Breast Cancer

1
Breast Cancer
2
What is this Disease?

• Second leading cause of cancer death in women
• Malignant (cancerous) tumor
• Develops from cells in the breast that are
  growing abnormally out of control
• Some cells may break away and travel to other
  parts of the body (metastasis)
• When cancer comes back after successful treatment
  it is called a recurrence.

3
Breast Cancer Starts Where?

• Ductal Carcinoma
• Breast milk ducts
• Most frequent location
• Lobular Carcinoma
• Breast milk lobes
• Other breast tissues
• Fatty connective tissues
• Lymph vessels

4
U.S. Statistics - 2002

• New cases
• 203,500 (women)
• 1,500 (men)
• Deaths per year
• 39,600 (women)
• 400 (men)
• 5-year localized survival rate - 96
• 5-year overall survival rate - 86

5
2006

• 212,920 women will be diagnosed this year
• 40,970 will die from breast cancer this year
• Over 2,000,000 women who have been treated for
  breast cancer
• 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed in their lifetime
• 1 in 33 will die from breast cancer

6
Am I At Risk?

• Gender
• 100 times more common in women that men
• Age
• Risk increases with age
• 77 of women diagnosed are
• gt50 years of age.
• Race
• White African American higher risk
• Family history
• 1st degree relative double the risk
• Most women diagnosed do not have a family history

7

• Additional risk factors
• History of non-cancerous breast disease
• Starting monthly periods before age 12
• Starting menopause after age 55
• gt 5 years post menopausal estrogen replacement
  therapy
• Never having children
• Having first child after age 30
• Use of alcohol
• Obesity, especially weight gain after menopause
• Physical inactivity

8
How Do I Know If I Have It?

• Detection of a new lump or mass
• Generalized swelling of part of a breast
• Skin irritation or dimpling
• Nipple pain or retraction
• Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin
• Discharge other than breast milk
• All of these symptoms require
• follow up

9
What Can And Should I Do?

• Prevention
• Many risk factors are not modifiable
• Those related to age and hormones
• Lifestyle changes are modifiable
• Maintaining a healthy diet and weight
• Routine physical activity
• Reduce the use of alcohol
• Knowledge and awareness
• Being aware of your risk factors
• Knowing your body
• Early detection

10
Early Detection Best Outcome

• Mammograms
• Over age 40 every year
• Clinical Breast Exam (CBE)
• Age 20 39 every 3 years
• Over age 40 every year
• Breast Self Exam (BSE)
• Know how your breasts normally feel
• Over age 20 every month
• Talk to your doctor
• If family history present

11
Are There Successful Treatments?

• Most successful when treated early
• Treatment depends on many factors
• Progression of the disease
• Patient choices
• Surgical interventions
• Breast conservation surgery lumpectomy
• mastectomy
• Medical intervention
• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Radiation therapy

12
What Does The Future Hold?

• Risk factors
• Further investigation re lifestyle
  environmental factors
• Genetics
• How to use gene testing
• Screening
• New technology
• Hormone Therapy
• Investigating use in prevention
• Chemotherapy
• New drugs and drug combinations

13
How Does Diagnosis Impact Lifestyle?

• Social
• Changes in appearance and activity tolerance
• Physical
• Pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties
• Psychological
• Fear of recurrence, guilt, depression
• Impact on loved ones
• Financial concerns
• Spiritual

14
Who Can Help?

• Support from family friends
• American Cancer Society
• Cancer Survivors Network
• www.acscsn.org
• 1-877-333-HOPE
• Links for Life
• Support group
• www.linksforlife.org
• 661-322-5601

15
Who is Links For Life?

• Local Breast Cancer Organization
• 2 Full 1 Part time employees
• Many, many volunteers
• Provides an organization to benefit person
  affected by breast cancer
• Challenges each women in Kern County to be aware
  of her breast health
• Educated the general public, teaching that
  optimum health and early detection saves lives

16
Links For Life Lives are being Saved

• Raise funds for local programs
• Pro-Am Golf Tournament Gala
• Paint the Town Pink (October
• Over 100,000 raised in 2005
• Field over 4,000 phone calls from the public
• Provide 240 wigs from our wig shop
• Provide 20 Bras/Prosthesis
• Arrange for needed tests for women under 40 who
  are uninsured or underinsured
• 440 mammograms
• 240 ultrasounds
• 45 needle biopsies
• Results of these tests
• 4 positive cancers detected
• 3 women under 40
• 1 man

17

• Other services
• Support group
• Encouragement, support, friendship, information
• Seminars
• Community education
• Library
• Current reference books videos
• Scholarships
• Support our local nursing students
• Health fairs

18
Where Can I Receive More Info?

• American Cancer Society
• 1-800-ACS-2345 www.cancer.org
• Links for Life
• 661-322-5601 www.linksforlife.org
• National Cancer Institute
• 1-800-4-cancer www.nci.nih.gov
• Susan G. Komen Foundation
• 1-800-IM AWARE www.komen.org
• National Allicance of Breast Cancer Organizations
  (NABCO)
• 212-719-0154 www.nabco.org
• Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization
• 1-800-221-2141 www.y-me.org