Cancer is a disease
in which abnormal cells in the body
grow out of control. Cancers are named
after the part of the body where the
abnormal cell growth begins. Breast
cancers are cancer cells from the breast.
When breast cancer cells spread to
other parts of the body, they are called
metastases.
Fast Facts
about Breast Cancer
Not counting
some kinds of skin cancer, breast
cancer in the United States is the
most common cancer in women, no matter
your race or ethnicity.
The most common
cause of death from cancer among
Hispanic women.
The second most
common cause of death from cancer
among white, black, Asian/Pacific
Islander, and American Indian/Alaska
Native women.
In the USA in 2004
(the most recent year numbers are available
for the United States):
186,772 women
and 1,815 men developed breast cancer.
40,954 women
and 362 men died from breast cancer
If you want to
know more about breast cancer statistics,
visit Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) Statistics
pages, splease click here
Can
Men Get Breast Cancer?
Men can also get
breast cancer. In men, breast cancer
can happen at any age, but is most
common in men who are between 60 and
70 years old. Male breast cancer is
not very common. For every 100 cases
of breast cancer, less than 1 is in
men.
For men, signs
of breast cancer and treatment are
almost the same as for women. For more
information, visit the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) - General Information
About Male Breast Cancer. Click
here please
Common Kinds of
Breast Cancer
There are different
kinds of breast cancer. The kind of
breast cancer depends on which cells
in the breast turn into cancer. Breast
cancer can begin in different parts
of the breast, like the ducts or the
lobes. Common kinds of breast cancer
are:
Ductal
carcinoma. The most common
kind of breast cancer. It begins
in the cells that line the milk ducts
in the breast, also called the lining
of the breast ducts.
Ductal
carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
The abnormal cancer cells are only
in the lining of the milk ducts,
and have not spread to other tissues
in the breast.
Invasive
ductal carcinoma. The abnormal
cancer cells break through the ducts
and spread into other parts of the
breast tissue. Invasive cancer cells
can also spread to other parts of
the body.
Lobular
carcinoma. In this kind
of breast cancer, the cancer cells
begin in the lobes, or lobules, of
the breast. Lobules are the glands
that make milk.
Lobular
carcinoma in situ (LCIS).
The cancer cells are found only in
the breast lobules. Lobular carcinoma
in situ, or LCIS, does not spread
to other tissues very often.
Invasive
lobular carcinoma. Cancer
cells spread from the lobules to
the breast tissues that are close
by. These invasive cancer cells can
also spread to other parts of the
body.
Uncommon Kinds
of Breast Cancer
There are several
other less common kinds of breast cancer,
such as Paget's disease or inflammatory
breast cancer. For more information
about these kinds of breast cancer,
visit the National Cancer Institute's
General Information about Breast Cancer
Treatment. Please
click here
Research has found
several risk factors that may increase
your chances of getting breast cancer. Click
here to go the CDC interactive
web site.
On-line tools
Siteman
Cancer Center Online Breast Cancer
Risk Questionnaire To
estimate your risk of breast cancer
and learn about ways to lower that
risk, take a few minutes to answer
some questions about your health, background,
and lifestyle. To take the questionnaire
online please
click here
Breast
cancer is a feared disease. Even though
lung cancer and heart disease kill
more women each year, surveys show
that women view breast cancer as their
biggest health threat. But women can
take steps to lower their risk. Even
though men can get breast cancer, Your
Disease Risk can't give men an accurate
assessment of their risk. Because breast
cancer is rare in men, we don't have
enough information on risk factors.
MedlinePlus
- Breast Cancer Link MedlinePlus will direct you
to information to help answer health
questions. MedlinePlus brings together
authoritative information from NLM,
the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
and other government agencies and health-related
organizations. MedlinePlus also has
extensive information about drugs,
an illustrated medical encyclopedia,
interactive patient tutorials, and
latest health news. Please make sure
you check the MedlinePlus online for
breast cancer with an extensive, constantly
updated resource list. Please
click here
Breast
Cancer Information On-line
The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) and
the American Cancer Society
(ACS) among others, provide
many on-line cancer resources. Please
make sure you visit their constantly
updated websites, reflecting the
latest scientific findings and visit
the links for more information about
cervical cancer.
More details, including
medically graphic images, about breast
cancer can be found at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) website. Please
click here
The National
Cancer Institute (NCI) has
up-to-date information for patients
and practitioners about breast cancer.
To go to NCI breast cancer web pages please
click here
The American
Cancer Society (ACS) has
information about many forms of cancer,
prevention and treatment. To get
to the ACS breast cancer information
pages directly please
click here
Often referred
to as the "Komen Foundation" the Susan
G. Komen for the Cure provides
extensive information about breast
cancer. Please click here to get to Susan
G Komen for the Cure
Printed materials
to download
This
section has pdf (Adobe Acrobat format)
files of useful resources created by
various agencies that can be downloaded
directly from the pacificcancer.org
website. The organization, year of
publication and size of the pdf file
are listed.
"Understanding
Breast Health"
This publication form the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
is a basic two-page fact sheet. It
describes the parts of the breast and
answers common questions about breast
cancer. (pdf 268K) To
download please click here
Understanding
Mammograms
This two-page fact sheet explains what
a mammogram is and when you should
get one. (pdf 268k) please
click here
Mammograms
and Breast Health
This 20-page brochure provides detailed
information about breast health, breast
cancer, and mammograms, and includes
a list of resources for further information.
(pdf 579KB) Please
click here.
"What
You Need To Know About Breast Cancer"
Breast cancer is the most common type
of cancer among women in this country
(other than skin cancer). Each year,
more than 211,000 American women learn
they have this disease. You will read
about possible causes, screening, symptoms,
diagnosis, treatment, and supportive
care. You will also find ideas about
how to cope with the disease. NCI
2006, 81 pages (pdf 700K). To download
the pdf file please
click here
Acknowledgment:
This text is adapted from the CDC
website.
