Breast
Cancer - The World
View
When
a group of cells display uninhibited growth, which
refers to division beyond the normal limits, this phenomenon is
commonly
referred to as cancer. Other characteristics include an attack and
destruction
of surrounding tissues, and the spread to other locations in the body
via lymph
or blood, which is known as metastasis.
These
malignant, which refers to a severe and progressively
worsening disease, properties of cancers differentiate them from benign
tumors,
which are self-limited and do not invade or metastasise.
A
tumor refers to a swelling or lesion formed by an
unusually high growth of cells and occurs with most cancers. However,
some,
like leukemia, do not produce tumors.
Breast
cancer becomes established, initially, in the cells
of the breast in men and women. On a worldwide basis, the second most
established
form of cancer, after lung cancer, is that of breast cancer. It
represents 10%
of all cancers relating to both sexes. It is the fifth most common
cause of
cancer death.
The
most common type of cancer specifically related to
women, globally, is that of breast cancer. It occurs at more than twice
the
rate of that of colorectal cancer and cervical cancer and about three
times
that of lung cancer. Further, in the case of women, deaths from breast
cancer,
worldwide, is approximately 25% more than that from lung cancer.
In
a study in 2005, it was found that breast cancer produced
502,000 deaths worldwide. To get this into context, this represents
about 7% of
all cancer deaths, and nearly 1% of all recorded deaths. Further, there
has
been a substantial increase, globally, in breast cancer since the
1970s. This
statistic, it is suggested, may be associated with modern lifestyles in
the
western world.
On
a global basis, the occurrence of breast cancer differs
significantly according to region. It is less widespread in
less-developed
countries and more so in the further-developed countries. In the twelve
designated regions of the world, the annual incidence rates per 100,000
women
are as follows: Eastern Asia, 18; Southern Central Asia, 22;
sub-Saharan Africa,
22; South-Eastern Asia, 26; North Africa and Western Asia, 28; South
and
Central America, 42; Eastern Europe, 49; Southern Europe, 56; Northern
Europe,
73; Oceania, 74; Western Europe, 78; and in North America, 90.
The
United States
has the highest incidence rates of
breast cancer in women, globally. A study has shown 141 cases among
white women
and 122 among African American women. Also in the
US,
breast cancer amongst women is
the most prevalent cancer. After lung cancer, it produces the second
highest occurrence
of deaths from all cancers.
There
is a 12.5% chance of women in the
US
developing invasive breast
cancer within their lifetime. Further, there is a 3% chance that the
breast
cancer that they may contract will actually cause their death. A
forecast has
suggested that, in 2007, breast cancer would be the cause of 40,910
deaths in
the
US.
This would represent some 7% of cancer deaths, and almost 2% of all
deaths.
For
the last few years, both the incidence and death rates
from breast cancer in the
US
have been in decline. In 2005, a study conducted in the
US
by the Society for Women’s
Health Research concluded that breast cancer remains the disease that
causes
the most concern. This is an interesting outcome since heart disease is
a much
more widespread determinant when considering all deaths among women.
Breast
cancer is also prevalent in men. This is due to the
fact that the breast is composed of identical tissues in respect of
both
genders. However, it must be remembered that the manifestation of
breast cancer
in men is some 100 times less common than that in women. Conversely, men with
breast cancer are
considered to have the same statistical survival rates as women.
Breast
Cancer
– How To Succeed
Peter Radford writes Articles with Websites on a
wide range of subjects. Breast Cancer
Articles cover Background, Symptoms, Risk, Prevention, Treatment
His Website
contains over 100 Breast Cancer Articles,
View his Website at:
breast-cancer-how-to-succeed.com
This Article may be reprinted so long as the
Resource Box remains in tact.
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