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ABCs of Breast Cancer Guide
Breast Cancer Information
Breast Health, Breast Cancer and Other Breast Diseases - A lot of changes occur in a woman’s breasts during her lifetime, and it’s important for her to understand which of those changes are normal and which are not. The first step to doing this is to become familiar with the structure of the breasts and how they function.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) - The most aggressive form of breast cancer. Main symptoms are swelling and redness of the breast. IBC accounts for about one to six percent of new cases of breast cancers. For more information about IBC, click here.
Risk Factors and Prevention
What are the risk factors?
Early Detection and Screening
Regular Screening - It’s a fact: getting tested regularly for breast cancer is the best way for women to lower their risk of dying from the disease. Screening tests can find cancer early when it’s most treatable.
Mammography
Clinical Breast Exam
Breast Self-Exam
Diagnosis
Follow-up Tests - Breast cancer is often first suspected when a lump is felt or when an abnormal area is found on a mammogram. Most often, these suspicious areas do not turn out to be cancer, but the only way to determine is through follow-up tests. Understanding what these test are and how to interpret their results can help a woman take control of her situation and pick the course of action that is best for her. To learn more about the various follow-up tests, click here.
Treatment
Options - Although each woman’s treatment will be slightly different, it generally involves some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and/or trastuzumab (Herceptin). Deciding on a particular treatment is as much a personal matter for women as it is a medical one. To learn more about the various treatment options and their risks and benefit, click here.
After Treatment
Treatment is over, now what? - There are more than two million breast cancer survivors in the United States. While it's tragic that so many people have been affected by the disease, the sheer number of survivors also shows the great strides that have been made in detection and treatment of breast cancer. Survivors have other needs after treatment is over such as: Fear of recurrence, Lymphedema, Having Children, Concern for family members, and other topics. To learn more, click here.
Support
Support is needed -Emotional support and practical assistance is very important for patients with breast cancer. Through diagnosis, treatment, recovery and beyone, such support plays a key role in helping patients work through both the emotional and physical trials of the disease. To learn about various forms of support, click here.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Therapy Options - These therapies, which include approaches ranging from acupuncture to herbal medicine to prayer—offer patients the opportunity to try therapies outside of their conventional care to improve quality of life and to relieve treatment- and disease-related symptoms. To learn more about CAM therapies, click here.
Breast Cancer Research
How to read a research table
Study Results - Learn the results from individual studies that have looked at topics ranging from risk factors to treatment to social support. Click here to select your topic of interest.
Resources
Facts for Life - These are two-page documents that focus on a specific topic related to breast health. For a full list of Facts for Life, click here.
Breast Self-Exam Cards - As part of the three-step breast health approach, the Komen Foundation recommends that beginning by age 20, women become familiar with the look and feel of their breasts through monthly breast self-examination (BSE). View the variety of Breast Self-Examination (BSE) cards we have available in several different languages. Learn how to perform a breast self-exam. Help others learn that monthly BSE is an important part of the three-step breast health approach. You can download and print these cards for quick reference here.
Breast cancer affects more than just the patient — friends and family need support, too.
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