Early detection is the key to success
| Health tips: Why does breast cancer matter to women? | | | Dear Reader,
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a month dedicated to education and early detection of the disease — including metastatic breast cancer — that affects 1 in 8 women. After lung cancer, it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths of women in the U.S. Chances are that you or your family and friends already have been touched by breast cancer.
Why does breast cancer matter to women? Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. and worldwide, after some types of skin cancer. Rarely, breast cancer can occur in men, too. It is more common in white women, but some of the more aggressive types of breast cancer are seen in Black and Hispanic women. As such, outcomes vary among different races and ethnicities. In general, younger women — those younger than 40 years old — with breast cancer have worse outcomes than do older women.
Outcomes of breast cancer are partly related to how advanced the cancer is at diagnosis. This makes early detection a key part of improving outcomes. When breast cancer is detected early, treatment is highly successful. |
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Questions to ask your healthcare team about breast cancer Who will be part of my healthcare team, and what does each member do? Am I a candidate for a lumpectomy? Do I need a mastectomy? Will I need lymph node surgery? What is the grade and stage of this disease? What are the biomarkers of my tumor? What do these mean? What is the goal of each treatment? What are my treatment options? Are there clinical trials available for me to participate in? What are the possible side effects of treatments, and what can be done to ease them? What is my prognosis? Breast cancer is a diverse disease, and each person who has breast cancer experiences it in a unique way. As a result, many variables are involved in its treatment, and the way treatment affects each person is different. If you have breast cancer, try not to compare yourself and your progress to others with breast cancer. If you have a friend or relative with breast cancer, be supportive and engaged, but don’t compare your friend or relative to others with breast cancer, either.
Communication is key to coping and understanding the expectations of breast cancer treatment. Make sure that you have a good system of communication in place with your healthcare team and that all of your questions are being addressed.
Early detection is key to success in the treatment and management of breast cancer. Be diligent and timely with your breast cancer screening schedule. Mammograms help save lives. |
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| | | Beyond Breast Cancer | | A supportive, practical guide covering cancer surveillance, side effects management, living with metastatic breast cancer, clinical trials, integrative therapies and much more. | | Get these resources |
| | | Taking Care of You | | A practical and extensive resource for women covering many common clinical conditions impacting women, including cancers such as breast, lung, cervical and ovarian. |
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