Monkey Butter's blog: "Breast Cancer"

doesnt mean i dont care about the boobies Finding breast cancer at an early stage greatly improves the chances of successful treatment. Screening for breast cancer refers to tests and examinations used to detect the disease in women who do not have any symptoms. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), early detection of breast cancer saves many thousands of lives each year, and it is important to take advantage of these screening tests. Some screening tests used for early detection of breast cancer include: * Mammography * Clinical breast exam * Monthly breast self-exam If screening identifies an abnormality in your breast, the next step is diagnosis, in which your doctor determines if breast cancer is present. In this section, you will learn how cancer is detected and diagnosed and how to understand your test results. Empowerment through knowledge. Navigating the experience of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can be challenging and sometimes overwhelming for patients and their loved ones. Even after successful treatment, concerns about your long-term health and the risk of breast cancer recurrence may remain. Knowledge can help. GetBCFacts was developed to provide you with helpful, up-to-date information about breast cancer risk and prevention, diagnosis and treatment, the risk of recurrence, and ways to manage that risk. http://www.getbcfacts.com/index.asp?source=339

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Breast References for the breast cancer information centre The information in the breast cancer information centre is based on the Cancerbackup booklet, Understanding breast cancer, which has been produced in accordance with the following sources and guidelines: * Improving Outcomes in Breast Cancer – Guidance on Cancer Services. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Aug 2002 * Guidelines for Surgeons in the Management of Symptomatic Breast Disease in the UK. Breast Surgeons Group of the British Association of Surgical Oncology. 1998. * Breast Cancer in Women (publication 29). Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Edinburgh. SIGN, 1998. * Guidelines on the Non-surgical Management of Breast Cancer. The Royal College of Radiologists’ Clinical Oncology Information Network. Clinical Oncology, 1999, 11 : S90–S133 * The Classification and Care of Women at Risk of Familial Breast Cancer in Primary, Secondary Care and Tertiary Care. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). May 2004. * Walker L et al, Psychosocial oncology services for women with breast cancer, Trends in Urology, Gynaecology and Sexual Health, Mar/Apr 2003. * Anastrozole 1mg tablets (Arimidex). Scottish Medicines Consortium recommendation No 198/05. Sept 2005 * Guidelines on the Use of Taxanes for the Treatment of Breast Cancer. NICE. Sept 2001 * UK Clinical Guidelines for the use of Adjuvant Trastuzumab (Herceptin®) With or Following Chemotherapy in HER2-positive Early Breast Cancer. National Cancer Research Institute. December 2005. * The Best Treatment: Guidelines for Women With Breast Cancer. Breakthrough breast cancer, April 2004. * Pregnancy and Breast Cancer. Royal College of Obstetricians and gynaecologists, 2004. Guidelines are constantly being updated and those noted above may have been revised since the booklet was produced. You can access up-to-date guidelines in the health professionals section of the website.

http://www.oncolink.org/types/article.cfm?c=3&s=5&ss=33&id=8320 Types of Cancer > Breast Cancer > Overview Breast Cancer: The Basics Christopher Dolinsky, MD Affiliation: Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania Last Modified: May 10, 2006 What is the breast? The breast is a collection of glands and fatty tissue that lies between the skin and the chest wall. The glands inside the breast produce milk after a woman has a baby. Each gland is also called a lobule, and many lobules make up a lobe. There are 15 to 20 lobes in each breast. The milk gets to the nipple from the glands by way of tubes called ducts. The glands and ducts get bigger when a breast is filled with milk, but the tissue that is most responsible for the size and shape the breast is the fatty tissue. There are also blood vessels and lymph vessels in the breast. Lymph is a clear liquid waste product that gets drained out of the breast into lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small, pea-sized pieces of tissue that filter and clean the lymph. Most lymph nodes that drain the breast are under the arm in what is called the axilla. What is breast cancer? Breast cancer happens when cells in the breast begin to grow out of control and can then invade nearby tissues or spread throughout the body. Large collections of this out of control tissue are called tumors. However, some tumors are not really cancer because they cannot spread or threaten someone's life. These are called benign tumors. The tumors that can spread throughout the body or invade nearby tissues are considered cancer and are called malignant tumors. Theoretically, any of the types of tissue in the breast can form a cancer, but usually it comes from either the ducts or the glands. Because it may take months to years for a tumor to get large enough to feel in the breast, we screen for tumors with mammograms, which can sometimes see disease before we can feel it. Am I at risk for breast cancer? Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women in North America and Europe. Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. Close to 200,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 2001. