaging healthy tissues. A group of growing cancer cells forms a lump, which is called a tumor, if the tumor is in the breast it is called breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer found among women and affects approximately one million women worldwide. In the UK, approximately one in 10 women of all ages will develop breast cancer at sometime in their lives, and about 30,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. It can affect men as well as women in many ways; the disease appears similar in the two sexes. It is rare condition in men but in women it is the most common form of cancer. Men tend to be somewhat older than women at the time of diagnosis and the disease is often at a more advanced stage. All of the types of breast cancer seen in women can occur in men although some are quite rare. Approximately a quarter of breast cancer affect women under the age of 50, a half occur between the age of 50 and 69 and the remaining quarter develop in women who are 70yrs or older. Men at any age may develop breast cancer but it is usually found in men between 60 and 70yrs. For advanced disease, men usually receive some kind of hormone therapy which is more effective in them than in women. Men are likely than women to have nipple discharge [sometimes bloody] and signs of local spread, including nipple retraction, fixation to the skin of the underlying tissues, and skin ulceration. No one knows for certain what causes breast cancer. ... RISK FACTORS OF BREAST CANCER IN MEN RADIATION Men who have had repeated and prolonged exposure to radiation, i. ... radiotherapy treatment to the chest wall especially when young are thought to be at increased risk of breast cancer HIGH OESTROGEN LEVELS High levels of estrogen in the body occur as a result chronic liver damage, obesity and genetic conditions. ... For men who have this syndrome the risk of breast cancer is 20 times greater than average. Having several female relatives who have had breast cancer especially relatives who have an alteration of the BRCA2 gene. RISK FACTOR FOR BREAST CANCER IN WOMEN RADIATION If a woman’s breast is exposure to radiation at a young age for example, by having radiotherapy for another cancer such as Hodgkin’s disease the risk of breast cancer increases. REPRODUCTIVE FACTORS Women who starts menstruating early in life or who have a late menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer. AGE The risk of breast cancer increases with age and doubles every 10 years until the menopause when the rate of increase slows. ... WEIGHT Post-menopausal women who are 40 percent over their ideal body weight are at greater risk of developing the disease. HORMONES Women who take the oral contraceptive pill are at slight increased risk while they take the pill and they remain at risk for 10 years after coming of the pill .Women who begin taking the pill before the age of 20 appear to have a higher risk than women who begin taking oral contraceptive at an older age. ... In the case of breast cancer, this means making an effort to understand how the risk factors listed may apply to you personally and trying to modify them by making health and sense of well-being generally and may help protect you against other disease such as heart disease, diabetes and other forms of cancer.