11 facts you should know about breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States.
Both its cause and the means for its cure remain undiscovered. More than 2
million breast cancer survivors are alive in America today.
In 2001, 192,200 new cases of female breast cancer will be diagnosed and 40,200
women will die from the disease. Approximately 46,400 cases of female in situ (preinvasive)
breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2001. Breast cancer is the second leading
cause of cancer death for all women after lung cancer, and the leading cause of
cancer deaths in women between the ages of 40 and 55.
Men can develop breast cancer too, although its incidence is low. In 2001, 1,500
male cases are projected to be diagnosed, and 400 men will die from the disease.
In the United States, one out of nine women will develop breast cancer in her
lifetime — in 1960, the likelihood was one out of 14 women. This year, breast
cancer will be newly diagnosed every three minutes, and a woman will die from
breast cancer every 13 minutes.
Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer
increases as a woman ages, and the risk is even higher if she has a family
history of breast cancer, has never had children or had her first child after
age 30, and if she has had prior radiation therapy for Hodgkin's disease.
However, more than 70 percent of cases occur in women who have no identifiable
risk factors.
Breast cancer cannot yet be prevented. However, a risk-reduction option is
available for women at very high risk, such as the estimated 5 percent to 10
percent of American women with multiple close family members who have had the
disease. In 1998, the drug tamoxifen was shown to reduce breast cancer cases by
50 percent over four years in a large research study of high-risk women.
Tamoxifen was FDA-approved for use in this group, but the drug's risks, benefits
and side effects must be thoroughly discussed by a woman and her physician.
Breast cancer can be detected at an early, treatable stage in women age 40 and
older. More widespread use of regular screening mammography has been a major
contributor to recent improvements in the breast cancer survival rate. A 1996
survey showed that more than half of U.S. women age 50 and older reported having
had a mammogram within the last year. A screening mammogram is a simple,
low-dose X-ray procedure that can reveal breast cancer at its earliest stage, up
to two years before a lump is large enough to be felt. Annual screening
mammography should begin at age 40 and continue as long as the woman is healthy
and able to undergo the test.
Annual breast examinations by a medical professional are a required complement
to annual screening mammography. Although some breast irregularities are found
by women themselves, most women do not perform breast self-examination (BSE)
regularly. Although BSE has never been proven to affect survival, a recommended
component of every woman's breast health program is to become familiar with her
breasts and what "normal" feels to her.
Over 80 percent of biopsied breast abnormalities are proven benign, but any
breast lump must be evaluated by a physician. New, less-invasive biopsy
procedures permit removal of breast tissue in a physician's or radiologist's
office.
If detected early, breast cancer can often be treated effectively with surgery
that preserves the breast, followed by radiation therapy. This local therapy is
sometimes accompanied by systemic chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy. The
five-year survival rate after treatment for early-stage breast cancer is 96
percent.
Breast cancer incidence increases with age, rising sharply after age 40. Roughly
80 percent of invasive breast cancer occurs in women over age 50.
© National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO), New York, NY
Please remember to do monthly breast self-examinations
and to get a yearly mammogram if you are 40 years or older. This is your life
and we want you to be able to "Smell The Roses" for many seasons to come. Thank
your, Island Princess
