Every woman, no matter what her age, should know how to do self-examination for breast cancer. This needs to be done monthly. If you do not know how to do such an exam, ask your doctor. Regular mammograms should start when a woman if 40 years old. An early diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death.

Monthly exams consist of feeling around the breasts and looking at the nipples in a mirror. If you are experiencing symptoms such as discharge from a nipple, a change in the shape of one nipple, lumps or hardness, call your doctor immediately.

If your doctor suspects breast cancer, more tests will be ordered. A biopsy will determine if a tumor is indeed cancerous or if it is benign (usually fibrous).

Once breast cancer has been diagnosed, the next step is to find out how far the cancer has spread and in what stage it is. Often, if it is caught early on, a lumpectomy is done. Some women choose to have radiation and chemotherapy before surgery to try to shrink the cancer so they do not have to have a breast removed. When a woman has a mastectomy (breast removal), the lymphatic nodes under the arm are often taken to ensure the cancer does not reoccur. Many women have a lumpectomy - where the lump is all that is removed - followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Hormone therapy may be prescribed as well.

Surprisingly, only 10 percent of breast cancer is considered to be genetic. This is counter to what was believed just a few years ago. The fact is that breast cancer can happen to anyone whether or not they have family members who have had the disease.

Due to education, self-examination, mammography and earlier diagnosis, more women are surviving breast cancer than ever before. This is why a woman must know her own body and be able to detect the slightest change in her health. If you are not already doing monthly exams, find out how they are done and start doing them. If you are 40 years of age or older, you should be having regular mammograms.

INTRODUCTION: Breast Cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. It is the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55 years of age, the second overall cause of death among women (exceeded only by lung cancer) and is on the rise worldwide. Breast cancer is more easily treated and often curable if it is found early.

LUMPS: Most breast tumors (abnormal lumps or masses of tissue) are benign (not cancerous). Using the fingertips, a lump may be detected within the breast. If a lump in the breast is found, the doctor may need to cut out a small piece of the lump (biopsy).

There are four types of biopsies: Excisional Biopsy (The removal of an entire lump or suspicious tissue); Incisional Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue); Needle Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump, suspicious tissue, or fluid, using a thin needle); Core Biopsy (The removal of part of a lump or suspicious tissue using a wide needle).

A group of rapidly dividing cells may form a lump of extra tissue. For example, fibrocystic change is a non-cancerous condition in which a female develops cysts (accumulated packets of fluid), fibrosis (formation of scar-like connective tissue), lumpiness, areas of thickening, tenderness, or breast pain.

RISKS: Women who have an altered gene related to breast cancer and who have had cancer in one breast are at great risk of developing cancer in the other breast. These women also have a high risk of developing ovarian cancer, and may have an increased risk of developing various other cancers.

Age and history of health can affect the risk of developing breast cancer. Each woman’s risk may be higher or lower, depending upon a number of factors, including family history, genetics, age of menstruation, and other factors that have yet to be identified. Breast feeding for several months also seems to reduce the risk.

TREATMENT: Treatment for breast cancer usually depends on the type of cancer and whether it has spread outside of the breast to the rest of the body. Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and endocrine/anti-hormone therapy. Treatment for male breast cancer is usually a mastectomy, which is surgery to remove the breast.

CONCLUSION: Previously a malady that mostly afflicted white, affluent women in the industrial hubs of North America and Western Europe, breast cancer is now everywhere. But in China, as in most other emerging economies, it is a relatively new concern, something that both patients and doctors are only haltingly learning how to treat.

The newest age-specific data in Denmark show that the incidence of breast cancer is maximal for a woman born between 1945 and 1950, and is on the decline for women born since that time. Greater than 90 out of 100 women whose cancer is found early will be cured. The leading cause of this form of cancer is said to be the use of anti-perspirants. The good news is that it is a highly curable disease when it is found and treated early.

The U.S. has the highest rate of breast cancer in the world. One woman out of eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in her life.

Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in the leading cause of death by cancer in women. In the United States alone, more than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year.

