Breast cancer. Two of the scariest words anyone might ever hear. Though there are many types of breast cancer, the two most common types are: invasive ductal carcinoma, where cancer cells grow outside ducts and into other breast tissue, and invasive lobular carcinoma where the cancer spreads from lobes to nearby breast tissue. Both of these types, and other types of breast cancer are capable to "metastasize" which means it has spread to other parts of the body.
Age and family history play a part in whether or not someone contracts breast cancer. Reduce your breast cancer risk by:
- Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly
- Not drinking or (at least) limiting alcohol consumption
- Talking to healthcare professionals about birth control or hormone replacement therapy prescriptions
- Choosing to breastfeed, if possible
- Researching your family history for all cancers and for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and asking your healthcare professional about testing for this
Staying healthy and lowering your risk for cancer is your best bet to improve survival in the event it occurs. For more information about breast cancer, including breast cancer in men, go to: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.html.