Introduction of Breast Cancer

Cancer is a general term that refers to cells that grow and multiply out of control and possibly spread to other parts of the body. There are many different types of breast cancer. Each may have different characteristics, and each one may require a different treatment. ¹

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Cancer can cause harm in different ways. Cancer cells take nutrition and space away from normal cells. A lump of cancer cells, called a tumor, can invade or destroy normal tissue. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis. ¹

Breast cancer is a common cancer among women in the United States and second only to skin cancer, affecting about 178,480 women in the United States in 2007. ²