['lizbeth]

Breast (Female)

In 2012, it is estimated that there were more than 2.9 million
women living in the US with a history of invasive breast cancer
as of January 1, and an additional 226,870 women will be diagnosed.

The median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis is
61 (Figure 2, page 4). About 20% of breast cancers occur among
women younger than age 50 and about 40% occur in those older
than 65 years. The treatment and prognosis (forecast of disease
outcome) for breast cancer depend on the stage at diagnosis, the
biological characteristics of the tumor, and the age and health of
the patient. Overall, 60% of breast cancers are diagnosed at the
localized stage (Figure 3, page 5). Screening for breast cancer
with mammography detects many cancers before a lump can be
felt and when they are more likely to be localized stage.

Treatment and survival:
Surgical treatment for breast cancer usually involves breast-conserving surgery (BCS) (i.e., lumpectomy or partial mastectomy) or mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast). The decision about surgery is complex and often difficult for women.

Research shows that when BCS is appropriately used for localized or regional cancers, long-term survival is the same as with mastectomy.2

However, some patients require mastectomy because of large or multiple tumors.
Women who undergo mastectomy may elect to have breast
reconstruction with either an implant or with a skin or muscle
flap of tissue moved from elsewhere in the body.

Most women treated with BCS do not choose to have plastic surgery. Fifty-seven percent of women diagnosed with early stage (I or II) breast cancer have BCS, 36% have mastectomy, 6% have no surgical treatment, and about 1% do not receive any treatment
(Figure 4, page 6).

In contrast, among women with late-stage (III or IV) breast cancer, 13% undergo BCS, 60% have mastectomy, 18% have no surgical treatment, and 7% do not receive any treatment (Figure 4, page 6).

Treatment may also involve radiation therapy, chemotherapy,
hormone therapy (e.g., tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, ovarian
ablation, and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone [LHRH]
analogs), or targeted therapy. Radiation is recommended for
nearly all women undergoing BCS, and approximately 83% receive it.3


Radiation therapy is also indicated after a mastectomy in certain situations.
The benefit of chemotherapy is dependent on multiple factors,
including the size of the tumor, the number of lymph nodes
involved, the presence of estrogen or progesterone receptors,
and the amount of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
(HER2) protein made by the cancer cells. Women with breast
cancer that tests positive for hormone receptors are candidates for treatment with hormonal therapy to reduce the likely hood that the cancer returns.

http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/con...spc-033876.pdf