Husejko Jakub, Porada Mateusz, Bieniek Daria, Skierkowska Natalia, Prylińska Monika, Ruszkowska Nastazja, Nawrocka Agnieszka, Sępka Justyna, Szczesna Natalia, Świerczek Pamela, Pałka Julianna, Kędziora-Kornatowska Kornelia. Breast cancer as a significant social problem. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2019;9(8):412-423. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3379055 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/7328 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26/01/2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eISSN 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2019; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 05.08.2019. Revised: 15.08.2019. Accepted: 27.08.2019. Breast cancer as a significant social problem Jakub Husejko1, Mateusz Porada1, Daria Bieniek1, Natalia Skierkowska1, Monika Prylińska2, Nastazja Ruszkowska1, Agnieszka Nawrocka1, Justyna Sępka1, Natalia Szczesna1, Pamela Świerczek1, Julianna Pałka1, Kornelia Kędziora-Kornatowska1 1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Geriatrics, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland 2. Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Ergonomics, Division of Ergonomics and Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland Summary Background: This article is devoted to the topic of breast cancer, which is a very important and overlooked problem by many women. This cancer is the most common malignancy in women in developed countries. It also creates an increasing problem in developing countries and causes high mortality. Early diagnoses of neoplastic lesions and rapid implementation of therapy in most cases allow for successful treatment its prognosis . Self-control is very important, women should examine their breasts by palpation. Further research to diagnose breast cancer are: mammography (MMG), ultrasonography (USG), magnetic resonance (MR), positron emission tomography (PET) and microscopic examination. Material and Methods: In this article, it was analyzed by the latest literature on risk factors, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Articles were searched from PubMed and Google Scholar. Results: Breast cancer risk factors have been shown to be early menstruation, high women's height, high body mass (especially fat content) and hyperinsulinaemia. In addition, genetic factors play an important role. Research also confirms that highly-used cleaners, and at their head, DDP (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) affect the formation of breast cancer. This is the third most common cause of death in women aged 60-85. In treatment, an individual approach to each patient is important. Older women individually discuss the methods of treatment with the doctor, because it gives beneficial results of therapy. Conclusions: Breast cancer has become a very important medical and social problem in older women. Mass media are needed to disseminate knowledge, topics related to treatment and to support the sick. In older women, treatment is more aggressive, and in addition to radiotherapy, a partial mastectomy is performed. Breast cancer is a tought term for woman’s in all age. It is related with fear and loss of self—confidence. Key words: breast cancer, social problem, elderly women.