10/02/2023
Breast cancer is the most common type of non-skin cancer in women in the United States, accounting for 15 percent of all new cases. Also, it is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in American women.
Breast cancer occurs in many different forms. The most common form is ductal carcinoma, which begins in the cells of the ducts. Cancer that begins in the lobes or lobules is called lobular carcinoma. It is found more often in both breasts than other types of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type in which the breast is warm, red, and swollen.
Being female and older in age are the main risk factors for breast cancer. Other risk factors include estrogen (made in the body), dense breast tissue, age at menstruation and first birth, taking hormones for symptoms of menopause, smoking, obesity, and not getting enough exercise.
Hereditary breast cancer makes up 5 percent to 10 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses. Women who have certain gene mutations, such as mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, have an increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Men can also develop breast cancer, making up slightly less than 1 percent of those diagnosed each year. Radiation exposure, high levels of estrogen, and a family history of breast cancer can increase a man’s risk of the disease.
