Breast Health
About Breast Cancer
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast Cancer is a group of abnormal cells, which continue to grow and multiply in the breast. Normally cells grow and multiply in an orderly way but changed genes can cause them to behave abnormally. In the breast they may grow into a lump.
Breast Lumps
These lumps can be benign or malignant. Benign lumps do not spread to other parts of the body. A malignant lump is made up of cancer cells. When it first develops, this malignant tumour is confined to the breast. Most lumps are not cancerous.
How Breast Cancer Develops
Breast cancer develops in either the ducts or the lobules. Lobules are where the milk is produced and ducts are where the milk travels to the nipple. Cancer cells develop when the cells lining the ducts or lobules become abnormal in size and shape and start multiplying in an uncontrolled way. If the cancer is not removed and controlled, the cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body. These are called secondary cancers or metastases. About 200 women in Western Australia die from breast cancer each year.
What Causes Breast Cancer?
It is not possible to say what exactly causes a woman’s breast cancer. However, research has shown that some factors might increase a woman’s risk or chance of developing breast cancer. These factors are called risk factors.