Breast Cancer Introduction: Breast Cancer
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Breast Cancer Introduction
What is cancer?
Cancer is not a single disease but rather a group of diseases characterized by their ability to cause cells to change in abnormal ways and grow out of control. Most types of cancer form a tumor, a lump or mass of cancerous cells.
Cells from a tumor may break away and travel to other parts of the body, where they can settle and multiply. This spreading process is called metastasis, and new cancers that have broken off and spread from the original tumor are metastases. Not all tumors are malignant(cancerous); some are benign (noncancerous) and do not spread or become life-threatening. A few cancers don't form masses, or lumps, such as those that affect the blood, like leukemia.
Not all lumps are cancerous. Lumps found in the breast are most often benign cysts (small, fluid-filled sacs) or fibroadenomas(nonmalignant fibrous tumors commonly found in young women). If you notice such a lump, have your doctor evaluate it to make certain it is not a cancer.
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| Last updated: | April 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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