Breast Cancer; Facts to Know.An estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2008. Approximately 40,480 women will die from breast cancer in 2008. Breast cancer is the most common site of cancer in women (besides skin cancer) and the second-leading cause of cancer death in women. The five-year relative survival rate for localized breast cancer has increased from 72 percent in the 1940s to close to 100 percent for stage 0 and I breast cancers, and 92 percent for stage IIA. If the cancer is in stage IIB IIB Institute for Independent Business IIB Institute of International Business IIB Institute of International Bankers IIB International Investment Bank IIB Indian Institute of Banking & Finance IIB Included in Bankruptcy IIB Ice, Ice, Baby , the five-year survival rate is currently 81 percent, and it is 67 percent for stage IIIA IIIA Internet Information Infrastructure Architecture IIIA Integrated Intelligence Information Application IIIA International Imaging Industry Association , 54 percent for stage IIIB, and 20 percent for stage IV. Survival after a diagnosis of breast cancer continues to decline beyond five years. Ten-year survival and beyond is also stage-dependent, with the best survival observed in women with early stage disease. Well-known estrogen-related risks for developing breast cancer include early menstruation (at age 12 or younger); late menopause (after age 55); and no full-term pregnancy or first child until after age 30. Approximately 80 percent of biopsied breast abnormalities are noncancerous, but any breast lump must be evaluated by a physician. New, less invasive biopsy procedures permit removal of breast tissue in a physician or radiologist's office. Sometimes more than one mammogram may be necessary to evaluate an abnormality. Common reasons for additional mammograms include film views that are unclear or different views requested by the radiologist. Some mammography centers are able to provide immediate interpretation of your mammogram. This service can help prevent anxiety caused by waiting days to hear your results. Any additional films required also can be taken during the same visit. Many women panic when they see the "one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime" statistic, but when the numbers are broken down, this means one in 233 women in her thirties will be diagnosed with breast cancer; one in 69 in her forties; one in 36 in her fifties; and one in 27 in her sixties. The annual risk of a 85-year-old woman being diagnosed with breast cancer is 15 times that of a 30-year-old woman. Some breast cancer cases are the result of a mutation in the BRCA BRCA One of two genes (designated BRCA1 and BRCA2) that help repair damage to DNA, but when inherited in a defective state increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. 1 or 2 genes, which can be inherited from a family member. Hereditary breast cancer makes up approximately five to 10 percent of all breast cancer. Some altered genes related to breast cancer are more common in certain ethnic groups. Women who have an altered gene related to breast cancer and who have had breast cancer in one breast have an increased risk of developing breast cancer in the other breast. These women also have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer and may have an increased risk of developing other cancers. Different types of treatment are available for patients with breast cancer. Some treatments are standard, and some are being tested in clinical trials. The four types of standard treatment currently used are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. References Genomic Health, Inc. 2008. "What is Oncotype DX?" Available at http://www.genomichealth.com Accessed April 2008. "What is breast cancer?" The American Cancer Society. September 2007. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed March 2008. "How many women get breast cancer?" The American Cancer Society. September 26, 2007. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed March 2008. "How is breast cancer staged?" The American Cancer Society. September 2007. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed March 2008. "Abortion, miscarriage, and breast cancer risk." The National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed March 2008. Ries LAG, Harkins D, Krapcho M, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2003. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 2006. Vogel VG. Management of the high-risk patient. Surg Clin North Am. 2003;83(4):733-751. "ACS (Asynchronous Communications Server) See network access server. Advises MRIs for Some at High Risk of Breast Cancer." The American Cancer Society. March 28, 2007. Accessed March 28, 2007. "FDA approves Tykerb for advanced breast cancer patients." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2007. http://www.fda.gov San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Dec. 14-17, 2006. Donald Berry, PhD, department of biostatistics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Peter Ravdin, MD, PhD, department of biostatistics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Eric Winer, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston. "Detailed Guide: Breast Cancer--What are the Key Statistics for Breast Cancer?" American Cancer Society copyright 2007. