Sick+genes+activity-+Breast+cancer

** Breast cancer is an uncontrolled growth of breast cells. ** **Symptoms ** Initially, breast cancer may not cause any symptoms. A lump may be too small for you to feel or to cause any unusual changes you can notice on your own. Often, an abnormal area turns up on a screening mammogram (x-ray of the breast), which leads to further testing. In some cases, however, the first sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast that you or your doctor can feel. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer. But sometimes cancers can be tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to have anything unusual checked by your doctor. According to the American Cancer Society, any of the following unusual changes in the breast can be a symptom of breast cancer:
 * Breast cancer **
 * swelling of all or part of the breast
 * skin irritation or dimpling
 * breast pain
 * nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
 * redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
 * a nipple discharge other than breast milk
 * a lump in the underarm area

**Genetic mutation ** Cancer occurs as a result of mutations, or abnormal changes, in the genes responsible for regulating the growth of cells and keeping them healthy. The genes are in each cell’s nucleus, which acts as the “control room” of each cell. Normally, the cells in our bodies replace themselves through an orderly process of cell growth: healthy new cells take over as old ones die out. But over time, mutations can “turn on” certain genes and “turn off” others in a cell. That changed cell gains the ability to keep dividing without control or order, producing more cells just like it and forming a tumor. **Genetic relationship ** Breast cancer is the most common cancer that affects women in the United States. There are at least two majors genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) that when they mutate can cause breast cancer. These genes can be passed from parent to child, increasing the risk of developing cancer in those children that have parent carrying these genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are located on chromosome 17 and chromosome 13 respectively. There is a 90% chance of developing breast cancer for a woman that has these mutated genes. In contrast, men carrying BRCA1 have no risk to develop breast cancer, but those carrying BRCA2 genes have high risk. It is important to note that mutations in these genes can be passed on to children by either parent. A man with a mutation is just as likely to pass this gene to his children as a woman with a mutation. Hereditary cancer occurs at young age, for instance a woman in her 20's with breast cancer is more likely to have hereditary type of cancer that a woman in her 50's. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 18pt;">Epidemiology ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Women are obviously more likely to get breast cancer than men are but there are risks for men if a certain gene is passed from the parent. As the older you get, the more likely you are to get breast cancer. Also recent studies have shown that women with dense breasts are more susceptible to get breast cancer.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 18pt;">Diagnosis ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Breast cancer is sometimes found before symptoms appear so women should get regular screening. If something suspicious is found during the screening then you get a mammogram. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. They take the mammogram from two different angles of each breast. This is for both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 18pt;">Prognosis ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Breast cancer is the second most lethal cancer in women. (Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in women.) The good news is that early detection and new treatments have improved survival rates. The 5-year survival rate for women diagnosed with cancer is 80%. About 88% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive at least 10 years. Unfortunately, women in lower social and economic groups still have significantly lower survival rates than women in higher groups. Several factors are used to determine the risk for recurrence and the likelihood of successful treatment. They include: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 18pt;">Treatment ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">In recent years, there's been an explosion of life-saving treatment advances against breast cancer, bringing new hope and excitement. Instead of only one or two options, today there's an overwhelming menu of treatment choices that fight the complex mix of cells in each individual cancer. The decisions — surgery, then perhaps radiation, hormonal (anti-estrogen) therapy, and/or chemotherapy — can feel overwhelming. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 18pt;">Interesting facts ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">About 1 in 8 U.S. women (just under 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. About 2,140 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2011. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Location of the tumor and how far it has spread
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Whether the tumor is hormone receptor-positive or -negative
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tumor markers
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gene expression
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tumor size and shape
 * <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rate of cell division

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 18pt;">References listed ** [] [|http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students98/rivera.htm] [] [] []