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American women behind lung cancer. The lifetime risk of any particular woman getting breast cancer is about 1 in 8 although the lifetime risk of dying from breast cancer is much lower at 1 in 28. Risk factors for breast cancer can be divided into those that you cannot change and those that you can change. Some factors that increase your risk of breast cancer that you cannot alter include being a woman, getting older, having a family history (having a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer doubles your risk), having a previous history of breast cancer, having had radiation therapy to the chest region, being Caucasian, getting your periods young (before 12 years old), having your menopause late (after 50 years old), never having children or having them when you are older than 30, and having a genetic mutation that increases your risk. Genetic mutations for breast cancer have become a hot topic of research lately. Between 3% to 10% of breast cancers may be related to changes in either the gene BRCA1 or the gene BRCA2. Women can inherit these mutations from their parents and it may be worth testing for either mutation if a woman has a particularly strong family history of breast cancer (meaning multiple relatives affected, especially if they are under 50 years old when they get the disease). If a woman is found to carry either mutation, she has a 50% chance of getting breast cancer before she is 70. Family members may elect to get tested to see if they carry the mutation as well. If a woman does have the mutation, she can get more rigorous screening or even undergo preventive (prophylactic) mastectomies to decrease her chances of contracting cancer. The decision to get tested is a highly personal one that should be discussed with a doctor who is trained in counseling patients about genetic testing. For more information on genetic testing, see Let the Patient Beware: Implications of Genetic Breast-Cancer Testing, Psychological Issues in Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer, and To Test or Not to Test? Genetic Counseling Is the Key. Certain factors which increase a woman's risk of breast cancer can be altered including taking hormone replacement therapy (long term use of estrogens with progesterone for menopause symptoms slightly increases your risk), taking birth control pills (a very slight increased risk that disappears in women who have stopped them for over 10 years), not breastfeeding, drinking 2 to 5 alcoholic drinks a day, being overweight (especially after menopause), and not exercising. All of these modifiable risk factors are not nearly as important as gender, age, and family history, but they are things that a woman can control that may reduce her chances of developing a breast malignancy. Remember that all risk factors are based on probabilities, and even someone without any risk factors can still get breast cancer. Proper screening and early detection are our best weapons in reducing the mortality associated with this disease. For further information about breast cancer risk factors, see Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool,and Risk Factors and Breast Cancer. How can I prevent breast cancer? The most important risk factors for the development of breast cancer cannot be controlled by the individual. There are some risk factors that are associated with an increased risk, but there is not a clear cause and effect relationship. In no way can strong recommendations be made like the cause and effect relationship seen with tobacco and lung cancer. There are a few risk factors that may be modified by a woman that potentially could influence the development of breast cancer. If possible, a woman should avoid long-term hormone replacement therapy, have children before age 30, breastfeed, avoid weight gain through exercise and proper diet, and limit alcohol consumption to 1 drink a day or less. For women already at a high risk, their risk of developing breast cancer can be reduced by about 50% by taking a drug called Tamoxifen for five years. Tamoxifen has some common side effects (like hot flashes and vaginal discharge), which are not serious and some uncommon side effects (like blood clots, pulmonary embolus, stroke, and uterine cancer) which are life threatening. Tamoxifen isn't widely used for prevention, but may be useful in some cases. There are limited data suggesting that vitamin A may protect against breast cancer but further research is needed before it can be recommended for prevention. Other things being investigated include phytoestrogens (naturally occurring estrogens that are in high numbers in soy), vitamin E, vitamin C, and other drugs. Further testing of these substances is also needed before they can be recommended for breast cancer prevention. Right now, the most important thing any woman can do to decrease her risk of dying from breast cancer is to have regular mammogram screening, learn how to perform breast self exams, and have a regular physical examination by their physician. For more information on breast cancer prevention, see NCI/PDQ Physician Statement: Prevention of breast cancer. What screening tests are available? The earlier that a breast cancer is found, the more likely it is that treatment can be curable. For this reason, we screen for breast cancer using mammograms, clinical breast exams, and breast self-exams. Screening mammograms are simply x-rays of each breast. The breast is placed between two plates for a few seconds while the x-rays are taken. If something appears abnormal, or better views are needed, magnified views or specially angled films are taken during the mammogram. Mammograms often detect tumors before they can be felt and they can also identify tiny specks of calcium that could be an early sign of cancer. Regular screening mammograms can decrease the mortality of breast cancer by 30%. The majority of breast cancers are associated with abnormal mammographic findings. Woman should get a yearly mammogram starting at age 40 (although some groups recommend starting at 50), and women with a genetic mutation that increases their risk or a strong family history may want to begin even earlier. Between the ages of 20 and 39, every woman should have a clinical breast exam every 3 years; and after age 40 every woman should have a clinical breast exam done each year. A clinical breast exam is an exam done by a health professional to feel for lumps and look for changes in the size or shape of your breasts. During the clinical breast exam, you can learn how to do a breast self-exam. Every woman should do a self breast exam once a month, about a week after her period ends. If you find any changes in your breasts, you need to contact your doctor. About 15% of tumors are felt but cannot be seen by regular mammographic screening. There are some experimental screening modalities that are currently being studied. These include MRI, ductal lavage, ultrasound, optical tomography, PET scan, and digital mammograms. For more information on these experimental techniques, see Advanced Breast Imaging, Penn Leads International Study on Breast Cancer Detection, and Komen Foundation Focuses Attention on the Need for Improved Breast Imaging and Early Detection Technologies: OncoLink Talks with President and CEO Susan Braun and Director of Grants Anice Thigpen, PhD What are the signs of breast cancer? Unfortunately, the