Center For Breast Cancer Treatment

Knowing the signs and symptoms of breast cancer can help to save your life. When the disease is discovered early, your cancer treatment options are increased and you have a better chance for curing your breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Facts

. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women.

. Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.

. About 192,370 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in American
  women in  2009

. An estimated 1,910 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in
  the United  States during 2009.

. An estimated 40,170 women will die from breast cancer in 2009.

. An estimated 440 men will die from breast cancer in 2009.

. One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes, and one woman will die of breast cancer every
  13 minutes in the United States.

. The five-year relative survival rate for women with localized breast cancer (cancer that has not spread to lymph
   nodes or other locations outside the breast) has increased from 74 percent in 1982 to 98 percent in 2009.

. The most proven and significant risk factors for getting breast cancer are being female and getting older.

. Approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast
  cancer  have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.

. A woman's chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. Approximately 80 percent of all breast
  cancers occur in  women 50 years of age and older.

. In the United States, a woman has about a 13.2 percent, or 1 in 8, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

. The chance of a woman dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35.

. In the United States today, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors.

Statistics provided by United States and G. Komen for the Cure

There is more reason for hope than ever before. Doctors have made great strides in the last 30 years with early diagnosis and cancer treatments which have reduced breast cancer deaths. Now there are better cancer treatment options, and many women have more choices of alternative cancer treatments which help to eliminate radical breast surgeries.

The Four Steps to Good Breast Health

1. Monthly Breast Self-Exam - Know how your breasts normally look and feel. Examine your breasts monthly and report any changes to your doctor. If you find a lump or other changes in your breast, make an appointment to see your doctor for an assessment.

2. Regular Checkup - See your doctor yearly for a clinical breast exam. This exam can reveal abnormalities missed by a mammogram.

3. Mammography Exam - The American Cancer Society recommends having a baseline mammogram at age 35 and yearly mammograms beginning at age 40. If you are younger than 40 and have a family history of breast cancer or other concerns, discuss when to begin screening with your doctor.

4. Risk Evaluation - Identify your risk factors for breast cancer and discuss them with your doctor:

. Increasing age

. A mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer

. The results of breast biopsy with abnormal cells

. Beginning your first period before age 12

. Having a child after age 30 or not ever having children