One in eight U.S. women will develop a form of invasive breast cancer during their lifetime
An estimated 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in U.S. women in 2018. About 2,550 new cases in U.S. men are also expected this year.
Death rates for breast cancer have steadily decreased since the late `80s. Still, about 40,920 women in the U.S. are estimated to have died from the disease in 2018.
There are more than 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. (including women who have completed treatment and those who are still being treated.
What can you do to fight breast cancer? Learn more about breast cancer detection methods, risk factors, and making your mammogram appointment.
During breast cancer treatment, it can be overwhelming to absorb all of your doctor's follow-up guidelines. You will likely be balancing multiple treatment options that bring their own care instructions. Not only will you be managing a number of treatments and follow-up care, you'll also be dealing with the emotional and physical aspects of recovery taking their toll on you. With so much on your mind, it can be difficult to keep track of everything that is going on.
Your experience with treatment will be unique and based on your diagnosis, treatment options, and treatment order. It may be helpful to take notes or bring a friend or family member along to your appointments to help you remember your doctor's recommendations.
What to Expect During Recovery
Breast cancer surgery
Recovering from surgery varies by your diagnosis and the type of breast cancer surgery. Your doctor will show you how to care for yourself after surgery and prescribe pain medications, if needed.
A lumpectomy is an outpatient procedure, and you will be able to go home the same day. If you have a mastectomy, you will likely have to remain in the hospital for a few days.
After breast cancer surgery, you will likely have a drainage device in place that you will need to empty. You will also need to change your bandages daily.
Keeping the incision area and bandages clean are important to preventing infection after surgery. Be sure to contact your doctor if you have any questions about how to care for the incision area.
Doing some light stretching exercises after surgery will help you regain mobility and range of motion.
Breast cancer chemotherapy
Chemotherapy recovery comes down to working treatment into your schedule and managing side effects. Depending on what side effects you experience and the severity, you may need to take time off work during treatment to rest and recover.
Some chemo side effects can continue for months or even years after chemotherapy is complete, so work with your doctor to develop a care plan that helps you manage these after-effects. Exercising, such as light walking, yoga, or meditation, may also help you recover quicker and overcome some side effects of chemotherapy.
Breast cancer radiation therapy
Radiation therapy usually lasts for a few months, but the frequency and duration of treatment varies based on your situation. During radiation, you will likely be able to keep up most of your normal activities and routine.
You may feel tired in the weeks during treatment and after. Keeping up good habits for diet and sleep will help aid your recovery.
The skin around the area where you receive radiation can become irritated. You'll want to be sure you take care of the skin where radiation was administered. Use mild lotion for dry skin and avoid direct sun exposure until the skin has healed.
Managing Depression and Anxiety
A breast cancer diagnosis brings about a lot of fear and anxiety in most patients. While your body undergoes difficult treatment, you may find yourself physically and emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed from your follow-up plans and discharge instructions.
If you find yourself feeling sad, anxious, or in fear often, contact a counselor or find a breast cancer support group. Talking about your experience with others may help you gain more understanding of your experience and learn strategies to cope with the changes breast cancer has brought to your life.
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It can be overwhelming to get a list of recovery instructions after breast cancer treatment. Knowing what to expect from each options can help you prepare.Watch Now
Treatment options for breast cancer vary widely among patients and are based on the stage of cancer, tumor size, and type of cancer. Each person is different, and so is their cancer diagnosis. Your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan based on your personal diagnosis.
You will likely have some combination of the following treatments:
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill the cancer cells or stop them from dividing. It can be given by mouth, as an injection, or as an infusion. The drugs used vary depending on the type of breast cancer, such as the hormone receptor status.
In certain types of cancer, hormones can cause the cancer to grow. Hormone therapy removes hormones or blocks them from acting. Tamoxifen, an antiestrogen, blocks the effects of estrogen on the cancer cells and is commonly given as hormone therapy in early-stage breast cancer.
Aromatase inhibitors are another type of hormone therapy that prevents androgen from turning into estrogen. This is given to women whose cancer needs estrogen to grow.
