breast cancer…

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female breast, needle biopsy, the breast, open biopsy, the breast, breast self-exam, breast self-exam, breast self-exam, mammary gland, sentinel node biopsy, mastectomy, breast lump removal, cancer, breast, breast cancer, malignant growth that begins, in the tissues, the breast, over the course of a lifetime, one in eight women, diagnosed, breast cancer, several different types of breast cancer, ductal carcinoma begins, in the cells lining the ducts that bring milk, nipple, accounts, more than 75% of breast cancers, lobular carcinoma begins, in the milk-secreting glands, the breast but is otherwise fairly similar in its behavior to ductal carcinoma, varieties of breast cancer, arise, skin, fat, connective tissues, cells present, in the breast, risk factors, breast cancer, gender, most cancers, significant factor, in fact, 77% of new cases, 84% of breast cancer deaths occur in women aged 50, older, than 80% of breast cancer cases occur in women over 50, less than 1% of breast cancers occur in men, risk of breast cancer is clearly related to hormonal influences, how these affect the disease, particularly types, the disease is not yet clear, genetic factors, family history of breast cancer, families appear to have a genetic tendency, breast cancer, two variant genes have been found that appear to account, brca1, brca2, genes p53, bard1, important, researchers have identified some other defective genes, breast cancer, brca3, noey2, disease inherited only, father's side, the family, facts suggest that breast cancer, growth, genetically damaged cells, such genetic damage is known to gradually accumulate, in the cells, the body over time, women carrying mutated brca1, brca2 genes have a "head start" in this process, hormonal influences, important, they encourage cell growth, high levels of hormones, a woman's reproductive years, not interrupted by the hormonal changes of pregnancy, appear to increase the chances that genetically damaged cells, grow, cancer, early menstruation, late menopause, women who started menstrual periods early, age 12, went, menopause late, after age 55, at higher risk, women, never had children, who had them only, age of 30 have an increased risk, oral contraceptives, birth control pills, birth control pills, slightly increase the risk, breast cancer, depending on age, length of use, factors, no one knows how long the effects, the pill last after stopping it, hormone replacement therapy, use of hrt has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer, physical characteristics, obesity is controversial, a risk factor, studies report obesity, a risk of breast cancer, possibly associated, higher levels of estrogen production in obese women, alcohol consumption, excessive alcohol use, than 1-2 drinks a day, has been associated, an increased risk of breast cancer, chemicals, studies have pointed to exposure to estrogen-like chemicals, found in pesticides, industrial products, a possible increased risk of breast cancer, des, women who took diethylstilbestrol, des, prevent miscarriage, have an increased risk of breast cancer, radiation, people exposed to radiation, childhood, face an increased risk, breast cancer in adulthood, at risk, that received chest irradiation, prior cancers, additional risk factors, studies show previous breast, uterine, ovarian, colon cancer, a strong history of cancer, in the family, increase the risk, breast cancer, gail model, simple breast cancer risk assessment tool that is available online, takes into account the most important risk factors, breast lump, breast mass noted upon breast exam, painless, firm to hard, irregular borders, lump, mass, in the armpit, a change, in the size, the breast, abnormal nipple discharge, bloody, clear-to-yellow, green fluid, look, pus, purulent, change, in the color, the skin, the breast, nipple, areola, dimpled, puckered, scaly, retraction, "orange peel" appearance, redness, accentuated veins on breast surface, change in appearance, sensation, the nipple, pulled in, retraction, enlargement, itching, breast pain, enlargement, discomfort on one side only, breast lump, pain, tenderness, change, man, symptoms of advanced disease, bone pain, weight loss, swelling of one arm, skin ulceration, worrisome breast changes, confirmed, investigated by a medical professional, after getting, information, the symptom, risk factors, physician performs a physical examination, breasts, armpits, the neck, chest, additional tests, recommended, x-ray mammography, help identify the breast mass, ultrasound, sonogram, whether the lump is solid, fluid-filled, needle aspiration, needle biopsy of breast lumps, demonstrate, fluid-filled, provide material to send, analysis, case of very small abnormalities visible only on mammography, special techniques, a surgical biopsy, breast lump removal provides a portion, all of a breast lump, laboratory study, breast cancer is diagnosed, additional testing is performed, chest x-ray, blood tests, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, recommended, not only, to help determine the stage of disease, staging is important to help guide future treatment, follow-up, to give some idea of what to expect, in the future, stages of breast cancer, american joint committee on cancer, stage 0, in situ, "in place", the cancerous cells, in original location, normal breast tissue, either dcis, ductoral carcinoma in situ, lcis, lobular carcinoma in situ, depending on the type of cells involved, location, pre-cancerous condition, a small percentage of dcis tumors pregress to, become invasive cancers, controversy, the medical community on how to best treat dcis, stage i, tumor less than 2 cm in diameter, no spread beyond the breast, stage iia, tumor 2 to 5 cm in size, spread to axillary, armpit, lymph nodes, tumor less than 2 cm in size, spread to axillary lymph nodes, stage iib, tumor greater than 5 cm in size, spread to axillary lymph nodes, tumor 2 to 5 cm in size, spread to axillary lymph nodes, stage iiia, tumor smaller than 5 cm in size, spread to axillary lymph nodes, attached to each other, to other structures, tumor larger than 5 cm in size, spread to axillary lymph nodes, stage iiib, tumor