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed February 2007. "Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer." Mayo Clinic. July 1, 2005. http://www.mayoclinic.com. Accessed September 15, 2005. "Mammograms." Womenshealth.gov. National Women's Health Information Center. US Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS . Office on Women's Health. March 2002. http://www.4women.gov. Accessed September 15, 2005. "Sentinel Node Biopsy Sentinel node biopsy A newer procedure performed in order to determine whether breast cancer has spread to auxiliary (underarm) lymph nodes. A blue radioactive tracer and/or blue dye is injected into the area of the breast tumor. ." National Cancer Institute. http://www.nci.nih.gov. U. Veronesi, et al. "Sentinel Node Biopsy May Be as Good as Regular Lymph Node Biopsy Lymph Node Biopsy Definition A lymph node biopsy is a procedure in which all or part of a lymph node is removed and examined to determine if there is cancer within the node. ," New England Journal of Medicine The New England Journal of Medicine (New Engl J Med or NEJM) is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world. , August 7, 2003; last updated Sept. 2003.http://www.breastcancer.org. Accessed March 2004 "Prophylactic Mastectomy." Last updated February 2004. http://www.breastcancer.org. Accessed March 2004 "Bone Marrow Or Stem Cell Transplant Helps Reduce Breast Cancer Relapses," 1999. American Society of Clinical Oncology Conference, Atlanta, Georgia. "Breast Cancer." CancerNet. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed November 2003. Canadian Medical Association Journal The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) is a general medical journal that is published biweekly by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). It is considered to be one of the top six general medical journals; the others being the 2001;164:1837-1846,1851-1852. "20-Year Follow-up of a Trial Comparing Total Mastectomy with Lumpectomy Lumpectomy Definition A lumpectomy is a type of surgery used to treat breast cancer. It is considered "breast-conserving" surgery because in a lumpectomy, only the malignant tumor and a surrounding margin of normal breast tissue are " New England Journal of Medicine, This Week in the Journal. October 2002. http://content.nejm.org. Accessed November 2002. "The Facts for Life." The Komen Foundation. http://www.komen.org. Accessed November 2003. "Updated Breast Cancer Screening This article or section recently underwent a major revision or rewrite and needs further review. You can help! X-ray mammography Mammography is still the modality of choice for screening of early breast cancer, since it is relatively fast, reasonably accurate, and Guidelines Released" American Cancer Society, May 15, 2003. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed November 2003. Breast Cancer: Detailed Guide. American Cancer Society. 2003. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed May 2003. "Cancer Facts and Figures 2003" American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed May 2003. King MC, et al. "Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risks Due to Inherited Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2." Science. 2003;302(5645):643-646. http://www.sciencemag.org. Accessed November 2003. Gross PE, et al. "A Randomized Trial of Letrozole in Postmenopausal Women after Five Years of Tamoxifen tamoxifen (təmŏk`sĭfĕn'), synthetic hormone used in the treatment of breast cancer. Introduced in 1978, tamoxifen is used to prevent recurrences of cancer in women who have already undergone surgery to remove their tumors. Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer" New England Journal of Medicine. 2003;340:1793-1802. http://content.nejm.org. Accessed November 2003. "Summary from the General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel Meeting--October 14 and 15, 2003." US Food and Drug Aministration. Center for Devices and Radiological Health The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is the branch of the United States Food and Drug Administration responsible for the premarket approval of all medical devices, as well as overseeing the manufacturing, performance and safety of these devices. . October 2003. http://www.fda.gov. Accessed November 2003. Coombes R, Hall E, Gibson L, et al. A randomized trial of exemestane after two to three years of tamoxifen therapy in postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:1081-1092. Howell A, Cuzick J, Baum M, et al. ATAC Trialists' Group. Results of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial after completion of 5 years' adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Lancet. 2005;365(9453):60-2. "General information about breast cancer." The National Cancer Institute. June 22, 2005. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed January 2006. Piccart-Gebhart MJ, Procter M, Leyland-Jones B et al. Trastuzumab after adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(16):1659-72. Romond E. H., Perez E. A., Bryant J, et al. Trastuzumab plus Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Operable operable /op·er·a·ble/ (op´er-ah-b'l) subject to being operated upon with a reasonable degree of safety; appropriate for surgical removal. op·er·a·ble adj. HER2-Positive Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med 2005; 353:1673-1684, Oct 20, 2005 "Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifine (STAR) Trial." The National Cancer Institute. Updated 4/26/06. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed April 26, 2006. "What are the risk factors for breast cancer?" American Cancer Society. September 2006. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed February 2007. "What is breast cancer?" American Cancer Society. September 2006. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed February 2007. Keywords: breast cancer, mammogram, mammography |
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