Breast Cancer
Welcome to Woman's World breast cancer awareness. On this page, you will find, Hotlines for assistance, education and support.
Facts about Breast Cancer.
Links to other wonderful sites.
A step by step instruction to self exams.
Answers to What is a Mammogram?
Myths to breast cancer.
We have a wonderful woman who has survived Breats Cancer. She is here to offer support. Please email her at:
In the subject line of your email, please put Breast Cancer, Woman's World.
Hotlines:
National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) 1-800-719-9154
The Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization 1-800-221-2141
The National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Services (CIS) 1-800-4-CANCER
The American Cancer Society 1-800-ACS-2345
1-800-I'M-AWARE Helpline 1-800-462-9273
My Image After Breast Cancer 1-703-461-9616; 1-800-963-0101
BREAST CANCER: AN AMERICAN EPIDEMIC
FACTS:
• A woman dies of breast cancer every 11 minutes.
• Breast cancer is an epidemic. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in America women today.
• There are 1.8 million women in this country who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and 1 million more who do not yet know they have the disease.
• This year 182,000 women and 1,000 men will discover that they have breast cancer, and 46,000 will die from the disease.
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of death of women ages 35-54
• The death rate from breast cancer has not been reduced significantly in more than 50 years. One out of four women with breast cancer dies within the first 5 years; 35% die within 10 years of diagnosis.
• The incidence of breast cancer among American women is rising each year. For women ages 30 to 34, the incidence rate tripled between 1973 and 1987; the rate quadrupled for women ages 35 to 39 during the same period.
• The risk of breast cancer has more than doubled in the past 30 years. In 1960, 1 woman in 20 could expect to be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime; today, 1 in 8 faces that threat
• We do not know what causes breast cancer, how to cure it or what to do to prevent it. For two decades, underfunded research has focused on detection and treatment, rather than cause and prevention; and current methods of detection, physical examination and mammography, are imperfect at best.
• Breast cancer costs this country more than six billion each year in medical expenses and lost productivity.
• All women in America are at risk for breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women.
Please DO NOT ALLOW these facts to prevent you from seeking help!!!!!
You can survive, early detection and medical assistance is neccessary!
Risk factors: Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes; increasing age; early onset of menstruation; late menopause; never having had children or having a first child after age 30; personal or family history of breast cancer; possibly a high-fat diet. Mortality rates are falling in white women, especially those younger than 65.
Warning signs: A painless lump in the breast is typical, but there may occasionally be pain; any change in the shape, color or texture of the breast or nipple; discharge from or tenderness in the nipple.
Detection and diagnosis: Self-examination and clinical breast exams; mammograms. Experts recommend annual mammograms and breast checkups for all women older than 50 but also for some younger women , If you find a lump, see a doctor immediately!
Under study: Biochemical and genetic markers and the density of blood vessels in a tumor may help indicate its aggressiveness.
Treatment now: For localized tumors, mastectomy (removal of the whole breast) may be appropriate, but breast-conserving surgery (removal of the tumor and some surrounding tissue, sometimes called lumpectomy) followed by local radiation is often preferable. Although recurrences are more common with breast-conserving surgery, these can be treated by mastectomy, and the survival rates are equivalent to those when mastectomy is used initially. Either procedure may be followed by additional chemotherapy or hormone-blocking therapy. If tumor cells have high levels of receptors for the hormones estrogen and progesterone, it is a good sign because hormone-blocking therapy may stop their growth.
Under study: High-dose chemotherapy followed by reconstitution of damaged bone marrow; chemotherapy before surgery; immunotherapy, including immunotoxins (molecules that combine a toxic agent with an antibody that binds to tumor cells); new chemotherapies and drug combinations. Tamoxifen, a drug that suppresses the effects of estrogen, may help prevent breast cancer in some women at high risk.
Five-year survival rates:
Controversies: Tests for detecting inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are becoming available, but doctors have not reached a consensus on their use. Also debated are the value of chemotherapy for elderly patients and the value of routine mammography in women younger than 50. Some studies indicate that surgical treatment of breast cancer during the second half of a patient's menstrual cycle is more likely to produce a favorable outcome.
