Genes, Age and Family Can Be Risk Factors To Get Breast Cancer

Nowdays, many people in the world are affraid about this cancer, especially for women. Simply living longer is one of the strongest contributors to breast cancer, since age brings greater exposure to cancer-causing agents. Not the least of these is the female hormone estrogen, which can prompt breast tissue to grow abnormally after waxing and waning over a lifetime of menstrual cycles. But exactly how breast cells react to the hormone is influenced by genes. Two known genetic mutations, BRCA1 and BRCA2, have been identified, but other, still unknown genes almost certainly contribute to risk for the disease. The often cited risk factors are familiar to most people, but some may be more fiction than fact.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Age: The older a woman is, the greater her lifetime exposure to potential carcinogens and cancer-promoting estrogen.
Genetics:About 10% of breast-cancer cases in the U.S. are due to inherited genetic mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
Family Ties: Having two or more first-degree relatives with breast cancer could hint at unidentified genetic contributors to the disease.
Delayed Childbirth: Putting off pregnancy increases exposure to estrogen by increasing the total number of menses over a lifetime.

Treatment

The goal of any cancer treatment is to clear away malignant cells while leaving the remaining cellular landscape as intact as possible. MammoSite, a five-day, seed-based therapy, does that by directing radiation at only cancer-rich regions of the breast. After surgically removing cancerous growth, doctors insert a balloon with a catheter into the cavity left behind by the tumor. They can then thread radioactive seeds into the balloon to zap away any residual cancer cells.

RESULTS
No More Tumors — After five years, women treated with MammoSite showed no recurrent growths in their breasts.

A Fresh Choice — Women who thought mastectomy was preferable to the traditional six weeks of radiation now have a new option.

sumber : http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1666089_1666563_1668362,00.html