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Any cancer beginning in the tissues of the breast is called breast cancer. However, breast cancer is further subdivided by type according to where exactly in the breast the cancer began, and the course the disease took. Each type has a very unique set of risks and chance of survival. Therefore, it is inaccurate to equate breast cancer with any particular survival risk without knowing more about it first. Answering the question, "what is breast caancer?" requires a deeper understanding of the complicated risk factors involved in its development.

One out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life, estimates the American Cancer Society. Though not nearly as common as other major diseases, such as heart disease, breast cancer is more widely feared. A particular person's risk of developing breast cancer depends upon many complex factors. The interplay of these risk factors in the development of the disease is not well understood.

An international research team -- including investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- has identified several breast cancer symptoms novel genetic variations associated with the risk of disease. One of the identified genes establishes a role for autopsy, a previously unsuspected biological pathway, in disease pathology; and the report documents functional studies which establish that this gene is integral to immune responses to intestinal bacteria. The report will appear in the journal Nature Genetics and is receiving early online release.

A great deal of research is underway to try to discover more of the causes of breast cancer. In addition, new risk factors that make breast cancer more likely are frequently discovered and disseminated to medical professionals and to the broader public. Several major institutions make risk profiles available that allow people to determine their individual risks of contracting breast cancer. Other sites list breast cancer symptoms, ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer, and other breast cancer information that can be used.

As many people already know, lumps are the most common symptoms of breast cancer. Luckily, most of the lumps people find in breast tissue are non-cancerous, benign groups of cell tissue. They may be referred to as tumors, even if they are benign. But people should not jump to negative conclusions simply upon hearing the word "tumor."

Nevertheless, the risk of cancer is quite real when a lump has been found. When not treated immediately, breast cancer can spread and this is a serious matter. For these reasons, it is of utmost importance to have a medical professional check out all abnormal lumps as soon as possible.

Any cancer beginning in the tissues of the breast is called breast cancer. Answering the question, "what is breast caancer?" requires a deeper understanding of the complicated risk factors involved in its development. There are many complicated factors that go into assessing an individual's probability of contracting breast cancer, and many of these factors are poorly understood or are not understood at all. Women can use tools provided online, and at major institutions for breast cancer research, to work up individual risk profiles. The websites also offer information about risk reduction, breast cancer symptoms to look out for, and many other pieces of important breast cancer information.