Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Germany – it accounts for about one third of all new cancer cases. Every year, about 70,000 women are newly diagnosed with this disease, and a total of just under a quarter of a million are affected by breast cancer. The chances of cure depend primarily on the type of cancer and the stage of the cancer.
Breast cancer – an overview
The diagnosis of breast cancer – or mammary carcinoma in technical terms, or mamma-Ca for short – is initially a great shock for those affected. But it is not at all unlikely that a woman will be confronted with breast cancer in herself or in someone she knows: On average, breast cancer strikes one in eight women in the course of their lives. Most women are between 60 and 65 years old when they are first diagnosed. However, women under the age of 40 can also be affected, and almost one third of breast cancer patients have not yet reached the age of 55.
Regular screening is therefore particularly important. Screening can be crucial, especially since the tumor rarely causes typical symptoms of breast cancer, especially at the beginning. But the prognosis is better the earlier the cancer is detected. The treatment options for breast cancer are diverse, and the chances of cure are comparatively high: currently, the 5-year survival rates – which in most cases can be equated with a cure – are around 88%.
Breast cancer: forms of this cancer
Doctors distinguish several forms of breast cancer that contain different cells. They grow more or less aggressively and spread daughter tumors (metastases) to varying degrees – especially in the bones, lungs, liver and brain. In four out of five cases, the tumor originates from the mammary ducts (ductal breast carcinoma), and in about 5-15% of cases from the lobules of the glands (lobular breast carcinoma).
The other forms, such as cancer of the lymphatic ducts or the nipple, are much rarer, but often more aggressive. In addition, there are precancerous lesions that have not yet grown into the surrounding tissue or formed metastases. They are therefore also called non-invasive tumors (“carcinoma in situ”, CIS). The subdivision into the different forms of breast cancer is important for therapy and prognosis.
Preventing breast cancer
As with many diseases, there are factors in breast cancer that cannot be influenced (for example, age or genes) and, in turn, other factors that can be used to specifically lower the risk of developing breast cancer. These risk-lowering factors include:
- Reduce excess weight: Fat stimulates estrogen production and thus cell division in the mammary glands – increasing the risk of degeneration. The increased concentration of insulin in the blood often associated with obesity also appears to increase the risk of breast cancer or recurrence.
- Engage in regular physical activity, especially after menopause: This reduces estrogen levels and promotes normal weight.
- Drink alcohol infrequently and little, do not smoke: Alcohol increases estrogen levels and has thus been shown to be a strong risk factor for breast cancer (mammary carcinoma).
- Healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables: although so far no specific influence on breast cancer has been proven, researchers believe that a diet rich in antioxidants can in principle prevent cancer.
- Balance stress and relaxation periods: Again, no direct link to breast cancer has been proven. But it is known that a balanced lifestyle is in principle an important prerequisite to stay healthy and thus also to prevent breast cancer.
By the way, the above points also help to avoid that the treated breast cancer recurs.
