July 28, 2022 | It wasn’t there the last time you checked. That lump you found one day in the shower has turned out to be something very serious. Breast cancer. So, what do you need to know and what’s your next step? Cancer begins when healthy cells in the breast change and grow out of control, forming a mass or sheet of cells called a tumor. Breast cancer can be invasive or non-invasive. Invasive breast cancer is cancer that spreads into surrounding tissues and or distant organs through blood vessels and lymph vessels. When breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it is said to have metastasized. Non-invasive breast cancer does not go beyond the milk ducts or lobules in the breast. Around one woman in eight will develop an invasive form of breast cancer in their lifetime. Some 287,000 cases will be diagnosed in women in this country this year. For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer besides lung cancer.

July 28, 2022 | For women, regular high-quality screening mammograms and clinical breast exams are the most effective ways to screen for breast cancer. Regular breast self-exam, or BSE, that is, checking one’s own breasts for lumps or other unusual changes, is not specifically recommended for breast cancer screening. In clinical trials, BSE alone was not found to help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer. However, many women choose to examine their own breasts. Women who do so should remember that breast changes can occur because of pregnancy, aging, or menopause, during menstrual cycles or when taking birth control pills or other hormones. It is normal for breasts to feel a little lumpy and uneven. And be aware that it is common for breasts to be swollen and tender right before or during a menstrual period. Whenever a woman notices any unusual changes in her breasts, she should contact her health care provider.

July 28, 2022 | Diagnostic mammography is used to check for breast cancer when a lump, focal breast pain, nipple discharge, or breast skin changes are noted. A screening mammogram is used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs of the disease. Dr. Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, director of the UAMS Breast Center, says that average risk women should have annual mammography starting at age 40 and continue as long as they have 10 years of quality life remaining. Women who are at high risk of breast cancer should be screening before age 40 years of age and should discuss with their providers on when screening mammography should begin. Dr. Bryant-Smith urges women to turn to an experienced source for information and screenings like the UAMS Breast Center. The UAMS Breast Center is an American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence and provides same-day results for both screening and diagnostic mammography.

July 28, 2022 | The biology and behavior of breast cancer affects the treatment plan, and every person’s cancer is different. Doctors consider many factors when recommending a treatment plan, including the cancer’s stage and hormone receptors, the person’s age, general health, and whether they have gone through menopause. People with breast cancer often get more than one kind of treatment. For earlier stages of cancer, surgery to remove the tumor and nearby lymph nodes is usually the first treatment. Additional treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, or targeted therapy is usually given after surgery to lower the risk of the cancer returning. These treatments may also be given before surgery to shrink the size of the tumor. Be sure to talk with your doctor about your treatment options. The side effects of treatment can be reduced or managed with a variety of medications and the help of your health care team.

July 28, 2022 | There are several misconceptions floating around these days about breast cancer. For example, many people will tell you that you won’t get breast cancer if you don’t have a family history of the disease. The vast majority of people who get breast cancer have no family history, suggesting that other factors must be at work, such as environment and lifestyle. You may have also heard that wearing a bra can cause breast cancer. The theory was that wearing a bra, especially an underwire style, could restrict the flow of lymph fluid out of the breast, causing toxic substances to build up in the tissue. A 2014 study of roughly 1,500 women with breast cancer found no link between bra-wearing and the disease. And despite what you may have heard, men can get breast cancer. It most commonly occurs in older men, but it can develop at any age. Men should stay aware of the signs of breast cancer and learn about their family history of it.