early stages of breast cancer may not have any symptoms. This is why it is important to follow screening recommendations. As a tumor grows in size, it can produce a variety of symptoms including: * lump or thickening in the breast or underarm * change in size or shape of the breast * nipple discharge or nipple turning inward * redness or scaling of the skin or nipple * ridges or pitting of the breast skin If you experience these symptoms, it doesn't necessarily mean you have breast cancer, but you need to be examined by a doctor. How is breast cancer diagnosed and staged? Once a patient has symptoms suggestive of a breast cancer or an abnormal screening mammogram, they will usually be referred for a diagnostic mammogram. A diagnostic mammogram is another set of x-rays; however, it is more complete with close ups on the suspicious areas. Sometimes, particularly if your doctors think that you may have a cyst or you are young and have dense breasts, you may be referred for an ultrasound. An ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to outline the suspicious areas of the breast. It is painless and can often distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. Depending on the results of the mammograms and/or ultrasounds, your doctors may recommend that you get a biopsy. A biopsy is the only way to know for sure if you have cancer, because it allows your doctors to get cells that can be examined under a microscope. There are different types of biopsies; they differ on how much tissue is removed. Some biopsies use a very fine needle, while others use thicker needles or even require a small surgical procedure to remove more tissue. Your team of doctors will decide which type of biopsy you need depending on your particular breast mass. Once the tissue is removed, a doctor known as a pathologist will review the specimen. The pathologist can tell if it is cancer or not; and if it is cancerous, then the pathologist will characterize it by what type of tissue it arose from, how abnormal it looks (known as the grade), whether or not it is invading surrounding tissues, and if the entire lump was excised, the pathologist can tell if there are any cancer cells left at the borders (also known as the margins). The pathologist will also test the cancer cells for the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors as well as a receptor known as HER-2/neu. The presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors is important because cancers that have those receptors can be treated with hormonal therapies. HER-2/neu expression may also help predict outcome. There are also some therapies directed specifically at tumors dependent on the presence of HER-2/nue. See Understanding Your Pathology Report for more information. In order to guide treatment and offer some insight into prognosis, breast cancer is staged into five different groups. This staging is done in a limited fashion before surgery taking into account the size of the tumor on mammogram and any evidence of spread to other organs that is picked up with other imaging modalities; and it is done definitively after a surgical procedure that removes lymph nodes and allows a pathologist to examine them for signs of cancer. The staging system is somewhat complex, but here is a simplified version of it: Stage 0 (called carcinoma in situ) Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) refers to abnormal cells lining a gland in the breast. This is a risk factor for the future development of cancer, but this is not felt to represent a cancer itself. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) refers to abnormal cells lining a duct. Women with DCIS have an increased risk of getting invasive breast cancer in that breast. Treatment options are similar to patients with Stage I breast cancers. Stage I: early stage breast cancer where the tumor is less that 2 cm across and hasn't spread beyond the breast Stage II : early stage breast cancer where the tumor is either less than 2 cm across and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm; or the tumor is between 2 and 5 cm (with or without spread to the lymph nodes under the arm); or the tumor is greater than 5 cm and hasn't spread outside the breast Stage III: locally advanced breast cancer where the tumor is greater than 5 cm across and has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm; or the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes; or the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone or to other tissues near the breast Stage IV: metastatic breast cancer where the cancer has spread outside the breast to other organs in the body Depending on the stage of your cancer, your doctor may want additional tests to see if you have metastatic disease. If you have a stage III cancer, you will probably get a chest x-ray, CT scan and bone scan to look for metastases. Each patient is an individual and your doctors will decide what is necessary to adequately stage your cancer. What are the treatments for breast cancer? Surgery Almost all women with breast cancer will have some type of surgery in the course of their treatment. The purpose of surgery is to remove as much of the cancer as possible, and there are many different ways that the surgery can be carried out. Some women will be candidates for what is called breast conservation therapy (BCT). In BCT, surgeons perform a lumpectomy which means they remove the tumor with a little bit of breast tissue around it but do not remove the entire breast. BCT always needs to be combined with radiation therapy to make it an option for treating breast cancer. At the time of the surgery, the surgeon may also dissect the lymph nodes under the arm so the pathologist can review them for signs of cancer. Some patients will have a sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure first to determine if a formal lymph node dissection is required. Sometimes, the surgeon will remove a larger part (but not the whole breast), and this is called a segmental or partial mastectomy. This needs to be combined with radiation therapy as well. In early stage cancers (like stage I and II), BCT is as effective as removal of the entire breast via mastectomy. Most patients with DCIS that have a lumpectomy are treated with radiation therapy to prevent the local recurrence of DCIS (although some of these DCIS patients may be candidates for close observation after surgery). The advantage of BCT is that the patient will not need a reconstruction or prosthesis to appear like