Diagnosis
Chapter: 4 - Diagnosis
Subchapter: 1 - Causes of Breast Cancer
Causes of Breast Cancer
- What if it’s cancer?
- What caused it?
- What should I do now?
- How is breast cancer treated?
- How long will treatment take?
- What will it be like?
- Will I be okay?
- What about my family?
When a lump or suspicious site in your breast is detected, it raises some serious questions. In this chapter, we are going to do our best to answer them. We will discuss what doctors know and do not know, how to react to your diagnosis as well as how to understand it, and how to move beyond the shock.
Risk Factors
So what do scientists actually know about the causes of cancer? It’s a difficult question. Cancer grows when a cell’s DNA is damaged, which we discussed in Chapter 3, but why or how that DNA becomes damaged is still unknown. It could be genetic or environmental, or in most cases a combination of the two. But most patients will never know exactly what caused their cancer.
However, there are certain established risk factors that are associated with breast cancer:
- A family history with breast cancer
- Early menstruation (before age 12)
- Late menopause (after 55)
- Breast tissue that is more dense with lobular and ductal tissue relative to fatty tissue
- Noncancerous cell abnormalities
These factors are genetic, they are not something you can control.
60-70% of people with breast cancer have no connection to them at all, and other people with risk factors will never develop cancer.
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Sub Chapters
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Causes of Breast Cancer 02:13
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Why? 01:30
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Diagnostic Methods 03:50
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Biopsy 02:41
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Lab Tests 02:11
Related Questions
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I have noticed an indention in my breast more noticeable when I lift my arm up.This has been here for 2-3 weeks I wasn't concerned until I felt what might be a lump I'm not sure what to feel for but compared to my right breast this seems abnormal
Asked by anonymous
Learning About Breast Cancer- View all 6 answers
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anonymous
Stage 4 Patient
I understand your seventeen go to doctor. There is another really you g girl on this site also. Better to know nothing be a stage o or stage 1 than edit and it be too late.
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anonymous
Patient
At 17, your chances of having cancer are quite slim but for peace of mind, you should have it checked out. You may just have fibroids - quite common and can be painful, especially when you get your period.
Comment 0
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Are grade and stage of cancer the same?
Asked by anonymous
Learning About Breast Cancer-
anonymous
Family Member or Loved One
From what I know, the stage refers to how much the tumor has spread, while the grade refers to how abnormal the cancer cells are. So you could have a smaller tumor that has not really spread, like in Stage I, but it could be made up of aggressive, more abnormal cells, which would give it a...
1 comment 3From what I know, the stage refers to how much the tumor has spread, while the grade refers to how abnormal the cancer cells are. So you could have a smaller tumor that has not really spread, like in Stage I, but it could be made up of aggressive, more abnormal cells, which would give it a higher grade.
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has anyone experienced swelling in your breast after a lumpectomy and aux lymp node disection? i just finished 30 radation treatments
Asked by anonymous
Learning About Breast Cancer-
anonymous
Survivor since 2012
Both my surgery and radiation caused some swelling. It took a few months for all the swelling to leave. If it's uncomfortable or seems unusually large, call your doctor.
Comment 0 -
anonymous
Survivor since 2013
I think that swelling can be a side effect of radiation.
Comment 0
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Anyone fallen into the "intermediate category" on the oncotype test, and then had the EndoPredict test done to get a definite answer to benefit of chemo? My RS was 27.
Asked by anonymous
stage_1 Patient- View all 4 answers
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anonymous
Survivor since 2013
I only had the OncoType DX test as at the time was the only one available and was told I was aiming for a number of 18 or below. I came in right at 18 and my Onc. told me I could get by without chemo. but she used another program of some sort, plugging in my info., and it said my recurrence rate...
Comment 1I only had the OncoType DX test as at the time was the only one available and was told I was aiming for a number of 18 or below. I came in right at 18 and my Onc. told me I could get by without chemo. but she used another program of some sort, plugging in my info., and it said my recurrence rate would drop significantly so I chose to do chemo. and am glad I did.
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anonymous
Survivor since 2013
Maybe Endo is new, I've never heard of it. My onco score was 17. I had decided to have chemo if my score was over 20. I think that 26 was the number that my doctor said I must have chemo, and 19 to 25, we would have to discuss.
Comment 0
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