Every October is known as “World Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” also widely referred to as “Pink October,” symbolized by the pink ribbon representing breast cancer prevention. This month not only encourages people to focus on breast cancer patients but also emphasizes the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment to […]
Clinical trials are studies that help evaluate a new treatment. Clinical trials attempt to answer scientific questions and to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. An institutional review board (IRB) carefully reviews the study before patients begin participation in the clinical trial. Also, some studies are reviewed […]
Speak with your physician about treatment options. Although there are four standard ways to treat breast cancer (surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy), several treatments may be combined. Your physician can recommend specific treatments depending on the type and location of the cancer, the stage at which it was […]
The radiation exposure from modern, low-dose mammography equipment is minimal. Radiation doses usually are so low they’re negligible. Plus, the medical benefits of early detection outweigh any potential risk.
The pressure caused by spreading the breast tissue may be uncomfortable, but it should not be painful. Women who experience pain should tell the technologist.
Being a woman and getting older are the biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer. Other risk factors include: age; family history of breast cancer in a close family member on either mother’s or father’s side; onset of menstruation before age 12; onset of menopause after age 50; or not […]
Check the other breast. Some lumpiness is normal. However, if the lump is new or unusual, it warrants examination by a physician. A lump found during a breast self-exam, a clinical breast exam or a mammogram does not necessarily mean that a woman has breast cancer. Nearly 80 percent of […]
Statistics show that a woman has a 1 in 8 lifetime chance of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women in the United States, other than non-melanoma skin cancers. Three-fourths of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women age 50 and older. And although […]
No one yet knows what causes breast cancer, but medical research has generated a lot of knowledge about the disease. Researchers at the Comprehensive Cancer Center have made some important discoveries in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer, ranging from understanding more about the genetic aspects of cancer to […]
The most common sign of breast cancer is a lump or thickening in the breast. Other signs include: change in the size or shape of the breast, discharge from the nipple, or change in the color or feel of the skin of the breast or nipple (dimpled, puckered or scaly; […]
