General Information About Breast Cancer
What is cancer?
The body is made up of various kinds of cells, which normally divide
in an orderly way to produce more cells only when they are needed. Cancer
is a group of diseases - more than 100 types - that occur when cells become
abnormal and divide without control or order.
What is a tumor?
When cells divide when new cells are not needed, too much tissue is formed.
This mass of extra tissue, called a tumor, can be benign or malignant.
- benign tumors:
- are not cancerous
- can usually be removed
- do not come back in most cases
- do not spread to other parts of the body and the cells do not
invade other tissues
- malignant tumors:
- are cancerous
- can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs
- metastasize - cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor
and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system to form secondary
tumors in other parts of the body
What are the different types of breast cancer?
There are several types of breast cancer, including:
- The most common type begins in the lining of the ducts and is called
ductal carcinoma.
When breast cancer metastasizes, or spreads outside the breast, cancer
cells are often found in the lymph nodes under the arm. If the cancer
has reached these nodes, it may mean that cancer cells have spread to
other parts of the body.
Cancer that spreads is the same disease and has the same name as the
original, or primary cancer. When breast cancer spreads, it is called
metastatic breast cancer, even though the secondary tumor is in another
organ. This may also be called "distant" disease.
Types of breast cancer, in alphabetical order, are:
Listed in the directory below you will find some additional information
regarding breast cancer, for which we have provided a brief overview.
If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please
visit the Women's Health Online Resources page
in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain
additional information on that topic.
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