OCTOBER_BREAST_-_CANCER_AWARENESS_MONTH

[srtools1980y]

Breast Cancer is an enigmatic disease that puzzles and taxes the patient, the clinician and researcher. The fact that we still do not understand the risk factors for breast cancer illustrates this point. The risk factors are multiple with complex and, perhaps, unpredictable interactions with each other and the individual. This is why many women with strong risk factors for breast cancer live a disease-free life, while others who have no identifiable risk factors seem to succumb to the disease. To list some of the established factors:

Gender: Being a woman is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer. Constant exposure to the growth-promoting effects of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone are responsible for this. Men can develop breast cancer, but this is relatively uncommon.

Increasing age: Risk increases as one ages. A lump in a teenager