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Understanding Breast Cancer Guide

The Understanding Breast Cancer Guide provides an overview of the entire Understanding Breast Cancer section to give you quick access to areas of particular interest.

Breast Facts

The Breast and Breast Cancer

Other Breast Conditions

Introduction
Structure and function of the breasts
What is cancer?
What is breast cancer?
Invasive cancer
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
What are the warning signs of breast cancer?
Breast facts for men
Breast cancer statistics

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)

Benign breast conditions (benign breast disease)
     Hyperplasia
     Cysts
     Fibroadenomas
     Sclerosing adenosis
     Radial scars
     Intraductal papillomas
     Benign phyllodes tumor
     Sclerosing lymphocytic lobulitis
     (diabetic mastopathy, lymphocytic mastitis)
References

Risk Factors and Prevention

Factors That Increase Breast Cancer Risk	Other Issues Related to Breast Cancer Risk
Introduction Being female Getting older Inherited genetic mutations Lobular carcinoma in situ Family history of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer High breast density on mammogram Radiation exposure in youth Benign breast conditions (benign breast disease, hyperplasia) High levels of estrogen in the blood Personal history of breast cancer (including DCIS) Menopause at age 55 or older Not having children or having first child after age 35 High bone density Overweight/ weight gain High socioeconomic status Ashkenazi Jewish heritage Drinking alcoholl Lack of exercise Postmenopausal hormone use First period before age 12 Current or recent use of birth control pills Being tall Not breastfeeding Risk factors summary table of relative risks	Breast cancer risk factors table Understanding risk Understanding breast cancer prevention Healthy behaviors Race and ethnicity Gene mutations and genetic testing Options for women at higher risk (tamoxifen and other choices) Emerging areas in estimating risk Questions for your provider References
	Options for Women at Higher Risk
	More Frequent Screening Preventive Surgery Risk Lowering Drugs
	Understanding Risk and Prevention
	Understanding risk Understanding breast cancer prevention Gail Assessment Model
	Summary Tables of Risk Factors
	Breast cancer risk factors table Risk factors summary table of relative risks
Factors Under Study and Factors that Do Not Increase Risk
Factors under study Factors that do not increase risk

Early Detection and Screening

Screening Tests	Screening Recommendations
Mammography Digital mammography MRI Clinical breast exam Breast self-exam	For the general population For women with special risk factors
Other Issues Related to Early Detection and Screening
The mammography debate Following up an abnormal mammogram Following up on an abnormal clinical breast exam Low-cost and free mammograms Racial/ethnic issues in screening Quality of screening tests Emerging areas in early detection Questions for your provider References

Diagnosis

Types of Biopsies	Understanding a Pathology Report
Types of biopsies Needle biopsies Core needle biopsy Fine needle biopsy Surgical biopsies Excisional biopsy Incisional biopsy How can a biopsy miss breast cancer?	Introduction-What is a pathology report? Contents of a pathology report
Factors That Affect Treatment Decisions and Prognosis	Staging of Breast Cancer
Introduction Lymph node status Tumor size Tumor grade Tumor type Tumor characteristics Hormone receptors HER2/neu Proliferation rate Tests for metastases Oncotype Dx	Staging of breast cancer Stages Chances for survival based on stages
Types of Tumors	Other Issues Related to Diagnosis
Types of tumors Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) Medullary carcinoma Mucinous (colloid) carcinoma Papillary carcinoma Tubular carcinoma Inflammatory breast cancer Paget's disease Metaplastic breast cancer Other types of cancer that occur in the breast Subtypes of breast cancer Triple negative/basal-like breast cancer	Emerging areas in diagnosis Questions for your provider References

Treatment

Types of Treatment	Treatment Options for Different Types of Breast Cancer and Carcinoma In Situ
Surgery Radiation therapy Chemotherapy Chemotherapy drugs Tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, and other hormonal therapies Targeted therapies Trastuzumab (Herceptin) Neoadjuvant (preoperative) therapies Emerging therapies	Treatment Options for Different Types of Breast Cancer Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) Early breast cancer (stage I and II) Locally advanced / inflammatory breast cancer (stage III) Metastatic breast cancer (stage IV) Male breast cancer Breast cancer during pregnancy
Other Issues Related to Care	Getting Good Care
Factors that affect treatment options Subtypes of breast cancer Things to consider before beginning treatment Young women and breast cancer Clinical trials The return of cancer after treatment (recurrence) Breast reconstruction References	Getting good care Selecting a physician Seeking second opinions Talking to your health care provider Selecting a hospital
Pain Management	Insurance and Other Financial Issues
Pain management related to treatment Pain management related to metastatic breast cancer	Insurance and other financial issues Insurance Transportation and lodging assistance Prescription drug assistance Mastectomy and reconstructive surgery coverage Resources

After Treatment

Common Concerns of Women Living With Breast Cancer	Other Issues Related to Living With Cancer
Fear of getting cancer again Lymphedema Sex and sexuality Having children after breast cancer Postmenopausal hormones Concern for family members	Medical care after treatment Coping with stress Healthy weight and diet Being a young survivor Questions for your provider References

Support

Types of Support for People with Breast Cancer	Other Issues Related to Support
Introduction Support groups Health care providers Spiritual advisors or religious organizations Hospice	What is Social Support? Sources of Social Support Benefits of social support Sources of support for spouses, partners and other loved ones Finding local sources of support Depression References

Complementary Therapies

Complementary Therapies To see therapies grouped by category, click here		Issues in CAM
Acupressure Acupuncture Acustimulation Aloe Art therapy Astragalus Ayurveda Black cohosh Calcium Chinese medicine Coenzyme Q10 Coriolus mushroom Dandelion Echinacea Essiac Flaxseed/Flaxseed oil Focusing Folate Ginger Ginkgo Biloba Ginseng Green tea Guided imagery Hydrazine sulfate Hypnosis Macrobiotic diet Maitake Mushroom Massage Meditation Melatonin Milk thistle Mistletoe Music therapy Niacin Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils) Organic food	Pet therapy Physical Therapy Polysaccharide K (PSK) Prayer Probiotics Psychotherapy Qi gong Quercetin Reiki Reishi Mushroom Relaxation therapy Resveratrol Selenium Shark cartilage Shiatsu Shiitake Mushroom Soy St. John's wort Tai chi Therapeutic touch Traditional Chinese medicine Turmeric (Curcum) Vitamin A Vitamin B6 Vitamin B12 Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Yoga Zinc	Introduction Major categories of complementary therapies Who's using CAM Why do people use complementary therapies Working with health care providers: shared decision-making The importance of scientific evidence Safety and CAM Finding a CAM provider Clinical trials of CAM Seven tips on CAM Questions to ask your provider CAM resources References

Breast Cancer Research

Research Tables (by general topic)	Other Issues Related To Breast Cancer Research
Risk factors Risk-lowering drugs Early detection and screening Diagnosis and prognostic factors Treatment Support Getting good care After treatment	How to read a research table Finding individual studies Different types of research studies Large studies and statistical power Glossary

Resources

Understanding Breast Cancer Topics		Other Issues
Risk factors and prevention Early detection and screening Treatment Complementary therapies	Getting good care After treatment Support Insurance and financial issues	Using the Internet to find health information Glossary

Updated 09/13/09

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