What is breast cancer?
	Signs, symptoms and diagnosis
	Understanding breast cancer
	Early breast cancer and treatment options
	Advanced breast cancer and treatment options
	Questions to ask your breast cancer specialists about your breast cancer

What is breast cancer?

Cancer is characterised by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. The most common form of cancer in Australian women is breast cancer.1

The risks of developing breast cancer may be affected by a number of factors. Age, family history, early puberty, taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), oral contraceptives, being overweight, cigarettes or alcohol consumption may contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer, while breastfeeding and child bearing may lower the risk.

Breast cancer is complex. The variation at the molecular level means that breast cancer may respond to some treatments and not others. Tumour growth varies in speed, which means that breast cancer can be discovered at an early or advanced stage of development. The growth pattern taken by the cancer is also difficult to predict, and may be dependent on age and other factors.

Breast cancer can spread through the lymphatic system and blood vessels in the breast, meaning cancer cells spread around the body and invade other organs and establish secondary tumours known as metastases. Having a secondary tumour means the disease has reached an advance stage.

1. Breast Cancer in Australia, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and National Breast Cancer Centre, October 2006.