According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 192,370 people in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. As many as 40,000 people will lose their lives to the disease in the same year. Breast cancer is a deadly disease, but with regular breast examinations (both daily self- examinations and yearly mammograms) you can help fight the disease.
Cause
Breast cancer is caused by a mutation of the genes in the breast tissue that regulate cell growth. This alteration causes the cells to grow out of control into masses called tumors. According to the Mayo Clinic, most commonly this abnormal cell growth originates in the milk ducts (ductal carcinoma), but it can also develop in the lobules cells of the breast (lobular carcinoma).
Metastasis
Unfortunately, the same cells that are altered to grow abnormally are altered in their ability to migrate to other areas of the body. This process, called metastasis (or spreading), occurs when a cancer cell breaks off the primary tumor and travels to nearby tissue or lymph nodes. From here the cell can use the lymph duct system, or in some cases the bloodstream, to travel to anywhere in the body.
Secondary Tumor
Once the cancer cell is able to settle, it creates new blood vessels and begins to grow a secondary tumor. These secondary tumors can occur in many places, including the chest walls, liver, brain and lungs. Unfortunately, this is also where cancer can become the most dangerous. As secondary tumors begin to grow, they crowd and place pressure on the structures and organs they occupy space with. Eventually the tumor makes it impossible for other structures to function in the same space, leading to organ failure and eventually death.
