In 2007, the American Cancer Society estimated that over 178 thousand new cases of invasive breast cancer and over 62 thousand new cases of noninvasive breast cancer would be diagnosed among women in the United States. A woman has a one in eight risk of developing invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. Awareness of this disease, medical innovations, improved treatment methods and increased screening activities have caused death rates from breast cancer to decline gradually over the years.

The breasts are made of fat, glands, and connective tissue. Tiny ducts run from the many tiny glands, connect together, and end in the nipple. It is in these ducts where 80% of breast cancers occur. About 10-15% of breast cancers occur in the lobules and thus have been given the name of lobular cancer. Understanding the anatomy of the breast is important if specific symptoms are to be recognized.

Breast cancer detection begins with knowing and recognizing the risk factors and symptoms of the cancer. Risk factors of breast cancer include such things as a genetic disposition or a family history of the disease, but could also include factors that you can change such as smoking, drinking heavily and living an unhealthy lifestyle. Symptoms of breast cancer are varied. One of the most commonly recognized sign of breast cancer is a lump in the breast. It is better for a woman to be diagnosed and treated for breast cancer before any symptoms, like a lump, are allowed to develop. In the case that there is a need to test to determine if an abnormality such as a lump is cancerous, there are several options that you have. The mammogram is the most common test that is used to screen for breast cancer.

Breast cancer can be detected with a mammogram long before you would ever feel a lump in a self-examination. A Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a test that reveals different details of your breast health than a mammogram, and is often used as a compliment to the mammogram. Tests that are done to determine whether or not a lump or cancerous mass that was found in one of the above mentioned screenings is cancerous are called pathology tests. Pathology tests involve taking a sample of the tissue or fluid where the cancer is suspected and a pathologist test that sample. These pathology tests are distinguished by whether they are fluid samples or tissue samples. Fluid samples do not require that a portion of the breast be removed for testing while tissue samples do require this tissue sample.

Once the results of the test are in, the patient has his or her diagnosis. In the case that the diagnosis is one of cancer, there are a number of different organizations that provide counseling groups and medical advice that are designed to help the individual cope with their diagnosis and take the fastest track possible towards recovery.