When the cells in mammary glands and the surrounding tissue grow in an uncontrolled way, it is called breast cancer. In order to understand how this may happen, it is important to understand the cells that make up the human body. In the very center of a cell resides a gene. Genes are kind of like a computer for the cell. Cells have a blueprint to follow which is an orderly series of events allowing new, healthy cells to replace the old cells. Unfortunately, occasionally a cell does not form properly and then each cell that comes after to replace that one is also deformed. As these cells multiply and form a lump, they become known as a tumor.
There are two types of tumor: benign and malignant. A benign tumor is not considered dangerous but malignant tumors are cancerous and can eventually invade other parts of the body. These malignant tumors are called ‘breast cancer’ because they originated in that part of the body. Most commonly the cancer begins in the milk-producing glands but occasionally the connective tissues are the starting point. Regardless of where the cancer begins in the breast, these cells will find their way into the lymph nodes near the armpit giving them a clear path to every other part of the body.
In most cases of breast cancer, the cells mutate because of environmental factors like pollutants and pesticides, hormonal imbalance, obesity and just aging in general. Only less than ten percent of breast cancer cases is due to heredity. Some things that people can do to limit their cancer risk factor is to exercise regularly, eat a well balanced diet that includes fiber and antioxidants and reduce the stress of everyday life. If a person is diagnosed with cancer, it is not productive to worry and have guilt about things that they could have done differently.