Every woman is at risk for developing breast cancer. This risk increases as a woman ages, rising sharply after the age of 40, if she has a family history of breast cancer and had her first child after the age of 30. While breast cancer can be detected at an early and treatable stage, breast cancer cannot be prevented. By the time breast cancer is detected in a mammogram, a woman will have already had the disease for an average of 6 to 8 years. By the time a breast lump is found through a breast examination, a woman will have had the disease for an average of 10 years.
Breast cancer affects a small percentage of men.
The risk of breast cancer in men also increases with age. The causes for breast cancer in men are unknown. When breast cancer is discovered in men, it is usually discovered in its later stages. The reliable medical information given on the pages of this site have all been thoroughly reviewed by a team of health educators, medical physicians, surgeons, pathologists, oncologists and nursing staff. Women's Information Network Against Breast Cancer.