Cancer

Breast cancer and cervical cancer

Breast cancer can arise in women and rarely in men. Breast cancer cells typically form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. Breast cancer occurs nearly entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer, too. It’s significant to understand that most breast lumps are benign and not cancer (malignant). Non-cancerous breast tumors are abnormal growths, but they do not extent outside of the breast. They are not life threatening, but some types of benign breast lumps can surge a woman's risk of getting breast cancer. Any breast lump or change needs to be patterned by a health care professional to regulate if it is benign or malignant (cancer) and if it might affect your future cancer risk.

Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that happens in the cells of the cervix — the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. Various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, play a part in causing most cervical cancer. When exposed to HPV, the body's immune system typically averts the virus from doing harm. In a small percentage of people, however, the virus endures for years, contributing to the process that grounds some cervical cells to become cancer cells.