Metastatic breast cancer can affect several areas, but most often spreads to the bones, liver, lungs and brain.

Although men represent a significant minority of breast cancer cases, they are still an affected population. It is estimated that about 1% of all breast cancer cases occur in men.

In the United States, more women are diagnosed with breast cancer than any other type of cancer; the disease accounts for 1 in 3 new cases of female cancer per year.

Since the mid-2000s, invasive breast cancer in women has increased by approximately half a percentage point each year.

Currently, there are more than 4 million women who have been diagnosed or are living with breast cancer in the United States.

In 2020, an estimated 684,996 women worldwide died of breast cancer.

In Colombia, mortality from breast cancer is on the rise; about 12% of deaths in women are directly attributable to this type of malignant neoplasm.

Since the end of the last century, its increase at the national level has been over 35%; the mortality rate between 1997 and 2018 went from 8 to 11.2 deaths per hundred thousand.

Breast cancer begins with a genetic mutation in normal breast cells, which triggers their uncontrolled proliferation and tumor formation. To maintain its growth, the tumor needs a constant supply of blood and nutrients, leading to angiogenesis. Over time, cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body, a process known as metastasis. In addition to cell proliferation, breast cancer involves a complex interaction between tumor cells and their surrounding environment. As the cancer progresses, tumor cells may become more resistant to conventional therapy, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

- Sex

- Age

- Genetic mutations (Hereditary risk)

- Personal history

- Family history

- Dense breast tissue

- Chest X-ray

- Endogenous hormonal factors

Dietary factors

- Physical exercise

- Obesity

- Alcohol

- Tobacco

- Reproductive history

- Exogenous hormonal factors

- Ionizing radiation

In Cali, incidence trends showed a steady increase from the middle of the last century until 2007, reaching a maximum of 48 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, but has stagnated in the last four years measured, remaining at 43.3 per 100,000 inhabitants between 2008 and 2016.

In women, breast cancer ranked first in mortality. In the geographic pattern of breast cancer mortality, three regions of the country with a higher risk are identified, corresponding to the Andean region and some pockets of the Caribbean and Orinoco regions. In these regions, in most cases, the high risk was observed in capital cities such as: Cali, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Bucaramanga, Cúcuta, among others. At the departmental level in Atlántico, followed by Quindío, Valle del Cauca, Arauca and Risaralda, and to a lesser degree in Caldas, San Andrés y Providencia, Bogotá and Antioquia.

2. Skin changes: This may include redness, swelling, thickening of the skin or changes in texture, such as dimpling or orange peel-like wrinkling.

3. Nipple changes: This may include nipple retraction (when the nipple turns inward), changes in the size or shape of the nipple, nipple discharge other than breast milk, or persistent nipple or breast pain.

4. Pain: Breast cancer does not always cause pain, but some women may experience pain in the breast or surrounding area.