Breast Cancer

Women have more options for breast cancer surgery (Update 2)

One of the world's most glamorous women had an operation that once was terribly disfiguring—removal of both breasts. But new approaches are dramatically changing breast surgeries, whether to treat cancer or to prevent it ...

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Angelina Jolie says she had double mastectomy

Angelina Jolie says that she has had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried a gene that made it extremely likely she would get breast cancer.

Cancer created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Digital mammography cancer detection rates may vary significantly

Digital direct radiography (DR) is significantly more effective than computed radiography (CR) at detecting breast cancer, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

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Study finds gaps in 'decision aids' designed to help determine right cancer screening option

When it comes to a cancer diagnosis, timing can be everything – the sooner it's found, the more treatable it is. But when and how often should someone get screened?

Cancer created May 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Popular diabetes drug does not improve survival rates after cancer

Despite previous scientific studies that suggest diabetes drug metformin has anti-cancer properties, a new, first-of-its-kind study from Women's College Hospital has found the drug may not actually improve survival rates ...

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Your immune system: On surveillance in the war against cancer

Predicting outcomes for cancer patients based on tumor-immune system interactions is an emerging clinical approach, and new research from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is advancing the field when it comes to the most ...

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Fun and friends help ease the pain of breast cancer

Breast cancer patients who say they have people with whom they have a good time, or have "positive social interactions" with, are better able to deal with pain and other physical symptoms, according to a new Kaiser Permanente ...

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New cancer driver found: Monoclonal antibody therapy stops tumor growth in mice

(Medical Xpress)—Approximately 90 percent of cancers start within tissues that form the inner linings of various organs. Decades of accumulated genetic mutations can, on occasion, induce cells specialized ...

Cancer created May 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Gene test may help guide prostate cancer treatment

A new genetic test to gauge the aggressiveness of prostate cancer may help tens of thousands of men each year decide whether they need to treat their cancer right away or can safely monitor it.

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MicroRNA cooperation mutes breast cancer oncogenes

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the journal Cell Death & Disease shows that turning up a few microRNAs a little may offer as much anti-breast-cancer activity as turning up one microRNA a lot ...

Cancer created May 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers describe how breast cancer cells acquire drug resistance

A seven-year quest to understand how breast cancer cells resist treatment with the targeted therapy lapatinib has revealed a previously unknown molecular network that regulates cell death. The discovery provides new avenues ...

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Initiation of breast cancer treatment varies by race; patient-doctor communication is key

Black women with breast cancer were found to be three times more likely than their white counterparts to delay treatment for more than 90 days—a time delay associated with increased deaths from the disease, according to ...

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Exercise could reduce bone tumor growth

(Medical Xpress)—Weight-bearing exercise, often prescribed to combat bone loss, might have anti-cancer effects. Cornell biomedical researchers report that mechanical stimulation of cancerous bone, in making ...

Cancer created May 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sleep problems may increase risk for prostate cancer

Men who reported sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, had up to a twofold increased risk for prostate cancer, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a jour ...

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Exercise-related changes in estrogen metabolism may lower breast cancer risk

Changes in estrogen breakdown, or metabolism, may be one of the mechanisms by which aerobic exercise lowers a woman's breast cancer risk, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a jour ...

Cancer created May 07, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0


Breast cancer (malignant breast neoplasm) is a type of cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas. Breast cancer is a disease of humans and other mammals; while the overwhelming majority of cases in humans are women, men can sometimes also develop breast cancer.

The size, stage, rate of growth, and other characteristics of the tumor determine the kinds of treatment. Treatment may include surgery, drugs (hormonal therapy and chemotherapy), radiation and/or immunotherapy. Surgical removal of the tumor provides the single largest benefit, with surgery alone being capable of producing a cure in many cases. To somewhat increase the likelihood of long-term disease-free survival, several chemotherapy regimens are commonly given in addition to surgery. Most forms of chemotherapy kill cells that are dividing rapidly anywhere in the body, and as a result cause temporary hair loss and digestive disturbances. Radiation is indicated especially after breast conserving surgery and substantially improves local relapse rates and in many circumstances also overall survival. Some breast cancers are sensitive to hormones such as estrogen and/or progesterone, which makes it possible to treat them by blocking the effects of these hormones.

Worldwide, breast cancer comprises 22.9% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) in women. In 2008, breast cancer caused 458,503 deaths worldwide (13.7% of cancer deaths in women). Breast cancer is more than 100 times more common in women than breast cancer in men, although males tend to have poorer outcomes due to delays in diagnosis.

Prognosis and survival rate varies greatly depending on cancer type, staging and treatment. However, survival rates across the world are generally good. Overall more than 8 out of 10 women (84%) in England that are diagnosed with the disease survive it for at least 5 years.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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