The The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association have held many training courses for Afghanistan and Asian Women who are unaware of what breast cancer is, how cancer develops and any tumours.

This helped people gain knowledge about what they can do, signals and other services available for them. If you are unsure about what breast cancer is and how it is developed read through this page of visit www.breakthrough.org.uk

Breast cancer explained

The term breast cancer actually refers to a large family of cancers that can develop in any part of the breast tissue. The most common types of breast cancer start in the glandular tissue - and the most common of all in the ducts.

Understanding cells

Our bodies are made up of tiny structures called cells, which are not visible to the naked eye. Groups of cells form the tissues and organs of the body and each of these, such as the brain, liver, kidneys and lungs, has a unique function.

Normally, cells reproduce themselves by dividing in a regular, orderly fashion so that growth and repair of body tissues can take place. Disease can disrupt this normal function in various ways.

Tumours

Sometimes there is an uncontrolled growth of cells causing a swelling or tumour. Tumours that remain contained within a limited area are called benign. Once treated, often by an operation, these don't usually cause any further problems.

Cancers, or malignant tumours, also start within a limited area but unlike benign tumours they have the ability to spread to nearby organs or tissues, or to more distant parts of the body. This spread is known as metastasis, or secondary cancer. The area where the cancer originated, for instance the breast, is called the primary cancer.

How cancer develops

Cancer develops from one single cell. Normally, cells are controlled by a variety of in-built safety catches that make sure that each cell grows and behaves as it should.

A cell can become cancerous in a number of ways:

·          The cell becomes 'switched on' to divide, and does not have a functioning safety catch to stop the process, so the cell can carry on dividing.

·          The cell becomes unable to recognise damage to DNA (the chemical code for a cell) or does not have the ability to repair any damage, so the cell continues to live with a faulty 'instruction manual'.

·          The cell can lose its ability to sense neighbouring cells and interact with them normally.

The proteins that normally play a part in controlling these processes may become damaged. This can lead to cells behaving abnormally and multiplying out of control. When cells are dividing too much they can go on to form a lump, a characteristic of many cancers, including breast cancer.