your body, such as distant lymph nodes, bones, lungs, liver or brain.Some signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:Clear or bloody discharge from your nippleA lump or thickening in your breast, which may not be painful or even tenderRetracted nippleA change in the size or contours of your breasts. One breast may appear higher than the other, for example.Any flattening or indentation of the skin over your breastRedness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orangeThe American Cancer Society estimates that 75% of breast cancer cases occur in women with no known high-risk factors. However, most experts agree that some factors may significantly increase your risk of breast cancer: Age- Your risk increases with your age.Country of birth- Breast cancer rates varies widely depending on where you were born. Rates are highest in North America and northern Europe, intermediate in southern Europe and Latin America, and lowest in Asia and South America.Family history- An inherited tendency to develop breast cancer accounts for about 5 percent to 10 percent of cases. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, your chance of developing breast cancer may be as high as 1 in 2. Defects in either of two genes - BRCA1 and BRCA2 - increase your risk of inherited forms of breast cancer.Both men and women can inherit and pass on defective BRCA genes. Families in which breast cancer is inherited typically demonstrate the following characteristics:Breast cancer in two or more close relatives, such as a mother and two sisters Early onset of breast cancer in family members, often before age 50 History of breast cancer in more than one generation Cancer in both breasts in one or more family members Frequent occurrence of ovarian cancer Ashkenazi (Eastern and Central European) Jewish ancestry, with a family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer or bothBreast cancer in several members of your family, especially if the d...
