Breast Cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death affecting North American women. Around the globe, breast cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death. This disease also affects men, but breast cancer is diagnosed 100 times less frequently in men than it is in women.
Breast cancer develops when cells displaying uncontrolled growth, invasion, and/or metastasis arise in the breast. In conversational usage, the word “breast” is used to identify the part of a woman’s body that contains the mammary glands (glands that produce milk to feed infants). In medical usage, the word “breast” identifies the upper portion of…
Breast cancer research is an ongoing global initiative. Medical centers around the world are studying the causes, prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer. Their efforts have led to breakthroughs in the following arenas:
causes of breast cancer
Smoking and Breast Cancer: On April 24, 2009, an international panel of researchers demonstrated that smoking is causally linked to breast cancer.
Lifestyle Choices: Research has uncovered links between breast cancer development and certain lifestyle choices. The effects of weight gain or loss, diet, and exercise on breast cancer are the objects of ongoing research.
Genetics: Research has determined that BRCA1…
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed female cancer, causing almost 25% of cancers in women in the United States.
It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, behind lung cancer, but is the most common cancer death in women aged 20 to 59 years.
The overall lifetime risk of breast cancer in American women is 1 in 8. There are a multitude of genetic, hormonal and environmental risk factors for breast cancer. However, screening of ALL women is critical, as up to 50% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors except female gender and…
Treating breast cancer involves treatment of the primary tumor with surgery, radiation therapy, or both, as well as systemic treatment with chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biologic therapy, or any combination thereof.
The need for any or all of these treatments are based upon the results of tests done at the time of diagnosis.
Diagnostic tests will reveal the following:
Histologic cancer subtype
Grade of the cancer
Features of the primary tumor (such as ER/PR positivity or over-expression of HER2)
Status of the axillary lymph nodes
Presence or absence of metastatic disease
Patient menopausal status
Patient age and co-morbid conditions (reflected in…
Overview
The majority of breast cancers are now found during routine screenings. The decrease in deaths from breast cancer is at least partially related to this. It is therefore critical to understand the recommended screening tests for breast cancer.
Screening for breast cancer is a triad of tests, which includes breast self-exam, exam by a healthcare provider (e.g., physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant), and mammography. The American Cancer Society recommends the following:
Breast self-exam: Monthly starting at age 20
Physical exam by a healthcare provider: Annually starting at age 20
Mammography: Annually starting at age 40 (with a baseline between…
Breast cancer patients and survivors can help others by participating in a clinical trial, also known as a research study. For these procedures, medical professionals test theories and seek answers to specific questions about the diagnosis, treatment, and/or screenings of breast cancer by working with volunteers. These trials rely on gathering information over a determined time period, which can vary from a few days to several years.
Types of Breast Cancer Clinical Trials
Clinical trials fall into four categories:
Treatment. Medical professionals spend months, often years, on developing and perfecting new medications, therapies, and other forms of treatment for…
Breast cancer is staged with the typical I, II, III and IV descriptors, according to the TNM staging classification. In addition, the tumor is given a histologic grade of I, II or III.
Grade I describes a well differentiated cancer and a favorable prognosis, whereas grade III is an undifferentiated cancer and a poor prognosis. Both stage and grade are critical in assessing for the risk of recurrence.
Stages of Breast Cancer
The stage I through IV definitions for breast cancer are listed below. Note that stages II and III contain subtypes, which may be important when considering treatment options.…
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in October of each year, is an opportunity for the medical community, survivors, and grassroots organizations to raise funds, support, and awareness for this devastating disease.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month provides a way of reminding women to be mindful of their health and overall well-being.
National Foundations
These organizations’ websites are excellent sources of information on breast cancer and Breast Cancer Awareness Month:
American Cancer Society (www.acs.org)
Susan G. Komen for the Cure (www.komen.org)
National Breast Cancer Foundation (www.nationalbreastcancer.org)
American Breast Cancer Foundation (www.abcf.org)
Corporate Foundations…
Breast cancer affects approximately 200,000 women in the United States alone. Each year, breast cancer claims the lives of over 40,000 women—mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, and friends.
But it’s not only women—approximately 2,100 men are diagnosed with this disease each year, claiming the lives of 500 men annually.