she did before the procedure. More advanced breast cancers are usually treated with a modified radical mastectomy. Modified radical mastectomy means removing the entire breast and dissecting the lymph nodes under the arm. Patients with DCIS that have a mastectomy do not need to have the lymph nodes removed from under the arm. Some patients are candidates for BCT but choose modified radical mastectomy for personal reasons. Your surgeon can discuss your options and the pros and cons of either procedure. Most women who have modified radical mastectomies choose to undergo a reconstruction. There are many different procedures for creating a new breast mound, and you should talk to your plastic surgeon before your surgery to discuss your options and decide on how you would like to proceed. For more information on breast reconstruction, see Breast Reconstructive Surgery Options. Chemotherapy Despite the fact that the tumors are removed by surgery, there is always a risk of recurrence because there may be microscopic cancer cells that have spread to distant sites in the body. In order to decrease a patient's risk of recurrence, many breast cancer patients are offered chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs that go throughout the entire body. The higher the stage of cancer you have, the more important it is that you receive chemotherapy; however, even stage I patients may benefit from chemotherapy in certain cases. In early stage patients, the risk of recurrence may be small, and thus the benefits of the chemotherapy are even smaller. However, the option to receive chemotherapy should be offered to most patients with breast cancer and they can decide if the potential benefits of chemotherapy outweigh its side effects in their own particular case. There are many different chemotherapy drugs, and they are usually given in combinations for 3 to 6 months after you receive your surgery. Depending on the type of chemotherapy regimen you receive, you may get medication every 3 or 4 weeks; and you may have to go to a clinic to get the chemotherapy because many of the drugs have to be given through a vein. Two of the most common regimens are AC (doxorubicin and cycolphosphamide) for 3 months or CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil) for 6 months. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of the different regimens that your medical oncologist will discuss with you. Based on your own health, your personal values and wishes, and side effects you may wish to avoid, you can work with your doctors to come up with the best regimen for your lifestyle. Sometimes patients have a recurrence of their cancer, or present in stage IV with disease outside of their breast. These patients will all need chemotherapy, and a variety of different agents may be tried until a response is achieved. Sometimes we give chemotherapy before surgery, and this is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This is usually reserved for very advanced cancers that need to be shrunken before they can be operated on. Radiotherapy Breast cancer commonly receives radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high energy rays (similar to x-rays) to kill cancer cells. It comes from an external source, and it requires patients to come in 5 days a week for up to 6 weeks to a radiation therapy treatment center. The treatment takes just a few minutes, and it is painless. Radiation therapy is used in all patients who receive breast conservation therapy (BCT). It is also recommended for patients after a mastectomy who had large tumors, lymph node involvement, or close/positive margins after the surgery. Radiation is important in reducing the risk of local recurrence and is often offered in more advanced cases to kill tumor cells that may be living in lymph nodes. Your radiation oncologist can answer questions about the utility, process, and side effects of radiation therapy in your particular case. Hormonal Therapy When the pathologist examines your tumor specimen, he or she finds out if the tumor is expressing estrogen and progesterone receptors. Patients whose tumors express estrogen receptors are candidates for therapy with an estrogen blocking drug called Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is taken by pill form for 5 years after your surgery. This drug has been shown to drastically reduce your risk of recurrence if your tumor expresses estrogen receptors. However, there are side effects commonly associated with Tamoxifen including weight gain, hot flashes and vaginal discharge that patients may be bothered by. There are also very uncommon side effects like blood clots, strokes, or uterine cancer that may scare patients from choosing to take it. You need to remember that your chances of having a recurrence of your cancer are usually higher than your chances of having a serious problem with Tamoxifen, but the decision to undergo hormonal therapy is a personal one that you should make with your doctor. There are also newer drugs, called aromatase inhibitors that act by decreasing your body's supply of estrogen; these drugs are reserved for patients who have already gone through menopause. Talk to your doctors about these new therapies. Biologic Therapy The pathologist also examines your tumor for the presence of HER-2/neu overexpression. HER-2/neu is a receptor that some breast cancers express. If your cancer expresses it, you usually have a higher chance of having your tumor recur after surgery. A compound called Herceptin (or Trastuzumab) is a substance that blocks this receptor and helps stop the breast cancer from growing. Some patients are candidates for this medicine. Talk to your medical oncologist to see if Herceptin is right for you. Follow-up testing Once a patient has been treated for breast cancer, they need to be closely followed for a recurrence. At first, you will have follow-up visits every 3-4 months. The longer you are free of disease, the less often you will have to go for checkups. After 5 years, you could see your doctor once a year. You should have a mammogram of the treated and untreated breasts every year. Because having had breast cancer is a risk factor for getting it again, having your mammograms done every year is extremely important. If you are taking Tamoxifen, it is important that you get a pelvic exam each year and report any abnormal vaginal bleeding to your doctor. Clinical trials are extremely important in furthering our knowledge of this disease. It is though clinical trials that we know what we