Breast cancer is the development of abnormal cells within the breast tissue. Breast cancer is a treatable disease.
Early detection is the key to surviving breast cancer.
Seventy-five percent of women who have small tumors that are diagnosed before the cancer spreads to other parts of the body survive beyond 10 years after the cancer is first diagnosed. Cancers start out as a group of abnormal cells which cannot be felt. Later, it is a small, firm, usually painless lump, not noticeable unless you are looking for it. With time it grows and spreads to nearby areas, such as muscle or skin, as well as the lymph nodes under the arm. Ultimately the tumor can spread to vital organs such as the liver, brain, and lungs.