has penetrated outside the breast, skin, the breast, the chest wall, has spread to lymph nodes inside the chest wall, along the sternum, stage iv, a tumor of any size, spread beyond the region, the breast, chest wall, to liver, bone, lungs, many additional factors besides staging, influence the recommended treatment, likely outcome, the precise cell type, appearance, the cancer, whether the cancer cells respond to hormones, presence, absence of genes known to cause breast cancer, choice of initial treatment, many factors, stage i, ii, iii cancers, main considerations, to adequately treat the cancer, prevent a recurrence either, place, the original tumor, local, elsewhere, metastatic, stage iv cancer, goal, improve symptoms, prolong survival, stage iv breast cancer cannot be cured, surgery, consist only of breast lump removal, lumpectomy, partial, total, radical mastectomy, the removal of one, lymph nodes, axilla, armpit, special procedures to find the most likely lymph nodes to which cancer, have spread, sentinel nodes, radiation therapy, tumor, breast, chest wall, tissues known, suspected to have remaining cancer cells, chemotherapy, help eliminate cancer cells, still remain, in the breast, have already spread to other parts, hormonal therapy, tamoxifen, block the effects of estrogen, help breast cancer cells to survive, grow, most women, breast cancers which express estrogen, progesterone on surface benefit from treatment, tamoxifen, a new class of medicines, aromatase inhibitors, aromasin, have been shown to be, possibly better than tamoxifen in women, stage iv breast cancer, most women receive a combination, of these treatments, stage 0 breast cancer, mastectomy, lumpectomy plus radiation, standard treatment, controversy on how best to treat dcis, stage 1, 2 disease, lumpectomy, plus radiation, mastectomy, at least "sentinel node" lymph node removal is standard treatment, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, recommended following surgery, presence of breast cancer, in the axillary lymph nodes is very useful, staging, appropriate follow-up treatment, stage iii patients, ususally treated, surgery followed by chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, considered under special circumstances, stage iv breast cancer treated, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, depending on the situation, stress of breast cancer, helped by joining a support group where members share common experiences, cancer support group, clinical stage of breast cancer, best indicator, prognosis, probable outcome, other factors, five-year survival rates, individuals, breast cancer who receive appropriate treatment, approximately, 95%, stage 0, 88%, stage i, 66%, stage ii, 36%, stage iii, 7%, stage iv, axillary, armpit, lymph nodes, the main passageway that breast cancer cells must use to reach the rest, their involvement at any time strongly affects the prognosis, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, improve prognosis in all patients, increase the likelihood of cure in patients, stage i, ii, iii disease, aggressive, appropriate treatments, breast cancer often spreads, metastasizes, to other parts, the body the lungs, liver, bones, recurrence rate, 5% after total mastectomy, removing armpit lymph nodes, the nodes, found not to have cancer, recurrence rate is 25% in those, similar treatment, the nodes have cancer, complications, the result of surgery, altered drainage, the lymph, arm, radiation changes, chemotherapy, tamoxifen, the results of delaying, avoiding early detection, treatment of breast cancer, far more distressing, deadly, a man, a woman who notices any, the symptoms which could indicate breast cancer, a woman, 40 years, older, have not had a mammogram, in the last year, a woman, 35 years, older, mother, sister, breast cancer, have already had cancer, the breast, uterus, ovary, colon, a woman, 20 years, older, not know how, need help to learn how to perform a breast self-examination, many risk factors cannot be, controlled, experts, in the field of diet, cancer agree that changes in diet, lifestyle, reduce the incidence of cancer generally, efforts have focused on early detection, breast cancer is more treated, curable, found early, breast self-examination, bse, clinical breast examination, cbe, by a medical professional, screening mammography, the three tools of early detection, most recommend breast self-examinations, bse, once a month, the week following menstrual period, age 20, older, regular clinical breast examinations, cbe, by a health professional, women between ages 20, 39, at least every 3 years, after age 40, women should have a cbe by a health professional every year, mammography, most effective way of detecting breast cancer early, american cancer society recommends mammogram screening every year, all women age 40, older, national cancer institute, nci, recommends mammogram screening every 1-2 years, women age 40, older, risk factors, a close family member, annual mammograms should begin 10 years earlier than the age at which the relative was diagnosed, questions have been raised, the benefit of screening mammography, respected medical organizations pdq, the nci, no longer recommend screening mammography, topic fraught, controversy, a woman needs to have an informed, balanced discussion, doing additional reading, researching on her own, mammography is right, two drugs, studied currently, been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer, tamoxifen, nolvadex ®, raloxifene, evista ®, anti-estrogens in breast tissue, tamoxifen is already widely used, prevent recurrence in women, been treated, breast cancer, many other newer hormonal agents, aromatase inhibitors, used after tamoxifen is stopped, in place of tamoxifen, women at very high risk of breast cancer, preventive use of these drugs appropriate, discussed, a qualified physician, preventive mastectomy, surgical removal of one, breasts, an option, prevent breast cancer, at very high risk, breast cancer, women, already had one breast removed, due to cancer, women, a strong family history of breast cancer, a mutation in genes p53, brca1, have gene brca2, additional information on breast cancer, the website, the american cancer society.