Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the second leading cause of cancer death, exceeded only by lung cancer in 1985. One woman in eight who lives to age 85 will develop breast cancer at some time during her life.

At present there are over 2 million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer. About 41,000 women will die from the disease. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 33. However, the rate of death from breast cancer is going down. This decline is probably the result of early detection and improved treatment.

Treatment for breast cancer usually depends on the type of cancer and whether the cancer has spread outside of the breast to the rest of the body. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and endocrine/anti-hormone therapy. Treatment usually starts with anticancer drugs, or chemotherapy. The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the stage of the cancer, the size of the tumor and whether it is in the breast only or has spread to lymph nodes or other places in the body. It’s very important to diagnose inflammatory breast cancer quickly so that treatment can begin. After surgery, radiation treatment is used to try to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Possible surgical treatments are either a mastectomy (complete removal of the breast) or breast conserving therapy. Even if a mastectomy is needed (about 30-40% of patients need this), building a new breast, called reconstruction, offers a natural looking breast replacement. Breast-conserving surgery (which removes only some of your breast) often works just as well as a mastectomy (which removes all of your breast).

Mammograms can detect tumors in the earliest stages, however, a standard mammogram can miss 15-20% of cancerous tumors. Heightened awareness of breast cancer risk in the past decades has led to an increase in the number of women undergoing mammography for screening, leading to detection of cancers in earlier stages and a resultant improvement in survival rates.

Research suggests that routine exercise may help prevent breast cancer. No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer, but research has shown that women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop the disease. Researchers at Stanford University and the National Institutes of Health, for example, found that high concentrations of the IGF-1 hormone stimulate cancer cell growth.

Up to 10 percent of breast cancer patients eventually suffer a recurrence in the other breast. Simple mammograms often miss small tumors, the researchers from the American College of Radiology Imaging Network found, while MRIs rarely miss them.

The cause of breast cancer is unknown. Early detection of breast cancer is therefore vital as it increases the chances of successful treatment. The chance of a woman in her 40s developing breast cancer is about one in 70, whereas the risk of a woman in her 80s developing breast cancer is one in 25. When breast cancer is confined to the breast the five year survival rate is over 95%. For women aged 40-49, the evidence that screening mammography reduces mortality from breast cancer is weaker, and the absolute benefit of mammography is smaller, than it is for older women.

The good news is that breast cancer is a disease that can be treated and cured. More than 90 out of 100 women whose breast cancer is found early will be cured. Cancer found at a later stage, however, may be less likely to be cured. While there is still no cure for the disease, the experts and leading organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Doctors and scientists are working on finding cures for all types of breast cancer. Finding and treating breast cancer early is the best way to increase your chances of survival and cure.

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Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, especially in the United States. It is a real killer disease which takes lives of a whole lot of women of different ages if it goes undiagnosed.

This disease can be cured if detected early. This is the reason that young women are advised to carry out a self-examination for any kind of lungs inside their breast every three to six months. They should also go for a medical examination in every six months.

The breast cancer symptoms could be any of the following

• A lump or thickening in or near the breast – Not all lumps in or near the breast are due to breast cancer. Some of the lumps may be due to hormonal changes. If the lumps persist, then evaluation should be done to rule out cancer of the breast. Lump in the breast is the commonest breast cancer symptom.
• A lump or swelling under the arm – A lump or swelling in the armpit indicates enlargement of lymph node which is an important symptom of cancer of the breast. Lymph node enlargement could be due to many reasons including cancer. Persistent lump needs evaluation.
• Changes in the size or shape of the breast, especially those caused by arm movements or by lifting the breasts – These changes indicate that the breast tissue is enlarged. These may be normal due to hormonal changes. If they are due to hormonal changes, they will be cyclical. If the size does not fluctuate and if it keeps increasing in size and changing in shape, then breast cancer has to be ruled out.
• Dimpling or puckering of the skin of the breast – Dimpling or puckering of skin is due to involvement of the skin by the cancer tissue. The external appearance would be like the skin of an orange (peau d’orange).
• Changes in the look or feel of the skin of the breast, the nipple or the area around the nipple
• Bleeding or discharge from the nipple – Bleeding from the nipple is always abnormal and has to be investigated adequately to rule out breast cancer. Bleeding is an important symptom. Discharge other than blood from the nipple may or may not be normal. If the discharge is from one breast only, if it is a new discharge, then it is not normal and have to be investigated.
• The nipple turns in and becomes inverted or points differently
• Discomfort or pain in the breast, particularly if new and persistent – Pain in the breast may occur due to hormonal changes during menstrual cycle. It occurs in both the breasts and it is normal. If the pain does not follow the menstrual cycle and if it is new or persistent or occurs in one breast only, it is considered abnormal. Breast pain is one of the important symptoms that should not be ignored.

Women who have been diagnosed with this dreadful disease do not have to worry too much about it now as medical science has undergone such wonderful strides and have come up with numerous treatments to fight breast cancer. The most common treatments that are available now are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy.If you are a victim of breast cancer, do not despair as there are now umpteen kinds of treatments available and you will surely be cured if you get the right kind of treatment that is best suited to you.

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