Breast cancer develops as a result of genetic alterations of tumor suppressive genes and over-activation of cell proliferation genes, occurring in cells with no overt mutational changes in DNA. These genetic alterations contribute to predisposition to breast cancer by making these women particularly vulnerable to the effects of risk factors such as estrogen receptor signaling.
The decision to treat [breast cancer](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/breast-cancer) can be difficult because many medical conditions require treatment regardless of prognosis. However, most women receive some form of surgery prior to treatment with chemotherapy and other treatments. Also, medical research continues to refine treatments with improved outcomes. Given the large number of treatments provided for cancer, these guidelines should provide guidance on where the best therapy is chosen.
In 2018, an estimated 174,750 new diagnoses of [breast cancer](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/breast-cancer) were made. This represents 2.8% of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States. These data highlight the need for better patient education regarding the disease and mammography screening.
Breast cancer in women of reproductive age can cause many painful symptoms. These painful symptoms are much more likely to occur when the breast cancer is new, is localized and/or has metastasized. When present at screening in women 30 to fifty years ago, the signs of breast cancer also included non-painful symptoms, which has led to questions about why women without these symptoms had the screening done.
When patients receive adequate and adequate timely treatment in the first stages of the disease, and when their cancers have not spread or recurred, it is possible that a cure is achievable.
Breast cancer typically appears when a woman is between 25 and 50 years old and usually forms in the breast near the chest. Treatment involves an operation to remove the tumor and may also involve surgery for reconstruction of the breast to look the same. Progression of the disease may lead to lymph node involvement, and can ultimately result in the spread of disease to other parts of the body. Breast cancer is diagnosed by checking the breasts for any abnormal or unusual lump.
There are numerous families who are affected by breast cancer with clustering for both breast cancer prevalence and BC risk. These patterns may be explained by rare genetic alterations or by environmental exposures.
In the last decade breast-cancer researchers have developed several new treatments. The advent of the targeted therapies have changed the outlook for some breast-cancer patients. However, more research is needed, mainly in patients without receptor-positive cancers, as these cancers are notoriously difficult to treat with hormonal and/or chemotherapeutic agents.
There is a strong connection between cancer and cancer mortality. But overall, breast cancer is very rare in women. Women, especially in the younger age groups, often have a low body mass index. The breast cancer mortality in young women is higher than expected rates. There is also a high mortality of young girls, of course this is largely due to the screening and early detection programs. The rate of young women with cancer is increasing. There is also a high rate of lymph node involvement. And this poses a greater health risk. The stage at which a cancer is discovered is very important in determining the outcome, especially for breast cancer.
Recent findings shows an increased survival rate over previous reports that used newer classification methods. These observations may be partially explained by the use of chemotherapy for the TNBC group which may have resulted in earlier diagnosis of the tumor and detection of the disease at a later stage. These patients may have presented to a tertiary referral center for more intensive treatment. In our cohort, the use of adjuvant treatments did not reduce overall survival.
The most recent data indicate that the median survival from the time of diagnosis of [breast cancer](https://www.withpower.com/clinical-trials/breast-cancer) to metastasis is 18 months, and the median overall and distant-free survival to last follow-up evaluation is 14.9 and 6.8 months, respectively. Also, in the past 10 years, the percentage of people presenting with a lump in the breast as part of their symptoms has probably increased. The most recent data show that breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies and it is estimated to be the fourth-most frequent cancer in women after lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer. There are approximately 40,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the United States each year.
This work does not provide a clear picture of the risk of breast cancer. It is not clear, either way, whether the difference in the risk among different ethnic groups is due to differences in genetics or other biological, social, and environmental factors. It is also important to mention that one’s ethnic background is not the only risk factor to consider and most individuals must do a combination of all these factors to increase their risk.\n