do today, and many exciting new therapies are currently being tested. Talk to your doctor about participating in clinical trials in your area. This article is meant to give you a better understanding of breast cancer. Use this knowledge when meeting with your physician, making treatment decisions, and continuing your search for information. You can learn more about breast cancer on OncoLink through the related links mentioned in this article. References The American Cancer Society All About Breast Cancer Overview www.cancer.org. Armstrong, K., Eisen, A., & Weber, B. (2000) Primary Care: Assessing the Risk of Breast Cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine, 342(8), 564-571. Goldhirsch, A., Glick, J.H., Gelber, R.D., Coates, A.S., Senn, H-J. (2001) Meeting Highlights: International Consensus Panel on the Treatment of Primary Breast Cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 19(18), 3817-3827. Hortobagyi, G.N., (1998) Drug Therapy: Treatment of Breast Cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine, 339(14), 974-984. National Cancer Institute. What You Need To Know About Breast Cancer. www.cancer.gov. Rhodes, D. (2002) Identifying and Counseling Women at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 77(4), 355-361. Rubin, P. and Williams, J.P., (Eds): Clinical Oncology: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Physicians and Students 8th ed. (2001). W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

http://www.medicinenet.com/breast_cancer_during_pregnancy/article.htm Breast Cancer: Breast Cancer During Pregnancy * Introduction * How is breast cancer diagnosed in pregnant women? * What if I do have cancer? Will I have to lose my baby? * Can I breastfeed my baby if I have breast cancer? * I had breast cancer, but I have been successfully treated for it. Is it OK for me to get pregnant? Will this harm either me or my baby? Introduction Breast cancer is the most common cancer in pregnant women and tends to affect women in their mid-30s. Although only about 1 in every 1,000 pregnant women get breast cancer, the disease can be devastating to both the mother and her child -- so it is essential that pregnant women and their doctors continue to do routine breast exams and thoroughly investigate any suspicious lumps. A major problem is that a lot of changes take place in a woman's breasts during pregnancy. This makes it harder to identify suspicious lumps. In addition, breast cancer tumors in pregnant women are often larger and more advanced by the time they are detected than lumps in women of the same age who are not pregnant. How is breast cancer diagnosed in pregnant women? The best thing you can do while pregnant is to see your obstetrician regularly. These doctor visits, called prenatal (or "before birth") visits, are very important in keeping both you and your baby in the best possible health. During these visits, your obstetrician will perform a breast examination to check for suspicious breast changes. It is also important to regularly perform breast exams on yourself. Your doctor or nurse can teach you how to do this properly. If a suspicious lump is found, your doctor will likely ask you to get a mammogram or an ultrasound. As in all procedures that expose you to radiation when you are pregnant, the technicians will take extra care to shield your baby from radiation during the mammogram. If the lump is still suspicious after these tests, the doctor will usually perform a biopsy. In fact, your doctor will often recommend that you get a biopsy even if the initial tests come back negative. During the biopsy, a small sample of the suspicious tissue will be removed with a needle or by making a small cut. This sample is then thoroughly examined using a microscope and other methods to detect any cancer cells. What if I do have cancer? Will I have to lose my baby? First of all, abortion of the baby does not improve the mother's chances of surviving the cancer. Second, there is no evidence that breast cancer can harm the baby. What can harm the baby are some of the treatments for breast cancer -- and these depend on how far advanced the cancer is. This is another reason why it is so important to detect these and other cancers early. If the cancer is still in the early stages (Stage I or II), the doctor will most likely recommend that you have surgery to remove either the suspicious lump (lumpectomy) or the affected breast (mastectomy). During the operation, the surgeon will examine the lymph nodes to see whether any are affected and will (usually) remove the lymph nodes where the cancer is most likely to have spread. If is it necessary to give chemotherapy, your doctor will usually wait until after the first trimester to reduce the chances that it will harm the baby. If the cancer is more advanced (Stage III or IV), the situation can become very complicated. If radiation is needed to treat the cancer, it can be very hard to protect the baby. Additionally, these cancers usually require both surgery and chemotherapy, so the risk of harming the baby is much higher. There have been instances where the cancer is advanced to the point where any treatment is not likely to add more than a year or two to the woman's life. In these cases, whether or not to undergo the treatment and risk harming the baby can be an agonizing decision for both the woman and her family. Can I breastfeed my baby if I have breast cancer? Breastfeeding while you have breast cancer will not harm your baby. Moreover, there is no evidence that stopping your flow of breast milk will improve your cancer. However, if you are undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, you should not breastfeed because these powerful chemotherapy drugs can travel through your breast milk to the baby. I had breast cancer, but I have been successfully treated for it. Is it OK for me to get pregnant? Will this harm either me or my baby? Pregnancy does not change the overall length of time a woman who has had breast cancer can expect to live. At this point, it appears that babies born to women who have had breast cancer in the past are normal and healthy. However, it is possible that babies born to women who have had extensive radiation, chemotherapy, or bone marrow transplantation may have more problems. Some doctors feel that postponing pregnancy for two years or so after being treated for breast cancer will make it less likely that your cancer will come back while you are pregnant, and lead to the problems discussed earlier in this section.

