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Causes

Breast Cancer is a disease that occurs when cells in breast tissue change(or Mutate) and keep reproducing. These abnormal cells usually cluster together to form a tumor. A tumor is cancerous(or Malignant) when these abnormal cells invade other parts of the breast or when they spread to other parts of the breast or when they spread to other areas of the body through the bloodstream or lymphatic system, or network of vessels and nodes in the body that plays a role in fighting infections.

How breast cancer spreads

Breast cancer can spread when the cancer cells get into the blood or lymph system and are carried to other parts of the body. The lymph system is a network of lymph (or lymphatic) vessels found throughout the body that connects lymph nodes (small bean-shaped collections of immune system cells). The clear fluid inside the lymph vessels, called lymph, contains tissue by-products and waste material, as well as immune system cells. The lymph vessels carry lymph fluid away from the breast. In the case of breast cancer, cancer cells can enter those lymph vessels and start to grow in lymph nodes. Most of the lymph vessels of the breast drain into:

Lymph nodes under the arm (axillary nodes)

Lymph nodes around the collar bone (supraclavicular [above the collar bone] and infraclavicular [below the collar bone] lymph nodes)

Lymph nodes inside the chest near the breast bone (internal mammary lymph nodes)

If cancer cells have spread to your lymph nodes, there is a higher chance that the cells could have traveled through the lymph system and spread (metastasized) to other parts of your body. The more lymph nodes with breast cancer cells, the more likely it is that the cancer may be found in other organs. Because of this, finding cancer in one or more lymph nodes often affects your treatment plan. Usually, you will need surgery to remove one or more lymph nodes to know whether the cancer has spread.

Still, not all women with cancer cells in their lymph nodes develop metastases, and some women with no cancer cells in their lymph nodes develop metastases later.

Symptoms

The first symptoms of breast cancer are usually an area of thickened tissue in the breast, or a lump in the breast or in an armpit.

Other Symptoms include:

• A pain in the armpits or breast that does not change with the monthly cycle

• Pitting or redness of the skin of the breast, like the skin of an orange

• A rash around or on one of the nipples

• A discharge from a nipple, possibly containing blood

• A change in the size or shape of the breast

• Peeling, flaking or sealing of the skin on the breast or nipple.