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About Breast Cancer
Breast Self-examination
Breast Cancer Treatments
Breast Cancer and Sexuality
Prescription Drug
Did You Know:
About Breast Cancer
Breast Self-examination
Breast Cancer Treatments
Breast Cancer and Sexuality
Prescription Drug
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in woman in the United States. It occurs rarely in men. Both its cause and the means for its cure are undiscovered. It is estimated that 203,500 women and 1,500 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002.
Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer increases as a woman ages, if she has a family history of breast cancer, has never had children or had her first child after age 30. However, over 70% of cases occur in women who have no identifiable risk factors. Breast cancer cannot be prevented, but it can be detected at an early, treatable stage.
Only about 40% of American women have regular screening mammograms, a simple procedure that can reveal breast cancer at its earliest stage, up to two years before it can be felt. Regular screening mammography should begin by age 40 and annually after age 50. Regular breast examinations by a medical professional are a required complement to screening mammography.
Many breast irregularities are found by women themselves. Yet women often do not know how to perform breast self-examination (BSE), and few do so regularly. Although it has never been proven to affect survival, monthly BSE is the third recommended component of each woman's breast health program. Over 80% of breast lumps are proven benign, but any breast lump must be evaluated by a physician. Follow-up biopsy is often recommended. If detected early, breast cancer can often be treated effectively with surgery that preserves the breast, followed by radiation therapy. This local therapy is sometimes accompanied by systemic chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy. Five year survival after treatment for early-stage breast cancer is over 90%. Breast cancer incidence increases with age, rising sharply after age 40. Eighty percent of all breast cancers occur in women over 50 years of age.