Breast Cancer
Definition:
The breast is composed of lobules and ducts. The lobules store breast milk and the ducts are
vessels that transport the milk to the nipple. Breast cancer is an abnormal growth of these
tissues, which form tumors that result in cancerous growths. There are two major types of
breast cancer: ductal and lobular. There
are other types of breast cancer such as inflammatory and Paget’s disease, which are less
common but can be more aggressive.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of breast cancer can be a palpable lump, breast discharge, breast pain, a
dimpling of the skin or swelling of the skin overlying the breast. A majority of times the
symptoms are not present until the cancer is far advanced. This is why screening is so
important.
Screening:
Women at age 20 should perform a monthly self breast exam and have yearly clinical exams
by their doctor’s. By age 40 in addition to the monthly self-breast exam and yearly clinical
exam, women should start yearly mammograms. In some cases such as a positive family
history of breast cancer screening may start
earlier, be more frequent and other forms of testing such as MRI’s may be used in addition to
mammograms.
Treatment:
There are several treatment modalities for breast cancer such as surgery, radiation,
chemotherapy, hormones and immunotherapy, your doctor may use a combination of all of
these treatments. It depends on the stage of your disease and the aggressiveness of the
tumor, which combination your doctor chooses. Trust that your doctor will use the right
combination he/she thinks is best for you. There have been great advances in breast cancer
research therefore, more treatment options are available then ever before, so the outlook for
breast cancer treatment continues to look better and better.
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For more information on Breast Cancer, please log on to the following web sites:
The American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation
www.lindacreed.org
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
www.lbbc.org
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation
www.komen.org
Women of Faith and Hope Breast Cancer Foundation
www.wofah.org
Definition:
The breast is composed of lobules and ducts. The lobules store breast milk and the ducts are
vessels that transport the milk to the nipple. Breast cancer is an abnormal growth of these
tissues, which form tumors that result in cancerous growths. There are two major types of
breast cancer: ductal and lobular. There
are other types of breast cancer such as inflammatory and Paget’s disease, which are less
common but can be more aggressive.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of breast cancer can be a palpable lump, breast discharge, breast pain, a
dimpling of the skin or swelling of the skin overlying the breast. A majority of times the
symptoms are not present until the cancer is far advanced. This is why screening is so
important.
Screening:
Women at age 20 should perform a monthly self breast exam and have yearly clinical exams
by their doctor’s. By age 40 in addition to the monthly self-breast exam and yearly clinical
exam, women should start yearly mammograms. In some cases such as a positive family
history of breast cancer screening may start
earlier, be more frequent and other forms of testing such as MRI’s may be used in addition to
mammograms.
Treatment:
There are several treatment modalities for breast cancer such as surgery, radiation,
chemotherapy, hormones and immunotherapy, your doctor may use a combination of all of
these treatments. It depends on the stage of your disease and the aggressiveness of the
tumor, which combination your doctor chooses. Trust that your doctor will use the right
combination he/she thinks is best for you. There have been great advances in breast cancer
research therefore, more treatment options are available then ever before, so the outlook for
breast cancer treatment continues to look better and better.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information on Breast Cancer, please log on to the following web sites:
The American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation
www.lindacreed.org
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
www.lbbc.org
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation
www.komen.org
Women of Faith and Hope Breast Cancer Foundation
www.wofah.org
Medical Information
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