Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a malignancy of the breast that is common in women and rare in men. Most breast cancer is not hereditary, although a small percentage of women have a genetic weakness that dramatically increases their risk. Women with a strong family history of breast cancer may choose to explore the possibility of genetic testing with a geneticist, found on the staff of many major hospitals.
The incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer varies dramatically from one part of the world to the other, and those who move from one country to another will, on average, over time, begin to take on the risk of the new society to which they have moved. This evidence strongly suggests that most, though not all, breast cancer is preventable. However, great controversy exists about which factors are most responsible for large differences in breast cancer incidence that separate high-risk populations from low-risk populations.
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