Every woman should perform monthly breast examinations on herself. Doing so makes her more familiar with her body and when changes are happening, she is much more apt to notice. Any lumps or hardening of the breast tissue should be noted along with a misshapen nipple or discharge. Soreness may accompany these changes but not every one feels pain in the earliest stages of cancer.

When a woman is 40 , she should begin scheduling regular mammograms. A mammogram is capable of catching cancer in its early stages. Because of self-exams and mammograms, cancer is being caught earlier and more women are surviving.

Diagnosing breast cancer in its earliest stages often makes it possible for a woman to have other treatments besides mastectomy. Not only will she be more likely to survive breast cancer, but she will also be more likely to come through without the loss of a breast.

When breast cancer is diagnosed, a woman will be presented with several courses of treatment. Depending on the stage of her cancer, one or all of the treatments may be required to cure her. Treatments include: hormone therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, lumpectomy, mastectomy and lymph node removal. Some women who are diagnosed early on will choose to have both of her breasts removed as a preventative against a reoccurrence of cancer.

Some of the side effects caused by breast cancer treatments may include fatigue, nausea, lymphedema, compromised immune system, pain and depression. Sometimes breast cancer does come back. Depression is caused by losing one or both breasts and/or a fear for one’s life even after the cancer has been declared “cured”.

Women are not the only people who get breast cancer. Though it is not common, men can and do develop breast cancer, too. When this happens, their course of treatment is the same as those of women.

Treatments for breast cancer include hormone therapy, lumpectomy, radiation, chemotherapy, mastectomy and lymph node removal. Exactly what is done is determined by the stage of breast cancer that is diagnosed.

The Beginning Stage

At stage 0, a blockage is found in the mammary or the ducts in the mammary. The first type, lobular carcinoma, is not yet deadly and usually the doctor will keep an eye on it by having the patient come in for frequent visits. Even with early cancer, the very fact that a tumor has formed in one breast makes the risk for cancer in the other much higher. Recently, many women have found it more acceptable to have a double mastectomy than to wait and find out if they will have cancer in the other breast and how far it will go. Ductal carcinoma is usually removed and the surgery is followed with other forms of treatment. Breast removal is an option with ductal carcinoma, too.

Stages II through III

Whether or not a woman has a mastectomy is determined by the size, location and stage of cancer she has at diagnosis. Women also have choices because they are often unwilling to lose a breast so they try everything else before they allow their breast to be removed.

Women find that trying to treat the cancer with radiation and chemo can significantly increase their chances of keeping their breasts. If the treatment does its job, only a lumpectomy is necessary.

Regardless of whether or not a full mastectomy is performed, radiation and chemotherapies are usually indicated. Hormone therapies are an added measure. All of these make a woman’s chance for survival much higher.

Once the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, there is no choice but to remove them from the axillary area. A mastectomy is also performed in this case.

The Last Stage of Cancer

In the case of stage IV breast cancer, the disease is considered inoperable. Treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. These do not save her life but often help her to live for a while longer. Women may choose to have no therapy in this stage and opt instead for supportive care. This is meant to help control pain and support a better quality of life while she is dying.

When all of the cancer is not found or certain conditions cause a reoccurrence of cancer, mastectomy with lymph node removal is followed by radiation, chemotherapies and hormone therapies unless the cancer is too advanced. In that case, supportive care is often recommended.

Women are not the only ones who may develop breast cancer. Men are known to get it as well. It is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. When it does, their treatment options are the same as for breast cancer in women.

Breast cancer can strike you in the middle of your occupied lives without leaving the slightest trace, and prominent symptoms don’t appear until a late stage. In some cases, it is painless, which is the saddest part because it escapes from being detected thus, until too much harm is already caused.

Never think that you can’t get breast cancer, for anyone can get it, no matter your age or genetics, although that may play a part in it. For your own peace of mind it is better to get checked, then not to and then find out that you have breast cancer and that it has spread.

When you hear the stories of people who have defeated and are still surviving the disease, or when you look back at yourself fighting it at various stages in life, you draw immense strength from the fighting spirit the anecdote rekindles in you. Reserve this strength for times when you’ve almost given up hope or when people make you feel miserable - you’ve earned it.

