Prevention, Screening and Treatment Introduction Breast cancer is a type of cancer that effects at least 1 in 9 American women. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. With frightening news like this, it is no wonder why doctors urge women to check their breast monthly and have a yearly exam. The many forms of cancer are relatively genetic diseases. Cancers appear most often to be caused by acquired genetic alterations within a mature cell at a specific tissue site.
Oncogenes produce malignant transformation by affecting normal cell growth and development.
Tumor-suppressor genes block tumor development by regulating genes involved in cell growth. If this gene is mutated, it can no longer block tumor development, and allows tumor cells to spread. The mammary glands of humans consist of epithelial and myoepithelial cells. Epithelial cells are found in tissue covering the outside of the body and tissue that lines the organs and other body cavities. In the mammary gland epithelial cells differentiate into myoepithelial cells.