Information provided by:
Scientific American
Wonderful Links:
Please book mark this site first!
Patients Guide To Breast Cancer
Avon Breast Cancer Awareness!
The Doctors Guide To Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer, Frequently Asked Questions
Breast Self Exam:
Breast self-exams play a crucial role in the early detection of breast cancer. Women detect eight out of 10 breast cancers between visits to their physicians. Women who routinely perform breast self-exams can usually detect an unusual mass in their breasts much sooner than women who do not practice breast self-exams.
Before you begin a breast self-exam, you should be aware that every woman's breasts are different. The key to the success of the self-exam is knowing the shape and texture of your own breasts so you can recognize any changes or abnormalities that might occur. Remember, when you are doing your breast self-exam, you are looking for masses within the soft tissue of your breasts, or changes in their appearance.
Since your breast size, sensitivity, and even texture can vary throughout the month, it is important to do the self-exam at the same time each month. Women who are menstruating should do their breast self-exam at the end of their menstrual cycle. Women who take estrogen should conduct their exams on a non-hormone day. Women who do not have periods, and those taking estrogen every day, should conduct their exam during the first week of the month.
Step 1. -- Bath or Shower
Examine your breasts as you bathe or shower. Your hands will glide easily over wet skin.
Step 2. -- Circular Motion
Place one hand behind your head. With your other hand, press flat fingers gently in small circular motions. Begin with your index finger next to your collarbone. Move your hand in a circular fashion, clockwise around the breast. You will feel a ridge of tissue in the lower curve of your breast. When you reach the top of your breast, move in three fingers and continue circling and sliding around your breast. Continue until you reach the nipple. Repeat this step with your other breast.
Step 3. -- Squeeze Nipple
Squeeze the nipple gently between thumb and index finger. Any discharge, whether clear or bloody, should be reported to your physician.
Step 4. -- Mirror
After your shower, stand before a mirror and examine your breasts visually. Look for anything unusual, such as puckering skin, dimpling, scaling, or color changes.
Step 5. -- Hands Behind Head
Watching closely in the mirror, clasp hands behind your head and press elbows forward. You should be able to feel your chest muscles tighten. Notice the contour of your breasts.
Step 6. -- Hands on Hip
Press hands firmly on hips and bow slightly toward the mirror as you pull your shoulders and elbows forward. When you are aware of your breasts' natural contours, any future change will become apparent.
Step 7. -- Lie Down
Lie flat on your back with your left arm over your head and a pillow or folded towel under your left shoulder. This position flattens the breast and makes the exam easier. With your right hand, press flat fingers gently in small circular motions. Begin with your index finger next to your collarbone. Move your hand in a circular fashion, clockwise around the breast. You will feel a ridge of tissue in the lower curve of your breast. When you reach the top of your breast, move in three fingers and continue circling and sliding around your breast. Continue until you reach the nipple. Repeat this step with your right breast. Hand lotion will allow your hands to slide smoothly
What are Mammograms?
A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. Breast cancer can be cured if it is found when it is small and has not spread to other parts of the body. Early detection makes it possible to give treatment and still save the breast. Screening mammography is the key to early detection. It is the only way to find breast cancer before it can be felt. There is an early stage of cancer that hides just below the resolution of a mamographic exam. Many cancers may be seen on mammography but not felt on physical examination. Up to 12% of cancers may not be detected by the mammogram. Therefore, if you have not had a recent physical examination by your doctor you should make an appointment.
TEN MYTHS ABOUT BREAST CANCER
from Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book
Having fibrocystic disease increases your risk of breast cancer.
Coffee increases your risk of breast cancer.
Only women with a family history of breast cancer are at risk.
Mammography is 100% accurate in early breast cancer detection.
Older women don't have to worry about breast cancer.
A diagnosis of breast cancer is an emergency.
A mastectomy ensures that the cancer is gone forever.
A breast cancer diagnosis is a death sentence.
Breast self-exams done routinely will find all cancers at a curable state.
Only women get breast cancer.