Breast cancer is the number one disease most feared by women in the United States, and for compelling reasons. It is the leading cause of death for women ages 40 to 55 and is the second leading cause of death overall for women (second only to lung cancer). Unfortunately, it is also on the rise around the world. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be about 175,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer and about 43,300 breast cancer deaths among women in the US this year.
Breast cancer is the rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both breasts. It is life-threatening because it spreads rapidly to vital organs.
The years since World War II have seen a tremendous increase in the incidence of breast cancer, so efforts to identify its causes often focus on changes that have occurred in our society since then, such as the increased use of pesticides, the advent of birth control pills, changes in diet, and different styles and materials in women’s clothing. Researchers have identified many risk factors (such as age, diet, cigarette use, alcohol use, and family history), but the specific causes of breast cancer remain difficult to determine.
Cancers are divided into different groups, called stages, based on whether the cancer is invasive or noninvasive, the size of the tumor, how many lymph nodes are involved, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. The stages identify the types of tumors that have a similar prognosis and are treated in a similar way. There are five main stages of breast cancer. If breast cancer is detected in its early stages, the 5-year survival rate is greater than 95%.
Breast cancer is easier to treat and often curable if caught early. Monthly breast self-exams should begin at age 20. Recommended screening methods include breast self-examination and mammography. A mammogram is the most effective way to find breast cancer early, up to 2 years before the lump is large enough to feel. Sometimes a doctor will discover a lump in a woman’s breast during a routine exam, or a patient may come to the doctor with questions about a lump she found. If clinical examination and mammography reveal benign findings, biopsy may be unnecessary.
Treatment for breast cancer usually depends on the type of cancer and whether the cancer has spread outside the breast to the rest of the body. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and endocrine/antihormonal therapy. Treatment usually begins with anticancer drugs or chemotherapy. The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the stage of the cancer, the size of the tumor, and whether it is only in the breast or has spread to lymph nodes or other places in the body. It is very important to diagnose inflammatory breast cancer quickly so that treatment can begin. After surgery, radiation treatment is used to try to kill any remaining cancer cells.
Possible surgical treatments are a mastectomy (complete removal of the breast) or breast-conserving therapy. Even if a mastectomy is needed (about 30-40% of patients do), building a new breast, called reconstruction, offers a natural-looking breast replacement. Breast-conserving surgery (removing only part of the breast) often works just as well as a mastectomy (removing the entire breast).
Mammograms can detect tumors in their earliest stages, however, a standard mammogram can miss 15-20% of cancerous tumors. Increased awareness of breast cancer risk in recent decades has led to an increase in the number of women undergoing screening mammograms, leading to detection of cancers at earlier stages and resulting improvement in survival rates.
Research suggests that routine exercise can help prevent breast cancer. No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer, but research has shown that women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop the disease. Researchers at Stanford University and the National Institutes of Health, for example, found that high concentrations of the hormone IGF-1 stimulate the growth of cancer cells.
Up to 10 percent of breast cancer patients eventually have a recurrence in the other breast. Plain mammograms often miss small tumors, the American College of Radiology Imaging Network researchers found, while MRIs rarely miss them.
The cause of breast cancer is unknown. Therefore, early detection of breast cancer is vital as it increases the chances of successful treatment. The chance that a 40-year-old woman will develop breast cancer is about one in 70, while the risk that an 80-year-old woman will develop breast cancer is about one in 25. When breast cancer is confined to the breast , the five-year survival rate is greater than 95% For women aged 40 to 49 years, the evidence that screening mammography reduces breast cancer mortality is weaker and the absolute benefit of mammography is less than for older women.
The good news is that breast cancer is a treatable and curable disease. More than 90 out of 100 women whose breast cancer is found early will be cured. However, later-stage cancer is less likely to be cured. While there is no cure for the disease yet, leading experts and organizations like the American Cancer Society, Susan G., doctors, and scientists are working to find cures for all types of breast cancer. Finding and treating breast cancer early is the best way to increase your chances of survival and cure.