There are people who can not even think of handling something as gruesome as cancer, and it’s only natural. And not everyone you meet will sympathize with you, or share your grief, and if they did, only tears and mourning would prevail in the world. You will have to stand up alone, gather the courage to talk with doctors and know all there is to be known about the progress of your treatment. You have just one body, and you should do all you can to not let it go.

Your will is all it takes to overcome any force, even breast cancer, the survivors live to reaffirm that. You will feel scared sometimes, and that’s not a sign of weakness. Weakness will be if you feel piling up the fear and give up. Giving more stress to your already diseased body in the form of grief, fear, anger or dismay will worsen things for you. It is not a sin to be sad sometimes or to relieve yourself of worrying through angst - this is all a part of the healing process - just don’t let it get touch your core.

Diverting your attention from it will help you heal mentally and survive it. Your cancer is real, and that is ever so shocking, even months into it, but your purpose is to come out of it untouched. Look at the things that make you happy, do the things you love to do, throw your head back and laugh. You will forget the horrors of the disease and your family and friends will make sure that the disease fades day after day,

Inflammatory breast cancer takes lives of most of the people who develop it. It is a very “hostile” type of cancer, which thankfully, is also rare. It gets its name from the inflammation the breasts of the victim develop. Contrary to other forms of cancer, inflammatory breast cancer can develop in relatively younger females, too. Rarely do men develop IBC.

There are lymph vessels in the breasts. When a person develops IBC, the malignant cancerous cells block these vessels. IBC develops in women at a younger age, compared to other forms of breast cancer. Some studies also suggest that White people are less likely to develop this cancer than the African Americans, who are also said to be vulnerable at a younger age.

The progression of IBC is its most alarming feature. The time lapse between the first symptom appearing and the cancer reaching a very advanced stage may be leek than two weeks. This however, may be one of the reasons for early diagnosis of IBC, since the symptoms are very apparent early on due to the cancer’s fast advancement.

It is not necessary that a lump be formed if you have IBC. This makes the cancer very undetectable, as many women do not seek proper medical help if they have no lumps in their breasts. Also, without a lump, diagnostic techniques like mammography and ultrasounds can not be relied upon, and the cancer can go undiagnosed. If you show symptoms of Inflammatory breast cancer, insist on a biopsy.

Typical symptoms for Inflammatory breast cancer are extreme reddish to purple-ish, bruised appearance of the breasts, tenderness and immense swelling, which accounts for its inflamed appearance. The skin around the breasts may be rough and uneven, the nipples may get inverted, there might be persistent itching and heaviness accompanied with burning aching sensations. Usual symptoms like change in color and texture of areola and breasts are present, too. You might also have swellings under your arm and above and below your collarbone, which you should never ignore.

IBC is often confused with mastitis or breast infections that show the same symptoms. Sometimes, previous operations can partially block the lymph vessels of the breast, too, and give rise to redness and tenderness. This should not be confused with Inflammatory breast cancer. Remember, the symptoms regress after a week or two or treatment for mastitis.

Due to tremendous number of researches going into the field, Inflammatory breast cancer can be cured in almost fifty five out of every hundred IBC cases. What used to be a certain death two decades back is curable today! Today, the treatment for IBC is very extensive, although it gives a lot to hope for. Systemic therapies like chemotherapy and hormone treatments are backed up by surgeries like mastectomy and then by radiation therapy, to eliminate chances of a recurrence, and the treatment is done!

Through all the misery of Inflammatory breast cancer, you should remember the figures of mortality rate decreasing immensely. These indicate that you have a great chance of fighting if off and being happy like all other people that you know.

The stage of breast cancer when cancer cells do not remain in the original cancer site and spread out to other parts of the body is called metastatic breast cancer. This is the stage when the cancer is fully advanced. Even if you have been successfully treated for breast cancer, there is a chance that some cancer cells do not die, and later spread out through blood and lymphatic vessels to other body organs. This process is known as metastasis of breast cancer.

