Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer

Ashley Price

Com/156

December 11, 2011

Nicole Provencher

Introduction

Breast cancer is very common in American women today. There are about 115,000 new cancer cases each year, and one out of 11 women will develop breast cancer at some point in their life. The number of new breast cancer cases has increased over the past two decades. However, there has been considerable improvement in diagnosis and when treating the breast cancer. Performing regular breast self-examination and getting your routine mammography is a very important tool when you will be able to detect breast cancer in early stages. Today there is different treatments to fight breast cancer, therefore not always the doctor, and the patient will be in agreement with there points of view. This is to be expected with all the many treatments that are available today.

What is Cancer

When you have a healthy body, the creation, growth, and death of cells is

controlled by natural systems in your body. In the natural cycle of life, cells divide to

make new tissue as older cells die. Whenever the tissue in your body is injured, the cell growth in your body speeds up cell division for new tissue in the injured area as fast as possible. After the injured area has healed, the new tissue creation goes back to the regular pace.

Cancer is a condition where the natural systems do not work right and cells do not die at the normal rate (Susan G. Komen, 2011). Whenever the cells are dividing out of control this will make a mass of extra tissue also called a tumor.

As the tumor continues to grow, a formation of new blood vessels also called angiogenesis. The formation of new blood vessels is formed to bring oxygen and nutrients that the tumor needs to grow. The cancer cells can also divide up and leave the tumor site and travel through the bloodstream and the lymphatic system to other parts of the body, like the liver, lungs, and bones. This process is known as...