Risk Factors
Anything that increases a patient’s odds of developing a disease is called a risk factor. The exact cause of breast cancer is unknown, but women who see their gynecologists regularly, schedule an annual mammogram after 40, and maintain a healthy weight and balanced diet run a considerably lower risk…
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise funds and awareness for this devastating disease.
Each year, the lives of countless women, their families, and their friends are affected by this disease. Breast cancer does not discriminate—everyone from top female CEO’s and celebrities to average women have been diagnosed with this disease. But if caught early, it is one of the most treatable forms of cancer.
Below are a few facts and figures about this disease to help increase awareness, support, and hope:
Breast cancer is the disease in which malignant cells form in breast tissue. It…
Treatment for breast cancer is determined by a number of factors—the patient’s overall health, the size and location of the tumor, and the stage of the cancer.
The patient should work closely with her doctor to decide on the most appropriate course of treatment for her illness.
Luckily, breast cancer is one of the most widely studied and aggressively researched forms of the disease, with new medications being developed and offered to patients regularly. Many of these medications are offered as part of a clinical trial in an effort to prevent, detect, and/or treat breast cancer in its various…
Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed form of cancer in women, after skin cancer, affecting 200,000 women annually.
Despite the high number of diagnoses, the survival rate is much higher, with approximately 3 million women in the United States alone who have successfully overcome this disease.
Ways to Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevention is any action a person can take to lower a potential risk of danger to themselves or others. While there are no guaranteed preventatives against developing the disease, there are steps women can take to lower their risk.
Below is a list of lifestyle changes that can…
The main risk factors of cancer are currently known; however, the precise causes of breast cancer can still be unclear. Two of the most significant factors include family history and age. Risk also increases for women who have certain types of benign breast lumps or who have previously had ovarian cancer or breast cancer.
Higher risk, however, does not always mean an individual will develop the disease; some women with no known risk factors develop cancer while others with a high risk remain cancer-free.
Faulty Genes
The genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, sometimes referred to as “faulty genes,” have recently…
General Facts
Breast cancer screening and detection is a topic that causes some controversy in the medical field, since not all experts and advocacy groups agree on what is best. Therefore, exactly when women should start getting regular breast cancer screening mammograms is still up for debate. However, despite the differences of opinion, the following facts remain undisputed:
The amount of deaths from the disease was significantly reduced for women who underwent breast cancer screening mammograms. According to Peter Jokich, MD, director of the Rush Breast Imaging Center, “The gold standard for detecting small, early-stage breast cancers is still mammography.”…
The exact cause of breast cancer is not known; however, there are many factors that are believed to contribute to the development of this type of cancer.
Some of these factors are in a person’s control and others are not. A person may have one or several of these factors and never develop cancer. They can also have none of them and still develop cancer.
Risk Factors
Factors out of a person’s control include things like their gender, age, genetics, and race. Women over the age of 55 have a higher chance of developing breast cancer. It’s also important to…
The data used to determine breast cancer survival rates can be looked at in several different ways.
There is a 5-year survival rate also called “relative survival” rate that measures how many patients live for five years or more after their cancer is diagnosed. Many patients live much longer than five years and some may die in that time of other unrelated causes.
Another method used to measure breast cancer survival rates is by comparing women with breast cancer to women in the general population. This is called an overall survival rate. There is also a program called SEER that…
There are many different types of breast cancer which are generally classified by where in the breast the cancer originated, what the cells look like and whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Ductal, lobular, and medullary neoplasms are three of the main types with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma being the most common type making up nearly 80% of diagnosed cases.
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma
As mentioned, invasive ductal carcinoma makes up almost 80% of diagnosed cases of breast cancer. This is cancer that began in the ducts, but has had time to spread to other…
Twenty years ago breast cancer organizations didn’t really exist, but today there are many to choose from when looking for information or support for breast cancer.
Large national organizations raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research and many smaller local groups offer personal support in neighborhoods across the country.
When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer she often seeks information and emotional support. It can be overwhelming to sift through the types of cancer, the treatment options, and what to do about careers and children, while undergoing treatment.
Many breast cancer organizations’ websites have become communities for…