Although a great deal of research is underway to understand what causes breast cells to become cancerous, the cause of breast cancer remains unknown today.
The American Cancer Society predicts that approximately 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States in 2012. Further included, breast cancer is the most common cancer of women around the world and the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States, following lung cancer. The chance of developing breast cancer increases with age:
There are some risk factors, such as a family or personal history of breast cancer, race, history of chest area radiation, long menstrual history (early onset of menstruation and late onset of menopause), the use of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy, and alcohol use, that have been shown to increase a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer.
*Source – Hologic
