Patient education: Breast cancer (The Basics)

What is breast cancer? — Breast cancer happens when normal cells in the breast change and grow out of control. People sometimes discover that they have breast cancer because they find a lump in their breast. Other times, cancer is found during a routine screening test, before a lump can be felt.

Breast cancer is much more common in females, but anyone can get it. Breast cancer sometimes runs in families.

If you feel a lump in your breast, see your doctor or nurse right away. Breast lumps can be caused by conditions that are not cancer. But you should have any lumps checked out.

Is there a test for breast cancer? — Yes. Doctors use a special kind of X-ray called a "mammogram" to check for breast cancer. If a mammogram finds a spot that looks like it could be cancer, doctors usually follow up with other imaging tests. These might include an ultrasound or MRI scan.

In some cases, another test called a "biopsy" will be done. During a biopsy, a doctor takes 1 or more small samples of tissue from the breast. Then, they look at the cells under a microscope to check for cancer.

What is breast cancer staging? — Cancer staging is a way in which doctors find out how far a cancer has spread. The right treatment for you will depend, in part, on the stage of your cancer.

How is breast cancer treated? — Most people with breast cancer have 1 or more of the following treatments:

●Surgery – Breast cancer is usually treated with surgery to remove the cancer. Many people with breast cancer can choose between 2 types of surgery (figure 1):

•Mastectomy is surgery to remove the whole breast. (If you choose this option, you might have to decide whether to have surgery to reconstruct your breast and when.)

•Breast-conserving surgery is surgery to remove the cancer and a section of healthy tissue around it. This is also called "lumpectomy." People who choose this option keep their breast. But they usually need to have radiation therapy after surgery.

●Radiation therapy – Radiation kills cancer cells.

●Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy is the medical term for medicines that kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. Some people take these medicines before surgery to shrink the cancer and make it easier to remove. Some take these medicines after surgery to prevent cancer from growing, spreading, or coming back.

●Endocrine therapy – Some forms of breast cancer grow in response to the hormone estrogen. "Endocrine therapy" means treatments that block estrogen or prevent your body from making estrogen.

●Targeted therapy – Some medicines work only on cancers that have certain characteristics. Your doctor might test you to see if you have a kind of cancer that would respond to this therapy.

●Immunotherapy – This means medicines that work with the body's infection-fighting system to stop cancer growth. Immunotherapy might be used with chemotherapy to treat certain types of advanced breast cancers.

Getting treated for breast cancer involves making many choices. Besides choosing which surgery to have, you might have to choose which medicines to take and when.

Always let your doctors and nurses know how you feel about a treatment. Any time you are offered a treatment, ask:

●What are the benefits of this treatment? Is it likely to help me live longer? Will it reduce or prevent symptoms?

●What are the downsides to this treatment?

●Are there alternatives to this treatment?

●What happens if I do not have this treatment?

What happens after treatment? — After treatment, you will need to be checked regularly to see if the cancer comes back. You will have tests, usually including more mammograms.

It's also important to watch for symptoms that could mean that the cancer has come back. Examples of these symptoms include:

●New lumps in your breast area

●Pain in your bones, chest, or stomach

●Trouble breathing

●Headaches

If you start having any new symptoms, tell your doctor.

What happens if cancer comes back or spreads? — That depends on where the cancer is. Most people get hormone therapy or chemotherapy. Some people also have surgery to remove new tumors.

Can breast cancer be prevented? — People who are at high risk of getting breast cancer can sometimes take a medicine to help prevent the disease. If you have relatives who have had breast cancer, ask your doctor about your options.

What will my life be like? — It can be stressful and upsetting to find out that you have cancer. But many people with breast cancer do very well after treatment. To take care of your health, you should:

●Take all of your medicines as instructed.

●Follow all of your doctors' instructions about visits and tests.

●Talk to your doctor about any side effects or problems you have during treatment.

It's important to take care of your emotional health, too. Some people find it helpful to join support groups or talk to other people who are going through a similar experience.

More on this topic

Patient education: Choosing surgical treatment for early-stage breast cancer (The Basics)
Patient education: Mastectomy (The Basics)
Patient education: Breast reconstruction after mastectomy for cancer (The Basics)
Patient education: Common breast problems (The Basics)
Patient education: Breast cancer screening (The Basics)
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Patient education: Preserving fertility after cancer treatment in women (The Basics)
Patient education: Breast biopsy (The Basics)
Patient education: Sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer (The Basics)
Patient education: Bone metastases (The Basics)
Patient education: Breast ultrasound (The Basics)
Patient education: Mammogram (The Basics)

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