Breast Cancer Awareness

What is Breast Cancer?

• Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too.

A Little Elaboration

• The female breast is made up mainly of lobules (milk-producing glands), ducts (tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels).

• One way that breast cancer spreads at its easiest is by the Lymph System. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped collections of immune system cells (cells that are important in fighting infections) that are connected by lymphatic vessels. Breast cancer cells can enter lymphatic vessels and begin to grow in lymph nodes.

Statistics for 2013

• There is an estimated 39,620 breast cancer deaths this year.

• 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer (This includes new cases of primary breast cancer among survivors, but not recurrence of original breast cancer among survivors.)

• 64,640 new cases of in situ breast cancer (This includes ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), of those, about 85 percent will be DCIS. DCIS is a non-invasive breast cancer and LCIS is a condition that increases the risk of invasive breast cancer.

Warning Signs

Signs (cont.)

Signs (cont.)

Sign (cont.)

See your Doctor

See your health care provider if you:• Find a new lump or any change that feels different from

the rest of your breast.• Find a new lump or any change that feels different from

your other breast.• Feel something that is different from what you felt before.If you are unsure whether you should have a lump checked, it is best to see your provider. Although a lump may be nothing to worry about, you will have the peace of mind that it has been checked.

See your doctor (cont.)

Liquid leaking from your nipple (nipple discharge) can be troubling, but it is rarely a sign of cancer. Discharge can be your body's natural reaction when the nipple is squeezed. • Signs of a more serious condition, such as breast

cancer, include discharge that:• Occurs without squeezing the nipple• Occurs in only one breast• Is bloody or clear (not milky)

Prevention

• http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content_Binaries/806-375.pdf

Treatment

• Mastectomy is the surgical removal of the entire breast. Some women have the option of mastectomy or lumpectomy (also called breast conserving surgery) plus radiation. Other women can only have mastectomy.

• Some just get radiation and chemotherapy to kill the cancer.

History

• My mom herself had a Breast Cancer scare in the last few years. My family was very worried, but in the end the biopsy turned out to be nothing. We were very worried because her mother had breast cancer and died from it. My grandmother had even gotten a mastectomy, but the disease still took her.

Men

• Breast cancer in men is rare, accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases.

• Breast cancer in men is rare, but it does happen. In 2013, it is estimated that among men in the U.S. there will be:

2,240 new cases of invasive breast cancer. 410 breast cancer deaths.

• Cancer begins when normal cells in the breast begin to change and grow uncontrollably, forming a mass called a tumor. A tumor can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant.

Treatment

• Treatment for men is the same as treatment for women and usually includes a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and/or targeted therapy.

Men  Women 

Incidence (new cases) 

1.3 per 100,000

120.9 per 100,000

Mortality (deaths) 

0.3 per 100,000

21.9 per 100,000

Any Questions?

• http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-what-is-breast-cancer

• http://ww5.komen.org/breastcancer/aboutbreastcancer.html

• http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer-male