Overview & Facts

Learn more about breast cancer causes, risk factors, symptoms and prevention.

The Basics Breast cancer usually begins with the formation of a small, confined tumor (lump) or as calcium deposits in the breast tissue.
What Causes Breast Cancer? Advancing age, your genetics and a family history of breast cancer can all play a role.
What Raises Your Risk for Breast Cancer? A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of getting a disease. Here are some high, moderate and low risk factors for breast cancer.
The Five Stages In general, the higher the stage number, the more advanced the cancer. But there’s more to it than that.
Breast Cancer Prevention Regular aerobic exercise may offer some protection. Here's what else could help.
Preventive Mastectomy In hopes of avoiding future disease, some women at very high risk of developing breast cancer elect to have both breasts surgically removed. The surgery aims to remove all breast tissue that potentially could develop breast cancer.
Testing for Breast Cancer Genes Here's what to expect if you are considering testing to see if you have the breast cancer gene mutations.