Fast Facts

Breast cancer facts are where the basic information is derived from. The heart of the breast cancer information line, we all start here with some basic facts about breast cancer:

• Breast cancer usually occurs in women’s breast tissue, involving the milk areas—the ducts that carry milk to the nipple, and the lobules, or glands that make milk.
  
• Male breast cancer is rare, but is slightly on the rise in the United States.
  
• In 2007, there are 178,480 new female cases and 2,030 new male cases.
  
• In 2007, so far there have been 40,460 female deaths and 450 male deaths all due to breast cancer.
  
• Presently, one out of eight women will develop breast cancer.
  
• Eighty-percent of women with no family history of cancer will develop breast cancer.
  
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women.
  
• A woman who exercises four hours per week reduces her risk of breast cancer, due to the increased action of the immune system and reduced estrogen levels. Six hours a week will reduce invasive breast cancer.
  
• Low fat diets decrease breast cancer as fat triggers the hormone estrogen, which in turn fuels tumor growth. Fruits and vegetables need to be in excess for the diet.
  
• Facts on breast cancer show that women under 35 and use birth control pills for over then years are shown to be an increased risk for breast cancer.
  
• Do a self-breast exam one a month and remember that eight out of ten lumps are benign, or not cancerous.
  
• High risks involve women who begun their menstrual cycle before 12 years of age, no children, first child was born after the age of 30, or menopause begun after the age of 55, according to the latest breast cancer facts and statistics.
  

One important breast cancer awareness fact is to not listen to myths about breast cancer, as the wrong information increases a person’s risk of breast cancer. Some incorrect myths state that breast cancer only occurs in older women, if a person has risk factors they will definitely get breast cancer, a person is safe if their family has never had cancer, or antiperspirants cause breast cancer. But there are some strange facts about breast cancer—the chances of getting breast cancer increases with increased use of alcohol or every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.