Metastatic breast cancer can either recur, that is, the treatment for breast cancer may have completed, but the cancer cells that escaped from being killed make the cancer recur, or may happen during the course of treatment, when the cancer is so aggressive that it spreads out despite of the treatments, or, in some cases when diagnosis is very late, and the cancer has spread out, metastatic might be the very first diagnosis.

When breast cancer recurs, the breasts, bones, lungs, chest wall, liver and/or brain start developing it, and show changes. Breast cancer has the highest risk of spreading. If another kind of cancer develops after breast cancer has been treated, it is probably breast cancer recurring. This is good news, because breast cancer is more treatable than any other kind of cancer. Also, if the cancer comes back in the breast that was not diseased earlier, it is probably a new cancer, and not a recurrence.

It is very important to know about metastatic breast cancer because around 30% of women with breast cancer are later diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Metastatic breast cancer is best treatable when no organ, specifically the lungs and brain, develop cancer, or when the cancer cells show traces of estrogen or progesterone hormone receptors, or, when tumors still respond to therapies, or when there have not been many treatments the patient has already availed.

Since a total cure of metastatic disease is very difficult, the treatment involved is very long and cumbersome. A combination of Systemic therapy and regular monitoring is needed. This involves chemotherapy, hormonal treatment and radiation therapy, and for monitoring, regular mammograms, breast ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, bone scans are done. Treatment also varies with purpose, chemo and radiation therapies concentrating on the whole body cure, surgeries like lumpectomy and mastectomy on specific body parts, and oral aspirin intake along with other drugs focusing on lessening physical pain of the victim.

A lot of research is going into slowing down and completely stopping further advancement of metastatic breast cancer. Even though this is the worst phase of your cancer, it is important that you know that many women with the metastatic disease have lived happily and normally while taking their treatment. You will have to decide when to end your treatment, for the higher the number of treatments you take, the higher the side-effects. This decision is the hardest to take, but you will know you have tried everything, prolonged your life as much as you could have. Spend the rest of your life being happy, and taking regular medication. Happiness is known for prolonging life, too.

Breast cancer is a disease which isn’t very well defined, but there are prominent causes that lead to it. If you show some or all of these symptoms, your risk of getting breast cancer naturally increases. However, it is necessary to add that even with all the symptoms, you might not get the cancer, as a rule. Causes are not a foolproof way of calculating your risks of getting breast cancer, and should never be the only factor in calculating the risks. You can get a car accident if you as much as drive a car, but so many factors come into play that it’s very hard to designate the risks to a single factor, if at all, it can be done. The same goes for breast cancer.

One thing is true and that is the risk for getting breast cancer goes up as you get older. That is something that just cannot be taken out of the equation. It is also said that one has a greater chance of developing it if someone in the family has also been diagnosed which makes one think that genetics may play factor on whether or not you may get it. Race does not really make that much of a difference, but it also depends on who you talk to. Many researchers have said that women who don’t have kids until a later age may have a higher chance, but then that is part of the age factor. Men do get breast cancer as well, but their numbers are not nearly as high as the number of women who get diagnosed.

Birth controlling strategies can play a role; however, the idea is still underdeveloped for conclusive statements. Debates continue on the topic, but more research needs to be done to authoritatively caution women of the prevalent birth control measures.

Alcohol is said to increase the risks considerably, but as it goes, alcohol can increase the risks for any type of cancer. Cutting down the number of alcoholic beverages you consume is a good idea, and if your risk factor is high, total abstinence from alcohol helps.

Weight problems and obesity deteriorate heath, giving rise to various health problems, one of which is an increased risk of developing malignant breast tissues. Fighting this is easy; you just need to exercise a lot more and better, enhancing your general health and keeping breast cancer away. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

Like it’s said, the causes for getting breast cancer can be many and varied, and it’s not possible to understand the key factor that leads to it. However, there is a lot of research going on in this field, and someday, the key might be discovered. With that, we can prevent many women from getting ailed, diagnose lots of others early and save them from the misery of living through the disease, and cure so many others who could have just lost hope.