http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/cancertreat/breast/awareness_month.shtml Breast Cancer Awareness Month Home > Cancer and Treatments Breast Cancer Awareness Month Some 212,920 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and more than 40,000 will die from the disease. While we don't know how to prevent breast cancer, it's clear that early detection is crucial in saving lives. This page has been compiled to help you learn more about the latest treatments and research advances. If you have individual questions about breast cancer, call the Cancer AnswerLine at 800-865-1125 and speak directly to a cancer nurse. Information | News | Take Action | Further Reading Information:mammogrampicture Another type of breast cancer: Inflammatory breast cancer more rare, more lethal than common form HER-2 status predicts success of chemotherapy in breast cancer treatment, study finds Breast cancer stories from U-M Cancer Center 16 common myths about breast cancer One in seven women will develop breast cancer in her life. But how much do most women really know about this disease? Continue reading Listen to the podcast! podcast Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) Mammograms Breast self-exam guide Genetic counseling Benign abnormalities of the breast Breast Cancer Metastasis Male Breast Cancer News Researchers find new gene linked to breast cancer Health Minute: Pregnancy after breast cancer is possible 13 percent of women stop taking breast cancer drug because of side effects, U-M study finds Study finds black women more likely than white women to have more aggressive, less treatable form of breast cancer New analysis on two countries' models to tackle genetic testing for breast cancer Are women seeing the most experienced breast cancer surgeons? Poorer women more likely to get reduced chemotherapy dose, study finds Second opinion yields treatment changes for half of patients, U-M study finds Health Minute: The link between breast cancer and osteoporosis Breast-sparing surgery an option for women with breast cancer gene mutation Researchers look at personalized treatment for women with early-stage breast cancer Mammography recall is cost-effective Breast conservation a good option for 'early' cancer Osteoporosis drug prevents breast cancer Few women rebuild breast after mastectomy Gene variation affects tamoxifen's benefit for breast cancer Return to top of the page Take actionMaking Strides for Breast Cancer, 2003 Breast cancer clinical trials Making Strides Against Breast Cancer FFANY Shoes on Sale to Benefit Breast Cancer Research. Ways to Give Further Reading Breast Cancer Information Guide American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute Return to the top of the page

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/breastcancer2/ just go to the site ...its that easy

PhotoWelcome to Breast Wishes Institute. One out of eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Once diagnosed, I found that I wanted to know how others managed, what they learned, what they could share with me. I wanted useful records from those who had gone before me through the rigors of treatment. I craved knowledge from the pioneers, the fighters, the survivors. Breast Wishes Institute shares the information I looked for and had a hard time finding and learning. It has personal stories, told straight and to the point. It provides tips, tools, helpful recipes and household hints from other women about how they managed to survive the ordeal of breast cancer treatment. Please enjoy these tools, tips, recipes, and stories. I sincerely hope they will help you to prepare yourself for your medical journey and help your friends and family who are already on it. My wish for you is that you do not have to experience breast cancer, that you live a long and special life, knowing that you have been spared a journey embarked upon by one out of eight women. But if you do discover that you are one of the chosen, my wish for you is that you are nurtured and supported on your quest to regain health and, once healthy again, that you share what you have learned. More women than you can imagine have successfully survived breast cancer. We are rooting for you, we know you will survive and thrive! With Much Aloha, Mary Olsen Kelly http://www.breastwishes.org/

http://www.nbcam.org/ A Girlfriend's Guide to Cancer; Sometimes the Best Advice Comes From Your Friends, Not Your Doctor” - ABC News Thursday October 11, 2007 Six women from ABC News sat down to “dish advice and share experiences” about their personal battles with cancer, from how to position a wig correctly, to the importance of choosing a doctor you are comfortable with. [more] "How to Cope When Breast Cancer Returns" - WebMD Thursday October 11, 2007 When breast cancer comes back, how do you cope? How many survivors get on with the business of living - and the lessons to be learned from Elizabeth Edwards' very public battle with her own recurrence. [more] "October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month – and It Strikes Blacks Earlier, is More Lethal" - BlackAmericaWeb Tuesday October 02, 2007 The American Cancer Society estimated more than 19,000 black women would be diagnosed with breast cancer this year -- the second-most common cancer among black women, surpassed only by lung cancer. [more] CALENDAR OF EVENTS Monday October 01, 2007 - Wednesday October 31, 2007 Cancer Care Local Events Location: Regional How can you join the fight against cancer? Check out these events and programs to see how you can participate in fundraising efforts, support legislation on a local and national level, and help with activities in your area. [more] Wednesday October 24, 2007 - Thursday October 25, 2007 Cancer Care Workshop: Guided Imagery Location: New York, NY To attend or to get more information, please call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673) or email info@cancercare.org. [more] Thursday October 25, 2007 - Friday October 26, 2007 CancerCare for Kids® Workshop: Kids Group Location: Norwalk, CT To attend or to get more information, please call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673) or email info@cancercare.org. [more] Friday October 26, 2007 - Saturday October 27, 2007 Cancer Care Clinic: Wigs Location: New York, NY To attend or to get more information, please call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673) or email info@cancercare.org. [more] IN THE SPOTLIGHT NEW: Free Recipes for Breast Cancer Patients! Recipe October Focus: Constipation: Some cancer pain therapies can cause constipation. Battle back with this tasty recipe. [more]

