Each year, 12.7 million people discover they have cancer and 7.6 million people die from the disease. However, evidence shows that 30 - 40 percent of these deaths can be prevented, and one-third can be cured through early diagnosis and treatment.There are one hundred types of cancers, but breast cancer has the most awareness. With more than 249,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2016, breast cancer is pretty common. Severe cases of breast cancer can cause problems with the bones, liver, and brain. Because of the increasing amount of people getting breast cancer, there have been new studies and discoveries.

Breast cancer is one of the most common types cancer in the U.S. Over 200,000 people a year are diagnosed with it. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that arises in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can invade surrounding tissues or metastasize (spread) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too. But don't worry, there are many treatments used to cure breast cancer. As stated in Medical News Today (MNT) “Treatment for breast cancer may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy or bone-directed therapy.” Meaning that if you are diagnosed with breast cancer there are many paths to take to try to cure it.

Symptoms of breast cancer include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple, and changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast. The first mention of cancer of any kind was a case of breast cancer documented in Egypt around 1600 BC. The Edwin Smith Papyrus, an ancient text found in 1860 in an Egyptian tomb, described eight cases of tumors or ulcers of the breast. On Wikipedia in an article about the Papyrus it say’s “describes 48 cases of injuries, fractures, wounds, dislocations and tumors.”

There has also been an abundance of new studies done to learn more about breast cancer. There’s a recent study where they took the sisters of women with breast cancer and studied them. According to the American Cancer Society, “it has enrolled 50,000 women who have sisters with breast cancer.”  The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) did this long term study in which 50,000 women volunteers are to be studied for 10 years. Scientists will collect information about lifestyle, genes, and environmental factors of breast cancer. This study was called the “Sister Study” or the “Two Sister Study.

The best way to catch cancer early on is through mammogram screenings. A mammogram is a machine that will sort of flatten the breast and scan it to see if there are any tumors or suspicious lumps. Mammography has helped reduce breast cancer mortality in the U.S. by nearly 40% since 1990. Even for women ages 50 and up, skipping a mammogram every other year would miss up to 30% of cancers.The ten-year risk for breast cancer in a 40 year old woman is 1 in 69 and 1 in 6 breast cancers occur in women 40-49. Breast cancer is not something incurable. There are treatments and therapies that could help get rid of it but if it is caught early you might be able to stop it through surgery.

Breast cancer has been “booming” lately. For the past few years there have been new discoveries and new studies. There’s also been many new things in the media with celebrities getting cancer. Just recently a famous actor Angelina Jolie discovered that her mother and grandmother had breast cancer and that there was a chance she could have it. So she had both of her breasts removed to stop all risk of her getting breast cancer. Theres also been controversy on mammograms. Some people are saying that they don't help and that they might even cause issues instead of stopping them. There's been studies of genetics and the environment and how they might affect people's risk of getting breast cancer. Breast cancer has been the most aware disease for a long time. The American Cancer Society is even a sponsor of the NFL. Breast cancer is a really important issue and a very bad disease and I think that we should keep studying it till we know all that we can about the disease.