Health Information Center

The breasts sit on the chest muscles that cover the ribs. Each breast is made of 15 to 20 lobes. Lobes contain many smaller lobules. Lobules contain groups of tiny glands that can produce milk. Milk flows from the lobules through thin tubes called ducts to the nipple. The nipple is in the center of a dark area of skin called the areola. Fat fills the spaces between the lobules and ducts.

Breast cancer incidence is much higher in industrialised Western countries, whether in Europe or North America, than in developing countries. North American women have the highest incidence of breast cancer in the world. Among women in the U.S., breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second-most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer). Women in the U.S. have a 1 in 8 (12.5%) lifetime chance of developing invasive breast cancer and a 1 in 35 (3%) chance of breast cancer causing their death. In 2007, breast cancer was expected to cause 40,910 deaths in the U.S. (7% of cancer deaths; almost 2% of all deaths)

Continue reading ‘Information on Breast Cancer’ »

Breast cancer treatment is usually a multi-pronged approach. The most common breast cancer treatment plan, in this order, involves surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormonal therapy. But there are many different types of breast cancer, so there are many variations in treatment. Also, the stage of breast cancer (0 through IV) will determine which treatments are best.

Surgery

Surgery is often the first step in breast cancer treatment. Removal of the lump and the cancerous tissue is imperative in most cases to keep the cancer from spreading any further. Depending on the stage (which is judged by the size and the spread of the disease) a woman with breast cancer may have a mastectomy or a lumpectomy.

A mastectomy is removal of the entire breast, where a lumpectomy saves the majority of breast tissue but removes only the lump itself and the very nearby affected breast tissue. A doctor will recommend which is the safest course of action for each type of cancer. Continue reading ‘Breast Cancer Treatment’ »

When diagnosed with something as deadly as cancer, fertility may not be the immediate concern. However, once cancer is cured and life goes on, the harmful effects of the treatment undergone may show up in the form of impaired fertility.

Ironically, fertility enhancing treatments also seem to have the same effect on cancer, by increasing the risk of cancer in women who undergo fertility treatment.

Treatment for infertility almost always involves intake of fertility drugs, but it appears by improving fertility and the chances of a woman to conceive, the fertility drugs may simultaneously be increasing the risk of cancer. The risk of uterine cancer in particular is seen to increase.

Ovulation-inducing drugs are common in treatment of infertility. The effects of these drugs on the health of the women who use them have not been verified yet. Continue reading ‘Cancer Risk Increased by Intake of Fertility Drugs’ »

Nowadays, women with advanced breast cancer have numerous treatment options obtainable to them. In general, these treatments are intended for lengthening life and improving or maintaining quality of life whenever achievable. A medical team could make the suitable choices concerning breast cancer treatment and follow-up care, rooted in the medical state and the lifestyle women would like to lead. You require settling on what treatment options will run for you by weighing the risks and advantages with your physician. Five kinds of customary treatment are employed:

Surgery: The majority patients with breast cancer have surgery to get rid of the cancer from the breast. A number of of the lymph nodes under the arm are typically taken out and looked at under a microscope to observe if they have cancer cells. Continue reading ‘The Options of Breast Cancer Treatment’ »

As someone who has gone through a cancer diagnosis myself, I know that after focusing so much time and energy on treatment and on surviving, once treatment is finished, you find yourself at loose ends. Family and friends, relieved that it’s over are usually more than ready to get back to whatever normal was before your diagnosis. But like all heroines who are forced to fight battles in unknown lands, you have returned from your journey changed. While the physical geography of your outside world hasn’t changed, your interior landscape has.

Because of your cancer experience, you now know as never before how precious life is. And it begs the question: how do you want to spend the rest of your life? If you’re like many survivors, the answer is “thoughtfully.” Some of the women I work with following a cancer diagnosis turn their lives upside down, while others discover that their lives are exactly as they want them. Still others adjust certain areas of their lives, to find more fulfillment. But almost all of them, in my experience as a life, business and results coach, use their diagnosis as an opportunity to examine their lives. They look at what is working, what isn’t and begin navigating the next stage of their heroine’s journey. Continue reading ‘After Breast Cancer Treatment, What Can You Do to Optimize How You Spend the Rest of Your Life?’ »

The term breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. The breast is composed of two main types of tissues: glandular tissues and stromal (supporting) tissues. Glandular tissues house the milk-producing glands (lobules) and the ducts (the milk passages) while stromal tissues include fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast.

The breast is also made up of lymphatic tissue-immune system tissue that removes cellular fluids and waste. Continue reading ‘Surgery Options for Early-Stage Breast Cancer’ »

The term breast cancer refers to a malignant tumor that has developed from cells in the breast. The breast is composed of two main types of tissues: glandular tissues and stromal (supporting) tissues. Glandular tissues house the milk-producing glands (lobules) and the ducts (the milk passages) while stromal tissues include fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast. The breast is also made up of lymphatic tissue-immune system tissue that removes cellular fluids and waste. There are several types of tumors that may develop within different areas of the breast. Most tumors are the result of benign (non-cancerous) changes within the breast. For example, fibrocystic change is a non-cancerous condition in which women develop cysts (accumulated packets of fluid), fibrosis (formation of scar-like connective tissue), lumpiness, areas of thickening, tenderness, or breast pain. Continue reading ‘Breast Cancer Questions on Treatment & Diagnosis to Ask Doctors’ »

Breast cancer is a dreadfully alarming illness that is why taking cautious steps to breast cancer prevention is very important. Worldwide 1 woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 29 seconds and every 75 seconds 1 woman in the world dies from breast cancer. Breast cancer is the condition the majority of women fear more than any other disease. This is mainly because they think there is nothing they can do about it; they feel  and do not realize the power of today’s breast cancer prevention strategies.

Most women know if they want to reduce their possibility of osteoporosis they can get enough calcium in their diet they can get some exercise or get enough vitamin D; if they want to reduce the risk of a heart attack they can make sure their cholesterol is not too high and they can also get some exercise. Continue reading ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Pt 1 – Tips For Breast Cancer Prevention’ »