http://www.rd.com/content/breast-cancer-treatment/ Through continuing research into new treatment methods, women now have more treatment options and greater hope for survival than ever before. Treatment options depend on the size and location of the tumor, the results of lab tests (including hormone receptor tests), and the stage (or extent) of the disease. To develop a treatment plan, doctors also consider a woman's age and menopausal status, her general health, and the size of her breasts. Many women want to learn all they can about their disease and their treatment choices so that they can take an active part in decisions about their medical care. They are likely to have many questions and concerns about treatment. A doctor is the best person to answer these: what the treatment choices are, how successful a treatment is expected to be, and how much it is likely to cost. Most patients also want to know how they will look after treatment and whether they will have to change their normal activities. Also, a patient may want to talk with her doctor about taking part in a clinical trial, a human research study, of new treatment methods. The National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER is another way to gather up-to-date treatment information, including information about current clinical trials. Cancer information specialists can provide thorough, personalized answers to questions about treatment. They can suggest other sources of information and support. They can also talk with callers about questions to ask the doctor. Planning Treatment Before starting treatment, a woman may want a second opinion about a diagnosis and treatment plan. Some insurance companies actually require a second opinion; others may cover a second opinion if the patient requests it. It may take a week or two to arrange to see another doctor. Studies show that a brief delay (up to several weeks) between biopsy and treatment does not make breast cancer treatment less effective. There are a number of ways to find a doctor for a second opinion: A patient's doctor may refer her to one or more specialists. Specialists who treat breast cancer include surgeons, medical oncologists, plastic surgeons, and radiation oncologists. Sometimes these doctors work together at cancer centers or special centers for breast diseases. The Cancer Information Service can tell callers about treatment facilities, including cancer centers and other NCI-supported programs, in their area. Patients can also get the names of specialists from their local medical society, a nearby hospital, or a medical school. The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists lists doctors along with their specialty and their background. Women can also search the American Board of Medical Specialties' Web site for specialists in their area. Methods of Treatment Methods of treatment for breast cancer can be local or systemic. Local treatments are used to remove, destroy, or control the cancer cells in a specific area. Surgery and radiation therapy are local treatments. Systemic treatments, which include chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, are used to destroy or control cancer cells throughout the body. Women may have just one form of treatment or a combination. Different forms of treatment may be administered at the same time or one after another. Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer. There are several types. The doctor can explain each in detail, discuss and compare the benefits and risks, and describe how each will affect the patient's appearance. An operation to remove the breast (or as much of the breast as possible) is called a mastectomy. Breast reconstruction may be performed at the same time as the mastectomy, or later on. An operation to remove the cancer but not the breast is called breast-sparing surgery or breast-conserving surgery. Lumpectomy and segmental mastectomy (also called partial mastectomy) are types of breast-sparing surgery. They usually are followed by radiation therapy to destroy any cancer cells that may remain in the area. In most cases, a surgeon also removes lymph nodes under the arm to help determine whether cancer cells have entered the lymphatic system. In lumpectomy, a surgeon removes the breast cancer and some normal tissue around it. Often, some of the lymph nodes under the arm are removed. In segmental mastectomy, a surgeon removes the cancer and a larger area of normal breast tissue around it. Occasionally, some of the lining over the chest muscles below the tumor and some of the lymph nodes under the arm are removed as well. In total (simple) mastectomy, a surgeon removes the entire breast. Some of the lymph nodes under the arm may also be removed. In modified radical mastectomy, the surgeon removes the whole breast, most of the lymph nodes under the arm, and often the lining over the chest muscles. The smaller of the two chest muscles is also taken out to help in removing the lymph nodes. In radical mastectomy (also called Halsted radical mastectomy), the surgeon removes the breast, the chest muscles, all of the lymph nodes under the arm, and some additional fat and skin. For many years, this operation was considered the standard for women with breast cancer, but it is very rarely used today and only in cases of advanced cancer in which the cancer has spread to the chest muscles. Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing. The rays may come from radioactive material outside the body and be directed at the breast by a machine (external radiation). The radiation can also come from radioactive material placed directly in the breast in thin plastic tubes (implant radiation). Some women receive both kinds of radiation therapy. For external radiation therapy, women go to the hospital or clinic each day. When this therapy follows breast-sparing surgery, the treatments are administered 5 days a week for 5 to 6 weeks. At the end of that time, an extra "boost" of radiation is sometimes given to the place where the tumor was removed. The boost may be either external or internal (using an implant). Patients stay in the hospital for a short time for implant radiation. Radiation therapy, alone or with chemotherapy or hormone therapy, is sometimes used before surgery to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. This approach is most often used in cases in which the breast tumor is large or not easily removed by surgery. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for breast cancer is usually a combination of drugs. The drugs may be given by mouth or by injection. Either way, chemotherapy is a systemic therapy because the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Chemotherapy is administered in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment, and so on. Most patients have chemotherapy in an outpatient part of the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home. Depending on which drugs are given and the woman's general health, however, she may need to stay in the hospital during her treatment. Hormonal therapy is used to keep cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow. This treatment may include the use of drugs that change the way hormones work or surgery to remove the ovaries, which produce female hormones. Like chemotherapy, hormonal therapy is a systemic treatment; it can affect cancer cells throughout the body. Treatment Choices A woman's treatment options depend on a number of factors. These include her age and menopausal status; her general health; the size, location, and stage of the tumor; whether a doctor can feel lymph