There are several options for treatments, when the disease is breast cancer. People, today, can choose from the many options available, to defeat breast cancer, unlike several years ago. There are at least three types of treatments for any stage of breast cancer.

Certain forms of surgeries, like biopsies, are used to diagnose breast cancer. These focus on specific areas of the body, like the breasts and lymph nodes, and not the whole body. When cancer is positively diagnosed, the patient has two options. Either she can opt for complete removal of breasts, as is the case with mastectomy, or removal of just a part of the breast, like in partial mastectomy. These two surgeries are most effective when the patient has small malignant tumors. Also, they are effective when the patient has had large tumors previously which are now small and have been successfully shrunken by chemotherapy.

To kill cancerous cells that may have spread outside the cancer-affected area, that is, the breasts, Systemic therapy is a good option. Cancer can spread outside breasts at some stage and form tumor there. This treatment is required, then, as it helps in shrinking those tumors and can also lead to degeneration of cancerous cells, which is helpful for all victims.

This treatment is mainly decided by the characteristics of the cancer. The more aggressive the caner is then it will have a higher risk of spreading outside that area and into other areas where treatment can be harder to do. Treatments are dependent on the status and harmful effects of cancer. The more advanced the stage, the harder it is to treat it, since it’s more likely that the cancerous cells are not confined to just the breasts, then. This means the treatment has to extend outside the breasts, and can make the procedure complicated and tiresome.

You can get the therapies administered either orally through pills or directly into the breasts by injections. A very famous therapy, Chemotherapy, can be taken in either manner. Chemo kills all cancerous cells that it encounters and is known to show immediate results. Another therapy that works like flu shots work, the Immune therapy, incites the body to fight back by faking an attack, and the body’s defense mechanism gets activated. White blood cells start fighting the infection, and the body starts the process of self-healing. However, this therapy is not famous, and is used very rarely, mainly on account of being so new.

Unconventional methods such as yog asana, acupuncture, massages, intake of herbal remedies, chiropractic, are also in practice. A lot of people suffering from breast cancer claim to get “healed” for the simple reason that these practices help make the body healthier and enable it to fight the ailment itself. They feel rejuvenated during the course of the action, and forget their ailment. There is nothing to lose trying these Complementary therapies, and just a healthier body to gain.

Breast cancer can be very terrifying, especially if your cancer has advanced. It is inevitable to feel lonely, even when you have the support of your family and friends. You will feel they do not understand your fears, and, in such times, interacting with other breast cancer patients and survivors can go a long way in alleviating your fears and misery.

For such times, many breast cancer support groups offer all the information you need for your disease. These groups are mostly run by women who have experienced what you now experience, and will understand all your needs. Through such organizations, you can meet and interact with other survivors, who will give you the strength to defeat your cancer, and other patients, who suffer from the same fears you do, and will help you coming out of your loneliness.

Groups like bcsupport.org have chat rooms for women to interact with other cancer patients, receive latest news on researches going on in the field, update women about breast cancer issues and treatments, and make them feel at home. Other organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure themselves have research laboratories for improving technology, providing extensive information on everything a breast cancer victim may need. This group is the largest group of breast cancer survivors and activists; they will surely understand what you need.

Two breast cancer victims started breastcancersupport.org in 1988, realizing the lack of importance the society attached to breast cancer and its victims’ needs. Another group, y-me.org, has the sole objective of not letting you feel you are alone. Do you now realize how many people, who will not treat you as aliens, want to help you?

All these organizations basically help you survive through your treatments by letting you know you are not alone, and that there have been many women who have gone through exactly what you are going through. You will come to feel such attachment for those women, and know how many women go through the same plights that you do, that you may want to yourself volunteer helping others. Giving others the support you yourself needed at some point of time will mentally energize you to fight the disease.

Not only do these organizations give you emotional support, if you are financially insecure, they make donations for your treatments, which are entirely voluntary. Your only decision is to ask for help in this matter, and you will find a whole new world of love and affection.