Breast cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American women, is the
disease women fear most. Experts predict 178,000 women will develop breast cancer
in the United States in 2007. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but it's far less
common. For 2007, the predicted number of new breast cancers in men is 2,000.

Yet there's more reason for optimism than ever before. In the last 30 years, doctors
have made great strides in early diagnosis and treatment of the disease and in reducing
breast cancer deaths. In 1975, a diagnosis of breast cancer usually meant radical
mastectomy \u2014 removal of the entire breast along with underarm lymph nodes and
muscles underneath the breast. Today, radical mastectomy is rarely performed.
Instead, there are more and better treatment options, and many women are candidates
for breast-sparing operations.

Knowing the signs and symptoms of breast cancer may help save your life. When the disease is discovered early, you have more treatment options and a better chance for a cure.

Most breast lumps aren't cancerous. Yet the most common sign of breast cancer for
both men and women is a lump or thickening in the breast. Often, the lump is
painless. Other potential signs of breast cancer include:

A number of conditions other than breast cancer can cause your breasts to change in
size or feel. Breast tissue changes naturally during pregnancy and your menstrual
cycle. Other possible causes of noncancerous (benign) breast changes include
fibrocystic changes, cysts, fibroadenomas, infection or injury.

If you find a lump or other change in your breast \u2014 even if a recent mammogram was normal \u2014 see your doctor for evaluation. If you haven't yet gone through menopause, you may want to wait through one menstrual cycle before seeing your doctor. If the change hasn't gone away after a month, have it evaluated promptly.

In breast cancer, some of the cells in your breast begin growing abnormally. These
cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and may spread (metastasize) through
your breast, to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body. The most common
type of breast cancer begins in the milk-producing ducts, but cancer may also begin in
the lobules or in other breast tissue.

In most cases, it isn't clear what causes normal breast cells to become cancerous.
Doctors do know that only 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancers are inherited.
Families that do have genetic defects in one of two genes, breast cancer gene 1
(BRCA1) or breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), have a much greater risk of developing
both breast and ovarian cancer. Other inherited mutations \u2014 including the ataxia-
telangiectasia mutation gene, the cell-cycle checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK-2) gene and
the p53 tumor suppressor gene \u2014 also make it more likely that you'll develop breast
cancer. If one of these genes is present in your family, you have a 50 percent chance
of having the gene.

mutations may result from radiation exposure \u2014 women treated with chest radiation
therapy for lymphoma in childhood or during adolescence when breasts are
developing have a significantly higher incidence of breast cancer than do women not
exposed to radiation. Mutations may also develop as a result of exposure to cancer-
causing chemicals, such as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in tobacco
and charred red meats.

Researchers are now trying to discover whether a relationship exists between a person's genetic makeup and environmental factors that may increase the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer eventually may prove to have a number of causes.

A risk factor is anything that makes it more likely you'll get a particular disease. Some
risk factors, such as your age, sex and family history, can't be changed, whereas
others, including weight, smoking and a poor diet, are under your control.

But having one or even several risk factors doesn't necessarily mean you'll develop
cancer \u2014 most women with breast cancer have no known risk factors other than
simply being women. In fact, being female is the single greatest risk factor for breast
cancer. Although men can develop the disease, it's far more common in women.

percent of breast cancers occur in women older than age 50. In your 30s, you have a one in 233 chance of developing breast cancer. By age 85, your chance is one in eight.

cancer or both, or a male relative with breast cancer, you have a greater chance
of also developing breast cancer. In general, the more relatives you have who
were diagnosed with breast cancer before reaching menopause, the higher
your own risk. If you have one first-degree relative \u2014 a mother, sister or
daughter \u2014 who was diagnosed with the disease before age 50, your risk is
doubled. If you have two or more relatives, your risk increases even more. Just
because you have a family history of breast cancer doesn't mean it's hereditary,
though. Most people with a family history of breast cancer (familial breast
cancer risk) haven't inherited a defective gene, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.
Rather, cancer becomes so common in women who live into their 80s and
beyond that random, noninherited breast tumors may appear in more than one
member of a single family.

are inherited. Defects in one of several genes, especially BRCA1 or BRCA2,
put you at greater risk of developing breast, ovarian and colon cancers.
Usually these genes help prevent cancer by making proteins that keep cells
from growing abnormally. But if they have a mutation, the genes aren't as
effective at protecting you from cancer.

child or young adult, you're more likely to develop breast cancer later in life. Your risk is greatest if you received radiation as an adolescent during breast development.

complex. In general, weighing more than is healthy increases your risk,
particularly if you gained the weight as an adolescent. But risk is even greater
if you put the weight on after menopause. Your risk also is greater if you have
more body fat in the upper part of your body.

especially before age 12, you may have a greater likelihood of developing breast cancer. Experts attribute this risk to the early exposure of the breast tissue to estrogen.