An Overview of Breast Cancer Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Pathophysiology, and Cancer Risks Reduction

Abstract

Cancer results from a series of molecular events that fundamentally alter the normal properties of cells. They are abnormal cells in which the processes regulating normal cell division are disrupted. There are several types of cancer. Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. Breast cancer is the most common female cancer, the second most common cause of cancer death in women. Over a million new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year. Both mortality and burden are high. Due to lack of information, basic knowledge on cancer, poor health facilities, and poor access to treatment, late screening and detection, breast cancer mortality is higher in developing nations, even though incidence rates are higher in developed nations. To increase breast cancer awareness this paper presents a review on breast cancer epidemiology, classification, the pathology of breast cancer, risk factors, and ways of preventing breast cancer through risk factors reduction.