Causes of Breast Cancer
Medical researchers are learning about what happens inside cells that may cause cancer. They have identified changes in certain genes within breast cells that can be linked to a higher risk for breast cancer. Breast cells contain a variety of genes that normally work cooperatively with a woman's natural hormones, diet, and environment to keep her breasts healthy. Certain genes routinely keep breast cells from dividing and growing out of control and forming tumors. When these genes become altered, changes occur and a cell no longer can grow correctly.
Genetic changes may be inherited from a parent or may accumulate throughout a person's lifetime. Breast cancer usually begins in a single cell that changes from normal to malignant over a period of time. Presently, no one can predict exactly when cancer will occur or how it will progress. When breast cancer is diagnosed - even if detected at the earliest stage - it is not yet possible to predict which cancer cells will be treated successfully and which will continue to grow and spread quickly to other parts of the body.

What is known:
You should not feel guilty. You haven't done anything wrong in your life that caused breast cancer.
You cannot "catch" breast cancer from other women who have the disease. It is not contagious.
Breast cancer is not caused by stress or by an injury to the breast.
Most women who develop breast cancer do not have any known risk factors or a history of the disease in their families.

Who Gets Breast Cancer?
Every woman has some chance of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. As women get older, their chances increase. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women in the United States today, other than skin cancer. Even though breast cancer is more common in older women, it also occurs in younger women and even in a small number of men.
Content Courtesy : cancer.gov
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