Female Breast Anatomy

The breasts of an adult woman are milk-producing, tear-shaped glands. They are supported by and attached to the front of the chest wall on either side of the breast bone or sternum by ligaments. They rest on the major chest muscle, the pectoralis major. Breast cancer is a malignant cell growth in the breast. If left untreated, the cancer spreads to other areas of the body. Excluding skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in the United States, accounting for one of every three cancer diagnoses.

Source: National Institutes of Health