Most people associate breast cancer with women but the truth is it affects men as well, but on a much smaller scale. This is a type of cancer that affects the breast tissue of the human body. This is a common form of cancer and is second only to skin cancer in the number of people it afflicts on a worldwide scale.

Public awareness campaigns and celebrity endorsements have created enough funding and research support for breast cancer and today the rate of survival of victims has increased drastically. With early detection, better treatment, medication and understanding patients have a much better chance of survival.

Self inspection is still the surest and earliest way to detect it and women when in doubt should consult their doctor for further and more thorough check ups.

Some of the symptoms to look out for

* Lumps or other thickening in the breast tissue that feels different from the rest of the breast.

* Dimpling or puckering of the skin on the breasts and inverted nipples.

* Bloody discharge from the nipples and changes to the skin on the breasts.

* Any redness or pitting of the skin.

The medical community still has no concrete answers for the causes of breast cancer besides the obvious genetic indicators of it. Studies have confirmed that about five to ten percent have been linked to a certain gene mutation that is passed down through the generations.

These genes have been named as BRCA 1 and BRCA 2. Their presence in your DNA would put one at a higher risk for both breast-cancer as well as ovarian cancer. Women who began their period at a younger age or went through menopause at an older age are also said to be at higher risk of developing breast cancer.