nodes under her arm; and the size of her breast. Certain features of the tumor cells (such as whether they depend on hormones to grow) are also considered. The most important factor is the stage of the disease. The stage is based on the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread. Below are brief descriptions of the stages of breast cancer and the treatments most often prescribed for each stage. Stage 0 is sometimes called noninvasive carcinoma or carcinoma in situ. Lobular carcinoma in situ, or LCIS, refers to abnormal cells in the lining of a lobule. These abnormal cells seldom become invasive cancer. However, their presence is a sign that a woman has an increased risk of developing breast cancer. This risk of cancer is increased for both breasts. Some women with LCIS may choose to take a medication called tamoxifen to try to prevent breast cancer, or they may take part in studies of other promising new preventive treatments. Others may not receive any treatment, but return to their doctors regularly for checkups. Still others may have surgery to remove both breasts to try to prevent cancer from developing. Ductal carcinoma in situ, also called intraductal carcinoma or DCIS, refers to cancer cells in an area of abnormal tissue in the lining of a duct that have not invaded the surrounding breast tissue. If DCIS lesions are left untreated, over time cancer cells may break through the duct and spread to nearby tissue, becoming an invasive breast cancer. Patients with DCIS may have a mastectomy or may have breast-sparing surgery followed by radiation therapy. Underarm lymph nodes are not usually removed. Women with DCIS may want to talk with their doctors about the possible usefulness of treatment with tamoxifen. Stage I and stage II are early stages of breast cancer, but in these stages the cancer has invaded nearby tissue. Stage I means that cancer cells have not spread beyond the breast and the tumor is no more than about an inch across. Stage II means one of the following: the tumor in the breast is less than 1 inch across and the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm; the tumor is between 1 and 2 inches and may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes under the arm; or the tumor is larger than 2 inches but has not spread to the lymph nodes under the arm. Women with early stage breast cancer may have breast-sparing surgery followed by radiation therapy as their primary local treatment, or they may have a mastectomy, with or without breast reconstruction (plastic surgery) to rebuild the breast. Sometimes radiation therapy is also administered to the chest wall after mastectomy. These approaches are equally effective in treating early stage breast cancer. The choice of breast-sparing surgery or mastectomy depends mostly on the size and location of the tumor, the size of the woman's breast, certain features of the cancer, and how the woman feels about preserving her breast. With either approach, lymph nodes under the arm usually are removed. Many women with stage I and most with stage II breast cancer have chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy in addition to surgery or surgery and radiation therapy. This added treatment is called adjuvant therapy, which means that it is given to try to destroy any remaining cancer cells and prevent the cancer from recurring, or coming back. Stage III is also called locally advanced cancer. The tumor in the breast is large (more than 2 inches across), the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes, or it has spread to other lymph nodes or tissues near the breast. Inflammatory breast cancer is a type of locally advanced breast cancer. Patients with stage III breast cancer usually have both local treatment to remove or destroy the cancer in the breast and systemic treatment to stop the disease from spreading. The local treatment may be surgery and/or radiation therapy to the breast and underarm. The systemic treatment may be chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or both; it may be given before or after the local treatment. Stage IV is metastatic cancer. The cancer has spread from the breast to other parts of the body. Women who have stage IV breast cancer receive chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy to destroy cancer cells and control the disease. They may have surgery or radiation therapy to control the cancer in the breast. Radiation may also be useful to control tumors in other parts of the body. Recurrent cancer means the disease has come back in spite of the initial treatment. Even when a tumor in the breast seems to have been completely removed or destroyed, the disease sometimes returns because undetected cancer cells remained in the area after treatment or because the disease had already spread before treatment. Most recurrences appear within the first 2 or 3 years after treatment, but breast cancer can recur many years later. Cancer that returns only in the area of the surgery is called a local recurrence. If the disease returns in another part of the body, it is called metastatic breast cancer. Treatment for recurrent cancer varies.

http://women.webmd.com/tc/fibrocystic-breasts-treatment-overview Fibrocystic Breasts - Treatment Overview Most women who have fibrocystic breast changes or cyclic breast pain do not require treatment from their health professional. Cystic or tender breasts are a normal premenstrual condition, and fibrocystic changes do not lead to breast cancer. Unless your pain is severe and long-standing, home treatment measures are likely to relieve your symptoms. For more information, see the Home Treatment section of this topic. Low-dose birth control pills (oral contraceptives) may help reduce cyclic breast tenderness and breast swelling before periods. This may be an option if you have cyclic breast pain and you also want to prevent pregnancy. * Birth control pills have very few serious side effects and may be taken safely by most nonsmoking women through their 40s. * Some women find that birth control pills make their breast symptoms worse. Breast pain can also be a side effect of birth control pills.2 In very rare cases, other prescription medications are used to treat severe cyclic breast pain. Because all of these medications can cause serious side effects, they are used only in cases of severe pain. * Danazol is a man-made form of the male hormone testosterone. This medication stops your menstrual cycle and puts your body into a menopause-like state. * Bromocriptine reduces the production of prolactin, a hormone that is involved in breast development. * Tamoxifen blocks the effects of estrogen in the body. It is often used to treat breast cancer, and to help prevent breast cancer in high-risk women. * Toremifene also blocks the effects of estrogen. One small study has shown that toremifene relieves breast pain, with fewer side effects than tamoxifen.3 * Goserelin injections stop your ovaries from working. This stops your menstrual cycle and puts your body into a menopause-like state.1 Significant side effects include hot flashes and weakened bones (bone density loss).