The numbers for women are 180,200 and 43,900, respectively. All women are at risk, and risk increases with age. The majority of women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. A woman whose mother, sister, daughter, or grandmother had breast cancer has an increased risk of developing the disease. These women should be screened earlier and possibly more often.
Breast cancer is contagious.
It results from uncontrolled growth of cells in a person's own body. These changes cannot affect other people's cells. Small-breasted women cannot get breast cancer. Some studies have even suggested that breastfeeding may reduce a women's risk of developing the disease. However, studies are still ongoing on this topic.