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Index of Diseases and Conditions: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there a number of risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include

Other risks include being overweight, using hormone replacement therapy, taking birth control pills, drinking alcohol, not having children or having your first child after age 35 or having dense breasts.

Symptoms of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in size or shape of the breast or discharge from a nipple. Breast self-exam and mammography can help find breast cancer early when it is most treatable. Treatment may consist of radiation, lumpectomy, mastectomy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

Men can have breast cancer, too, but the number of cases is small.

National Cancer Institute

Breast Cancer on Wikipedia

'''Breast cancer''' is cancer of breast tissue. Worldwide, it is the most common form of cancer in females, affecting approximately 10% of all woman at some stage of their life in the Western world. Although significant efforts are made to achieve early detection and effective treatment, about 20% of all women with breast cancer will die from the disease, and it is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in women.

Epidemiology

The risk of getting breast cancer increases with age. For a woman who lives to the age of 90 the odds of getting breast cancer her entire lifetime is about 12.5% or 1 in 8. Men can also develop breast cancer, although their risk is less than 1 in 1000 (see sex and illness). This risk is modified by many different factors. In some families, there is a strong inherited familial risk of breast cancer. Some racial groups have a higher risk of developing breast cancer - notably, women of European and African descent have been noted to have a higher rate of breast cancer than women of Asian origin. ([http://www.breastcancer.org/cmn_who_indrisk.html figures from breastcancer.org]) Other established risk factors include having no children, delaying first childbirth, not breastfeeding, early menarche (the first menstrual period), late menopause and taking hormone replacement therapy. The probability of breast cancer rises with age but breast cancer tends to be more aggressive when it occurs in younger women. One type of breast cancer that is especially aggressive and disproportionately occurs in younger women is ''inflammation Breast Cancer''. It is initially staged as Stage IIIb or Stage IV. It also is unique because it often does not present with a lump so that it often is not detected by mammography or medical ultrasonography. It presents with the signs and symptoms of a breast infection like mastitis. Two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, have been ...   [ Read More ]


External Resources

Belly Dancer Breast Cancer Survey - An online survey that explores how belly dancing has helped breast cancer patients through the recovery process. Includes both the survey questions that you can respond to and also the results so far.

USAToday.com - Diahann Carroll: The 'image' is everything - Article detailing the actress's efforts to raise awarness of issues surrounding breast cancer.

Seligman, Sharon - Black and white photography of life experiences, including breast cancer, Mexico, animals and kids.

Can-bra National Crazy Quilt retreat 2004 - These Australian Crazy quilt bras were made to raise money for breast cancer research.

Grandma Sue's Place - Personal home page for proud grandma, quilter, non-traditional student, female engineer, breast cancer survivor.

Nifty Fifty Quilters Across America - Groups of quilters around the country working on 50 state block exchanges and breast cancer charity quilts.

River Heritage Quilters Guild - Quilts photos, show news, tips, block of the month, workshops, breast cancer benefit, bulletin board, and monthly programs. Located in Cape Girardeau.

BBC News: Sir Paul's $2m Cancer Donation - Press release of McCartney's donation to two US hospitals that cared for his late wife Linda when she was dying from breast cancer.

The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center Story - Brief sketch of the life of the woman who performed under the name Minnie Pearl, focusing on her cxperience with breast cancer and her subsequent work as an advocate for cancer research and education.

Matherly, Dianna - Dianna Matherly is a painter working out of Provincetown, MA. Her works in pastel, oil and other media are contemporary and striking. She is also the subject of 21/31 dianna, a photographic essay on breast cancer.


Related Pages on HealthTales.com:

Male Breast Cancer
Breast Diseases
Breast Feeding
Breast Reconstruction
Cancer--Living with Cancer
Cancer
Anal Cancer
Bladder Cancer
Bone Cancer
Brain Cancer

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