Is breast cancer a death sentence?
NO! When the disease is confined to the breast, a patient's five-year survival rate is 97 percent. Early detection is key!
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What can I do to prevent breast cancer?
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If hormone replacement therapy is needed, take only on a short-term basis. Eat a balanced diet of with lots of fruits and
vegetables, plus good fats.
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Exercise regularly. Studies show 50% of all cancers can be prevented with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Exercise
3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.
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Drink alcohol only in moderation. Drinking more than one or two alcoholic drinks per day increases the risk of developing
cancer.
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Breastfeed your children and get pregnant before age 30
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If you are classified as high risk, visit a physician who focuses on surveillance of high-risk breast cancer patients. Dr.
Robyn Young can help you in this area.
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What are my chances of developing breast cancer?
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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but NOT the most common cause of cancer deaths.
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1 in 7 women have a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer in the U.S.
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Risk increases with age, lack of exercise, alcohol intake, improper diet, and history of disease in the family.
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Where does breast cancer begin?
Breast cancer starts in the milk gland or milk duct.
Breast Profile:
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What is the best treatment for breast cancer?
There is no “best” treatment. Every individual is unique and requires a different answer. Treatment takes two forms:
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Removal of the cancerous tumor through surgery and/or radiation.
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Treatment of the entire body to kill any undetected cancer. This is usually done through chemotherapy, hormonal therapy,
and/or immune therapy.
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Do I have to lose my breast if I am diagnosed with breast cancer?
No, for many women, removal of a cancerous tumor means a lumpectomy, or removal of a small portion of the breast. For some women
this is not an option and the entire breast is removed in a procedure called a mastectomy. Reconstructive surgery and breast
prosthesis give women the option of replacing a missing breast in their own personal manner.
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Is radiation therapy going to burn my body?
Some skin redness, like a sunburn, is common, but every person’s body is unique. The newest technology for radiation therapy
works with great accuracy to prevent damage to healthy tissue.
A new technique, Mammosite Therapy, is not only precise, it also shortens the time for radiation
treatment from the traditional 35 days to 5 days. About 30% of early stage breast cancer patients qualify for this treatment.
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What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy drugs are designed to attack fast-growing cells throughout the body. Cancer cells are fast-growing cells.
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What is hormone therapy?
It is NOT hormone replacement therapy, which is treatment given to relieve menopausal symptoms.
Hormonal therapy is treatment that blocks or removes estrogen, a hormone that causes cancer cells to grow.
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What is immune therapy or biologic therapy?
Using the body’s immune system to destroy cancer cells is one of the most recent advancements in treating breast cancer.
Herceptin is a groundbreaking immune therapy called a monoclonal antibody. The drug is believed to affect cancer cells in these
ways:
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Interferes with the growth of cancer cells
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Works with other cancer-destroying drugs to improve effectiveness
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Enhances the body’s immune response to the cancer
Herceptin can work only if the woman carries too much of the HER-2 gene in the cancerous tumor cells. About 20% of breast cancer
patients carry this gene. These are considered HER-2 positive.
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What can I do detect breast cancer as early as possible?
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Get a mammogram every year, starting at age 40
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Schedule a breast exam by a doctor annually at age 40
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Do your own breast self-exam beginning at age 20
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How do I do a breast self-exam?
Breast self-examination instructions have been provided as a courtesy
of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
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What financial resources are available?
Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP)
At Tarrant County Public Health Main Campus the following services are offered in an effort to eliminate Breast and Cervical
Cancer from our community: clinical breast exams, pap smears, mammograms, diagnostic services for abnormal findings (i.e. ultrasounds,
biopsies), and case management for cancer treatment.
Tarrant County Public Health
817.321.4886
For more details about the program, visit the
Tarrant County website.
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