Breast Cancer Information

In 1978, at the age of 21, doctors discovered a lump in my left breast. They sent me to have mammograms, ran lots of tests, and explained (in very large words) all my options. I didn't understand most of them. I did understand that I might have cancer and that they might have to do a mastectomy. When my doctor explained to me that they would do a "frozen section" while I was still asleep from the anesthetic, he also explained that the frozen section would tell them if I had cancer or not. "What if it's cancer?" I asked him. "Well, then," he said, in a very matter of fact manner, while patting my cheek as if I were a child. "We will just take the whole thing off while you are still asleep". Of course, that was definitely NOT what I wanted to hear. As far as I was concerned, this was a matched set and I wanted to keep it that way. I was only 21, for cripes sakes. Of course, I had the lump removed. The first thing I did when I woke up was reach for that left side -- to see if it was still there, of course. There were so many bandages, I couldn't tell. The nurse must have realized what I was doing though, because the first thing she said to me was, "It's still there. The lump was benign."

What a wonderful word that is, the word "benign". The lump turned out to be a lipoma, a small fatty tumor, nothing to worry about. I have an aunt, however, who had breast cancer; and she has had a mastectomy. It's a scary thing to think about, even scarier to find a lump. They watch my mammograms closely now, because there are some "odd crystalloid structures" in it. As long as they don't change in size or density, I'm okay. On top of that, I have fibrocystic breast disease, which some doctors believe predispose a patient for having breast cancer. Some doctors simply say that fibrocystic breast disease makes a cancer harder to detect on x-ray and/or mammogram. It's a frightening spector to live with, though. I know that mastectomy procedures have improved over the last 20-plus years. That doesn't make it any better or any less frightening. Here are some statistics and some information about breast cancer. I hope it helps someone else to be a little less frightened by all the confusing stuff that doctors have to say.

In 1994, 183,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time. An estimated 46,000 women and 300 men died from breast cancer in 1994. Source: National Cancer Institute

With 43,582 deaths in 1991, breast cancer ranks just behind lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death for women. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in 15-34 and 35-54 age groups and the second cause of cancer death for women aged 55-74. Source: National Cancer Institute

Deaths from Breast Cancer (1991):

• Females All Ages -- 43,582
• Females 15-34 -- 660
• Females 35-54 -- 9,188
• Females 55-74 -- 19,900
• Females 75+ -- 13,834

The death rate for women from breast cancer declined 6.7% between 1973 and 1991. Women under 65 experienced a 6.9% decrease in the mortality rate, while the death rate for women over 64 increased by 14.1%. Source: National Cancer Institute

Between 1989 and 1992, the death rate from breast cancer declined by 5.5% for white women. But the number of African American women who died from breast cancer increased 2.6% over this period. Source: National Cancer Institute

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer. In 1994, 1,721,700 women had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer accounts for 39% of all cancer diagnosed in women. Source: National Cancer Institute

One in eight women will get breast cancer over their lifetimes. Source: National Breast Cancer Coalition

Every 11 minutes another woman dies of breast cancer. Source: National Breast Cancer Coalition

Seventy-eight percent of women with breast cancer are over age 50. The incidence of breast cancer among young women is lower than for older women. Among women ages 20-24, the incidence rate is .9 per 100,000 women. The rate increased to 26.6 per 100,000 women for women ages 30-34. Women ages 40-44 have a breast cancer incidence rate of 128.3 per 100,000. Source: National Cancer Institute

African American women are less likely to survive breast cancer than are white women. Sixty-two percent of black women diagnosed with breast cancer experience a 5-year survival. Seventy-nine percent of white women live for five years or more with breast cancer. Source: National Cancer Institute

Methods of Prevention and/or early detection:

1. Breast Self-Exam, performed monthly.
2. Mammograms. Women over 50 years of age should have a mammogram done once a year.
3. Proper diet and exercise.

Health and Human Services was funded $391 million for breast cancer research in FY 1995. Source: National Cancer Institute

1. Having fibrocystic disease increases your risk of breast cancer.*
2. Coffee increases your risk of breast cancer.
3. Only women with a family history of breast cancer are at risk.
4. Mammography is 100% accurate in early breast cancer detection.
5. Older women don't have to worry about breast cancer.
6. A diagnosis of breast cancer is an emergency.
7. A mastectomy ensures that the cancer is gone forever.
8. A breast cancer diagnosis is a death sentence.
9. Breast self-exams done routinely will find all cancers at a curable state.
10. Only women get breast cancer.

* Some health professionals do not agree with Dr. Love on this issue.

1. Having fibrocystic disease increases your risk of breast cancer.
   Fibrocystic disease is a general term for any benign process in the breast and does not increase the risk of breast cancer.

2. Coffee increase your of breast cancer.
   Coffee was once thought to increase the symptoms of fibrocystic disease. This was found not to be true and, in rats, coffee prevents breast cancer.

3. Only women with a family history of breast cancer are at risk.
   80% of women who develop breast cancer have no family history, although women who have a family history of breast cancer are at increased risk.

4. Mammography is 100% accurate in early breast cancer detection.
   Mammography is a very important tool for detecting breast cancer early, however, it is not 100% accurate. Any woman who has a lump and has a normal mammogram still needs to have it checked out.

5. Older women don't have to worry about breast cancer.
   The older you are, the higher your risk of breast cancer. So all women need to worry about breast cancer.

6. A diagnosis of breast cancer is an emergency.
   Most breast cancers have been present for eight to ten years by the time you can feel a lump, and so there certainly is time for you to get a second opinion, to read, and to fully explore the options.

7. A mastectomy ensures that the cancer is gone forever.
   Mastecomy will remove the breast, however, it will not guarantee that the cancer will not recur. Eight to ten percent of women will have a recurrence in the scar after a mastectomy and there is also the possibility of metastases. Lumpectomy and radiation are as a good as mastectomy in preventing breast cancer from returning.

8. A breast cancer diagnosis is a death sentence
   We cure most early breast cancer with standard treatments. Even in women who are not cured of breast cancer, we are certainly able to add three to five disease-free years to their lives.

9. Breast self-exams done routinely will find all cancers at a curable state.
   Breast self-exams have never been shown to make a difference in the mortality of breast cancer. It is wishful thinking to believe it can always find cancer at a curable state.

10. Only women get breast cancer.
    Men are also able to get breast cancer and, in fact, there are 500 cases every year of breast cancer in men in this country.