October is Breast Cancer and Liver Cancer Awarenesses Month.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer. It can occur in men as well, but this is very rare.
The most common form of it is ductal carcinoma. It begins in the cells of the thin duct tubes within the breast. It can; however, also occur in the lobules and other parts of the breast as well.

The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are mutated, hereditary genes that can be responsible for higher risks of breast and ovarian cancers in women and breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers in men.

Liver cancer is has likely spread from other places in the body, metastasizing from another location. However, there is cancer that itself has begun in the liver first. This is known as primary liver cancer. It only accounts for about 2% of all liver cancer cases.

Liver cancer is more likely to occur if you are a man, smoke, work with herbicides or other caustic chemicals, are obese, Asian American or a Pacific Islander, have diabetes, abuse anabolic steroids, or have metabolic diseases or other rare diseases which facilitate liver cancer. Aflatoxins are rare molds that occur in wheat, corn, rice and peanuts and they can also cause liver cancer.

Please pay attention to your own body and take notice of any pain or changes in yourself and please visit your physician for routine check-ups.