Women’s Independent Press

Know the Facts: Breast Cancer
Information obtained from  Magee

The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2010:

• About 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women
• About 54,010 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• About 39,840 deaths from breast cancer (women)

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Who is at Risk for Breast Cancer?

All women are at risk, but there are a number of risk factors which increase your chances of developing breast cancer:

• age
  The number one risk factor for developing breast cancer is age. The older you are, the greater the risk of developing the disease. Four out of five breast cancers are diagnosed in women over fifty.
• family history of cancer - genetic inheritance
  Having a family history of cancer means having first degree relatives (mother, sister, daughter) who had breast cancer, particularly before menopause. Two or more other close relatives such as aunts or cousins with a history of breast cancer, especially if the cancer was detected at a young age, may also increase your risk.
• Ashkenazi Jewish descent
  Some individuals of Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish heritage have been found to have an inherited characteristic that may lead to breast or ovarian cancer.
• certain breast changes
  Having a diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or having had two or more breast biopsies for other benign conditions may increase a woman’s risk.
• beginning your menstrual periods at an early age
• going through menopause at a late age

Screening Tests

The program uses tests to screen for early-stage disease in people who show no symptoms. Breast cancer screening tests conducted may include:

• screening mammogram
  A screening mammogram is the best tool available for finding breast cancer early, before symptoms appear. Mammograms can often detect breast cancer before it can be felt. Also, a mammogram can show small deposits of calcium in the breast. Although most calcium deposits are benign, a cluster of very tiny specks of calcium (called microcalcifications) may be an early sign of cancer.
• clinical breast exam
  A thorough physical examination of the breasts done by a breast cancer specialist, either a doctor or nurse practitioner.
• GAIL model risk assessment
  Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), have developed a breast cancer risk assessment tool that allows a health professional to project a woman’s individualized estimate of risk for invasive breast cancer over a five-year period, and over her lifetime to age 90. This calculated score can then be used as a guide for breast cancer prevention and surveillance options.
• fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy
  Fluid and/or tissue cells are drawn (aspirated) from a lump, through a thin needle and into a syringe. The specimen is sent to the pathology lab for analysis.