What is Breast Cancer?

The human body consists of trillions of cells; they are the structural units of all living things.  Our cells are constantly dividing and replacing themselves in a precisely regulated fashion.  Cancer cells, however, divide in an uncoordinated manner and accumulate in certain regions of the body. Breast cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in breast tissue. No one knows exactly why a normal breast cell becomes a cancerous one, and there is probably no single cause.

Breast cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in breast tissue. No one knows exactly why a normal breast cell becomes a cancerous one, and there is probably no single cause.

How does breast cancer develop? It is possible that breast cancers emerge due to a combination of genetics, carcinogens, immune responses, hormones, and tissue composition. The breasts are composed of lobes, lobules, ducts, glands, and a high concentration of blood vessels and fat cells. Many of these tissues in the breast have receptors for the hormone estrogen, which make them a target for the hormone’s influence. Fat cells, in particular, both produce and metabolize estrogen. Estrogen is then metabolized or broken down into carcinogenic byproducts, which can effect the DNA of nearby cells and cause their mutation into cancers. Research has shown that some women’s breasts are more susceptible than others to the effects of estrogen and its byproducts.

	It takes 8 to 10 years for the average tumor to grow to be one centimeter in size, and only 1.5 years for it to grow to be 3.5 centimeters.

Once a normal cell begins to mutate (pre-cancerous tissue), its DNA is altered so that these cells can multiply in an uncoordinated fashion. The extensive vascular beds in the breast tissue provide an optimum condition for this to occur. In order to sustain rapid growth of these pre-cancerous (and cancerous) cells, chemicals are released into the surrounding area which keep existing blood vessels open, awaken dormant ones, and create new ones (neoangiogenesis). 

	Currently 90-95% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history of the disease (1).

Who is at risk for breast cancer? Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and is the leading cause of death of women ages 20 to 59. Cancerous tumors in women under fifty, however,  tend to be more aggressive and virulent (1). Those with a family history and those who have inherited the breast cancer gene are at greater risk.  A woman who has had her first child after 30 has a slightly greater risk, Also risk generally increases with age. Furthermore, only 20% of breast cancers are attributable to recognized risk factors. Thus, every woman is at risk for developing breast cancer (1).

	The ideal early warning system would detect both the pre-cancerous changes occurring in the breast and the first cancer cell formations.

How can we detect breast cancer early? Over 90% of women diagnosed with stage 1 cancer are alive 5 years later (1). Unfortunately only 58% of breast cancers are diagnosed at this stage (1). Digital Infrared Imaging has the ability to detect the chemical and blood vessel changes in pre-cancerous as well as cancerous breast tissue. Consequently, DII can be the first indicator that a cancer may be forming or present; and in many cases 8-10 years before it can be detected by any other method.

	As a stand alone technique, mammography misses approximately 20% of all cancerous tumors, with as much as 40% missed in pre-menopausal women.

Although there is no one screening technique that is solely adequate for detecting breast cancer, DII (Breast Thermography) is clearly a frontline test for early detection.

Sources
1997-2005 Index Medicus ACS, NEJM, JNCI, Lancet, BMJ, J Breast