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Breast Cancer Awareness Facts

Oct 13, 2015

1. About 12 percent of U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetimes.
2. Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast divide and grow abnormally. Tumors in the breast tend to grow slowly. By the time a lump is large enough to feel, it may have been growing for as long as 10 years.
3. The main types of breast cancer are ductal, cancer of the milk ducts, and lobular, a cancer found in the milk-producing lobules of the breast.
4. Breast cancer symptoms include a lump or mass in the breast, breast swelling, breast or nipple pain, nipple discharge, skin irritation and swollen lymph nodes.
5. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women in the U.S., second only to skin
6. The American Cancer Society recommends that women ages 40 and older have annual mammograms.
7. While two-dimensional mammograms are still considered the gold standard for early detection, clinical trials are beginning to demonstrate the benefits of tomosynthesis.
8. Tomosynthesis allows breast radiologists to see through layers of tissue and examine areas of concern from all angles.
9. Age and gender are the leading risk factors for breast cancer. About 80 percent of new cancers occur in women older than 50.
10. Only 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to gene mutations passed through generations of a family.
11. High-risk women with a close relative who fought breast or ovarian cancer should be tested twice a year, starting at age 30 or younger, depending on the individual. They may also require anti-hormone medications or lifestyle counseling to reduce their risk.
12. A whopping 70 percent of breast biopsies are benign. The remaining 30 percent of patients — women and men — have an invasive carcinoma that is curable.
13. Deciding on the best treatment for breast cancer involves the type and stage of the cancer, as well as the cancer’s sensitivity to certain hormones.
14. As many as 60,000 American women each year are told they are at Stage 0, a possible precursor to what could be a breast cancer tumor.
15. Cancer treatment may include chemotherapy to kill cancer cells, radiation therapy to destroy cancerous tissue or surgery to remove cancerous tissue.
16. Oncologists today can better target radiation and use more specific doses that do less damage to breast tissues.
17. A mastectomy removes all or part of the breast, while a lumpectomy removes the breast lump.
18. In the past, radical mastectomies took everything — the breast tissue, muscles, nipples and nearby lymph nodes. Today, surgeons perform skin-sparing, nipple-sparing and scar-sparing mastectomy whenever possible, leading to better cosmetic and reconstructive results.
19. Breast reconstruction can be done by a plastic surgeon at the same time as the mastectomy, or at a later date.
20. The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights law requires most group insurance plans that cover mastectomies to also cover breast reconstruction, including plastic surgery on the unaffected breast to improve symmetry.
21. The most comprehensive study published by National Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed no survival benefit for women with bilateral mastectomies who do not have a genetic predisposition to cancer.
22. Even moderate alcohol use can increase the risk of breast cancer.
23. Women have a higher risk of breast cancer if they received hormone replacement therapy with estrogen for several years or more.
24. Controllable risk factors include living a healthy lifestyle, the same kind that promotes longevity. This includes eating a nutrient-dense diet of fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and lean meats; regular exercise, such as walking to maintain weight and Pilates to relive stress and build strength; weight loss, especially after menopause; and not smoking and limiting alcohol use.
25. Annual medical exams and mammograms are critical to breast cancer prevention, and can even be life-saving in many cases. Monthly self-exams are also important.
26. If breast cancer is found early, there are more treatment options and a greater chance of survival, especially in the rapidly evolving field of breast cancer care.
27. For women with Stage I, II, or III breast cancer, the main goal is to treat the cancer and prevent it from returning. For women with Stage IV cancer, the goal is to improve symptoms and help them live longer. In most cases, Stage IV breast cancer cannot be cured.
28. Breast cancer survival rates have increased due to a number of factors, such as earlier detection, a new personalized approach to treatment and a better understanding of the disease.
29. Today, more than 2.8 million American women have a history of breast cancer.