Breast Cancer Surgery
Most patients have surgery to remove the tumor, tissue around the tumor, or lymph nodes under the arm. You may receive chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the tumor.
Breast cancer surgery options range from the removal of the tumor and a small amount of tissue, called a lumpectomy, to removal of the whole breast, called mastectomy. The type of surgery suggested depends on how much the cancer has spread and your risk of recurrence.
To help the surgeon determine how much to remove, he or she may perform a sentinel lymph node biopsy. This is the removal of the first lymph node that receives drainage from the tumor. The physician will check the tissue for cancer cells to determine whether the cancer has spread.
Breast reconstruction surgery may also be performed at the time of a mastectomy. The breast can be rebuilt using your own tissue or using implants.
Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells. The goal of radiation is to target the tumor as specifically as possible and avoid damaging the surrounding healthy tissue as much as possible.
As with surgery and chemotherapy, the type of radiation, dose, and length of treatment depends on the tumor size and location.
Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer
As researchers understand more about the differences in breast cancers, more targeted therapies are becoming available. These treatment options use drugs to kill or block specific cancer cells and spare the healthy cells. Targeted drugs may be used in combination with chemotherapy or other treatment options.
Your doctor can explain the risks and benefits of each treatment option and how they work for your diagnosis to develop a tailored care plan.
To learn more about cancer treatment options and customized treatment plans, visit the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center website.
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Breast cancer treatment involves a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or targeted therapy. Know your options and how they target the cancer.Watch Now
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string(4233) "The only thing that may feel more frightening than a breast cancer diagnosis is living in fear of a diagnosis.
Whether it's the abundance of celebrities who have battled the disease publicly or a family member who has faced the painful ordeal of a breast cancer diagnosis, the worry that you may someday deal with the disease first-hand can be all-consuming. As more people reveal that they had breast cancer, especially if they talk about having a BRCA gene mutation, you may start to wonder if you are at risk. Or, you may want to know in general what risks you can eliminate.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. More than 200,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Early detection is key, and it's important to know your body and what signs to look for, and if you are at risk.
Family history – having a mother or sister with breast cancer
Menstruation history — onset of menstruation at an early age (under 12)
Reproductive history — older age at first birth or never having given birth
Dense breast tissue
Having a gene mutation (BRCA gene)
Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast or chest (as an infant or child)
Taking hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone (after menopause)
Drinking alcohol
Race
Obesity
The best approach to monitoring your risk for developing breast cancer is by following recommended screening guidelines. Women of average risk should begin annual screening mammograms at age 40, as recommended by the American College of Radiology and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This has been shown to save the most lives from breast cancer. Just as with any medical advice, a woman should discuss the risks and benefits of screening with her doctor.Women of higher risk should consider starting at an earlier age.
Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer
Undergoing testing can reveal a potential higher risk for developing breast cancer. One of the most common genetic markers associated with inherited breast or ovarian cancer susceptibility is a mutation in the BRCA genes. These gene mutations can be passed down by a mother or a father. Typically, you must have a diagnosis of breast or ovarian cancer, or have a family history of these cancers in a number of family members to qualify for genetic testing.
Genetic testing information may help you:
Learn if you have an increased likelihood of developing breast cancer
Discover if inherited factors have contributed to your or a family member's cancer
Make more informed medical decisions
You should always talk to your doctor about your risks and to see if genetic testing is right for you. If you are concerned about your or a loved one's cancer risk, you can undergo an evaluation through the UPMC Cancer Genetics Program.
For more information about breast cancer, risks, and genetic testing, visit the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Awareness page and the Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC's Breast Cancer Program.
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Learn more about the most common risks for developing breast cancer. Learn how genetic testing can may help you determine your chances of developing cancerRead More
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string(5278) "Breast cancer is diagnosed in an estimated 207,090 women and 1,970 men in the United States each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it is the most common cancer among women across all races and ethnicities.
Knowledge about breast cancer has come a long way, thanks to the ever-growing support of patients, survivors, loved ones, doctors, and comprehensive basic and clinical research.
Breast Cancer Symptoms To Look Out For
At this point, many women know what to look for when performing breast exams on themselves: a lump in the breast. But, there are some more subtle changes and symptoms that women should be aware of when performing a monthly self exam. Awareness of these small changes may help lead to earlier detection and more successful treatment of the disease.
