| merican Cancer Society estimates that 212,930 | | | | family history of breast cancer should be |
| new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed and | | | | evaluated according to the . Women at increased |
| 40,870 will die of breast cancer in the United | | | | risk for breast cancer (generally those with a |
| States in 2005. Breast cancer is the most | | | | greater than 1.67% 5-year risk of breast cancer |
| common malignancy in women in the United | | | | using the Gail model of risk assessment ) may |
| States and is second only tolung cancer as a | | | | consider risk reduction strategies (see ). |
| cause of cancer death. | | | | Proliferative abnormalities of the breast are limited |
| The incidence of breast cancer has increased | | | | to the lobular and ductal epithelium. In both the |
| steadily in the United States over the past few | | | | lobular and ductal epithelium,a spectrum of |
| decades, but breast cancer mortality appears to | | | | proliferative abnormalities may be seen, including |
| be declining. This suggests a benefit from early | | | | hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia, in situ carcinoma, |
| detection and more effective treatment. | | | | and invasive carcinoma. Approximately 85% to |
| The etiology of the vast majority of breast | | | | 90% of invasive carcinomas are ductal in origin. |
| cancer cases is unknown. However, numerous risk | | | | The invasive ductal carcinomas include unusual |
| factors for the disease have been established. | | | | variants of breast cancer, such as colloid or |
| These risk factors include female gender, | | | | mucinous, adenoid cystic, and tubular carcinomas, |
| increasing patient age, family history of breast | | | | which have especially favorable natural histories. |
| cancer at a young age, early menarche, late | | | | Some types of food can contribute to the |
| menopause, older age at first live childbirth, | | | | development of cancer; other foods lessen the |
| prolonged hormone replacement therapy, previous | | | | risk. The following anti-cancer diet greatly lowers |
| exposure to therapeutic chest wall irradiation, | | | | your risk of colorectal cancer and nearly all other |
| benign proliferative breast disease, and genetic | | | | types of cancers. It can also prevent |
| mutations such as the and genes. However, | | | | cardiovascular disease. For people with a genetic |
| except for female gender and increasing patient | | | | tendency toward colorectal cancer, it is not just |
| age, these risk factors are associated with only a | | | | an option, it's a lifesaving necessity. |
| minority of breast cancers. Women with a strong | | | | |