Cancer happens when certain cells in your body multiply very quickly and with breast cancer the cells are in the breast. It affects women far more often than men. Many more women are cured than even 10 years ago but it remains a major life threatening condition.
Breast cancer is the disease that the majority of women fear the most and this is totally understandable. It is curable but the sooner it is detected the better the chance of being cured. Although it can affect men, it is around 100 times commoner in women.
Breast Cancer Incidence
Breast cancer rates have increased by more than 50% over the last twenty years. The highest rates of breast cancer occur in Northern Europe and North America and the lowest rates are in parts of Africa and Asia. The good news is thanks to better diagnosis and treatment survival rates are improving.
Death rates have been dropping steadily since 1990 and one of the keys to this is early diagnosis. Indeed medical experts attribute the decline in breast cancer deaths to both this and more effective treatments.
Treatment of Breast Cancer
The treatment you will get depends on the type of cancer and if it has gone out of your breast elsewhere in your body. How far, if at all, the cancer has spread is called staging. Stage 0 means the cancer is just in the breast and stage 4 means it is spread through your body. What combination of treatment you receive depends on the stage and is the same for males and females.
The five main therapies for breast cancer are surgery, hormone treatment, radiation, strong anti cancer drugs and the new biological drugs of which Herceptin is most well known. Your treatment can apply just locally to the cancer or can affect the whole body
Localised therapy for breast cancer includes surgery and sometimes x-ray therapy. The drug treatments can affect your whole body as well as the cancer but with modern regimens the side effects are not as bad as they used to be.
Breast Cancer Survival
Survival rates are improving. The lower the staging (0 - 4) the better is the chance of surviving. However these rates are based on thousands of cases and cannot easily be applied to individuals so a positive outlook is very important. Survival for men with breast cancer is similar to survival for women.
Breast cancer is on the rise worldwide and is no respecter of age or status. Having a diagnosis of breast cancer is shocking news. The most important key to overcoming breast cancer is awareness and early detection.
A diagnosis of breast cancer is not a death sentence but a huge challenge, which can be beaten. As many breast cancers have a genetic link other family members may receive counselling if needed. - 15437
Breast cancer is the disease that the majority of women fear the most and this is totally understandable. It is curable but the sooner it is detected the better the chance of being cured. Although it can affect men, it is around 100 times commoner in women.
Breast Cancer Incidence
Breast cancer rates have increased by more than 50% over the last twenty years. The highest rates of breast cancer occur in Northern Europe and North America and the lowest rates are in parts of Africa and Asia. The good news is thanks to better diagnosis and treatment survival rates are improving.
Death rates have been dropping steadily since 1990 and one of the keys to this is early diagnosis. Indeed medical experts attribute the decline in breast cancer deaths to both this and more effective treatments.
Treatment of Breast Cancer
The treatment you will get depends on the type of cancer and if it has gone out of your breast elsewhere in your body. How far, if at all, the cancer has spread is called staging. Stage 0 means the cancer is just in the breast and stage 4 means it is spread through your body. What combination of treatment you receive depends on the stage and is the same for males and females.
The five main therapies for breast cancer are surgery, hormone treatment, radiation, strong anti cancer drugs and the new biological drugs of which Herceptin is most well known. Your treatment can apply just locally to the cancer or can affect the whole body
Localised therapy for breast cancer includes surgery and sometimes x-ray therapy. The drug treatments can affect your whole body as well as the cancer but with modern regimens the side effects are not as bad as they used to be.
Breast Cancer Survival
Survival rates are improving. The lower the staging (0 - 4) the better is the chance of surviving. However these rates are based on thousands of cases and cannot easily be applied to individuals so a positive outlook is very important. Survival for men with breast cancer is similar to survival for women.
Breast cancer is on the rise worldwide and is no respecter of age or status. Having a diagnosis of breast cancer is shocking news. The most important key to overcoming breast cancer is awareness and early detection.
A diagnosis of breast cancer is not a death sentence but a huge challenge, which can be beaten. As many breast cancers have a genetic link other family members may receive counselling if needed. - 15437
About the Author:
After working for 20 years in medicine, Dr Taylor Cromish has a wealth of knowledge and experience which he uses to provide accurate online medical information. To read more on cancer of the breast why not visit his site.
