Breast Cancer Information

Breast cancers are described along four different classification schemes, or groups, each based on different criteria and serving a different purpose:

• Pathology – Each tumor is classified by its histological (microscopic anatomy) appearance and other criteria.
• Grade of tumor – The histological grade of a tumor is determined by a pathologist under a microscope. A ”well-differentiated” (low grade) tumor resembles normal tissue. A ”poorly differentiated” (high grade) tumor is composed of disorganized cells and, therefore, does not look like normal tissue. ”Moderately differentiated” (intermediate grade) tumors are somewhere in between. Read more…

Breast cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk). It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer death in women in the U.S. While the majority of new breast cancers are diagnosed as a result of an abnormality seen on a mammogram, a lump or change in consistency of the breast tissue can also be a warning sign of the disease. Heightened awareness of breast cancer risk in the past decades has led to an increase in the number of women undergoing mammography for screening, leading to detection of cancers in earlier stages and a resultant improvement in survival rates. Still, breast cancer is the most common cause of death in women between the ages of 45 and 55. Although breast cancer in women is a common form of cancer, male breast cancer does occur and accounts for about 1% of all cancer deaths in men. Read more…