Particularly in the early stages of breast cancer, symptoms of the disease are not intense. However, the breast may look and feel different as the tumor grows.
Here are some breast cancer symptoms you should look for, in addition to a lump or thickening:
Swelling, warmth, redness, or darkening
Change in the size or shape of your breast
Dimpling or puckering of the skin
Itchy, scaly, sore, or rash on the nipple
Pulling in of your nipple or other parts
Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
New pain in one spot that does not go away
If you notice any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor to make an appointment for an examination. However, early detection is key in beating breast cancer. Even if you have none of these symptoms, follow screening guidelines.
Screening Options for Breast Cancer
Women at high risk of developing breast cancer may benefit from more intensive screening and should consider making an appointment with the Magee-Womens High-Risk Breast Cancer Program.
In addition to screening mammography, the following tests can be helpful in determining whether or not you have breast cancer:
In addition, breast cancer may be categorized based on estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER 2 (a protein found in excess on the surface of the cancer cell in about 20 percent of patients). Doctors use these and other criteria to help define optimal treatment. The vast majority of women in the United States who are diagnosed with breast cancer have a variety of therapeutic options and can live with no evidence of disease.
Learn more about breast cancer risks and treatment at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center website."
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Do you know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer? During this October, brush up on your knowledge for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.Read More
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string(961) "One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. It also happens to be the second deadliest cancer among women.
When diagnosed late (distant stage) instead of early (local stage), five-year survival rate decreases by 75 percent, so it is essential to know the signs of breast cancer and be aware of your risk factors.
Check out our infographic to discover the facts, risk factors, and symptoms of breast cancer so you can join the fight against the disease.
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One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Learn the facts, symptoms, and risk factors of the disease with our infographic.View Infographic
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string(4275) "For women about to undergo their first mammogram, or even for those who have already adopted the routine, we understand questions may arise about the exam and its purpose.
Below are frequently asked questions from women answered by Dr. Margarita Zuley, director of breast imaging at Magee-Womens Imaging of UPMC.
What are ways to avoid discomfort during a mammogram?
Dr. Zuley: Some women experience slight discomfort when they have a mammogram. Those tend to be younger women who are thin and have what we call "dense breast tissue," which is a lot of breast tissue in their breast. If that happens a couple things you could do: don’t drink a lot of caffeine before you come and take some Tylenol if you are able to take some before you come - those will help to reduce the discomfort. Also, the patient is in control during the study and they can ask the technologist to stop compression if it hurts.
What if I am called back following my mammogram?
Dr. Zuley: Screening mammography is meant to detect every possible abnormality that could exist. Most of the time when we recall a patient from a screening (mammogram) they do not have breast cancer. It is uncommon that they do. Most of the time it’s just that we need to take additional images. Tomosynthesis should help relieve this stress and anxiety significantly.
What is tomosynthesis?
Dr. Zuley: Tomosynthesis is an advanced mammogram where the x-ray tube moves through a small arc and we get a series of pictures that we can look at through thin slices analogous to looking at every page in a book as opposed to looking through a whole book with a clear cover on it. It allows us to be more accurate and find smaller lesions.
What are the benefits of tomosynthesis over traditional mammography?
Dr. Zuley: At this point in time we feel that tomosynthesis will benefit the majority of our women. If you are a screening patient it should improve our ability to find early cancer and reduce the chance that we will recall you for additional views. If you are presenting with a problem it’s possible that the radiologist will feel tomosynthesis will benefit you and will perform the test as needed.
How do I schedule a mammogram?
Dr. Zuley: It’s very easy to schedule a mammogram. One way is to call our Toll Free number which is 1-800-649-4077 or you can go to our website which is UPMC.com/Magee. At the website you just enter your name and phone number and e-mail address and we’ll contact you and help you make that appointment.
For all other questions, speak with a dedicated support person by calling 1-800-649-4077."
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Watch our video series on frequently asked questions about mammography and learn how you can schedule your screening appointment with Magee Womens’ Imaging.Read More
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