v  What is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has developed from cells of the breast. The disease occurs primarily in women but occasionally occurs in men. Many people do not realize that men have breast tissue and that they can develop breast cancer.

v  Normal Breast Structure:-  

The breast is made up mainly of lobules (milk-producing glands in women), ducts (tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple in women), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels).

Until puberty, young boys and girls have a small amount of breast tissue consisting of a few ducts located under the nipple and areola (area around the nipple). At puberty, a girl's ovaries produce female hormones, causing breast ducts to grow, lobules to form at the ends of ducts, and the amount of stroma to increase. On the other hand, male hormones produced by the testicles prevent further growth of breast tissue. Men's breast tissue contains ducts, but only a few if any lobules.