October is Breast Cancer Month

Did you know that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Your team of professionals at the Surgical Associates of Cleveland would like to help raise awareness among the individuals and families in our community about this prevalent disease which impacts our mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, co-workers, friends and more. In fact, while breast cancer occurs almost exclusively in women, men can also get breast cancer and sometimes do. According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, there will be more than 252,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer in 2017. Explore more statistics about breast cancer in the US.

Breast cancer begins when cells within the breast begin to grow out of control. Such cells will typically form a tumor which may be detected via x-ray or as a lump in a manual exam. A malignant tumor is cancerous, and means the cells may invade surrounding tissues or spread to other of parts of the body.

The majority of breast cancers are known as ductal cancers which start in the milk ducts. Lobular breast cancers begin in the glands which make breast milk. Other types of breast cancer start in different parts of the breast, but they are less common. Occasionally, sarcomas and lymphomas are cancers which can also begin in tissues of the breast, however, they are not considered true breast cancers.

A common misconception about breast cancer is that it always causes a lump in the breast, but not all breast cancers do. That’s why it’s important to understand the other symptoms of breast cancer as well. Also, you should know that most breast lumps that do occur are benign and not cancer.

Benign breast tumors are abnormal are not life threatening, and they don’t spread outside of the breast. However, some benign breast lumps can actually increase a woman’s risk for getting breast cancer later in life. That’s why any change in your breast, or any lump, should be promptly checked by your healthcare provider to determine whether or not it could impact your cancer risk. Learn how to give yourself a breast cancer exam.

We surgically treat a variety of breast diseases. If you have any questions about our procedures, please contact us for further information. You can also visit our website today to learn more about our services at Surgical Associates of Cleveland.