The exact cause of breast cancer is not known. Female hormones and increasing age play a part. The chances that you will develop breast cancer increase as you age. In the United States, about 1 in every 8 women who live to be 80 will have been diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life.5 Family history also plays a role in the development of breast cancer. You are more likely to have breast cancer if your mother, father, or sister has breast cancer.

This is a question to ask your doctor. Even though treatment regimens have similarities, they are often tailored to the individual patient. Therefore, it is important you speak frankly with your doctor. Undergoing chemotherapy can be a scary experience, especially if you have heard that another treatment is better. However, your doctor made her recommendation based on your specific cancer and your general health and she has your best interest in mind. See similar questions...

Four major treatments are widely used to combat cancer. These methods are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy (sometimes referred to as biological therapy). Surgery is the oldest method for treating cancer. It plays an important role in diagnosing and detecting the extent of cancer in the body. The newest method for treating cancer is immunotherapy, a process that relies on the body's immune system to combat the disease. See similar questions...

Some managed care organizations and health insurance providers decline to reimburse the cost of drugs used off label to treat cancer. Some insurers argue that when a drug is used for an unapproved indication, the use is experimental and therefore, excluded from coverage. However, because changes frequently occur in the standard of care for cancer treatment, some insurance providers may be unaware of new combination drug regimens or new uses for approved drugs. See similar questions...

The T-scan imaging system shows much promise in being used for follow-up with patients who are being treated for breast cancer. Patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, and patients who have just experienced surgery are not immediately candidates for mammography. However, T-scan imaging can be used to visualize the presence/disappearance and intensity of the lesion. See similar questions...

We understand that navigating the maze of insurance issues and questions can be confusing. That’s why the PBCC created the guidebook, Breast Cancer: Covered or Not?, answering many of your insurance questions, including instructions about how to appeal insurance denials. For more information or to order a copy, click here. A cost of $14.95 plus tax per copy will apply. There is a discounted rate of $5.00 plus tax available for individuals and non-profits. return to top See similar questions...

There are different kinds of eye cancers. Below are some of the places near or on the eye where cancers can grow and the types that may be present on each one of these places: Eyelid tumors. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of eyelid cancer. It can be removed with surgery. Other types of eyelid tumors include squamous cell carcinoma, sebaceous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. Tumors that grow on the surface of the eye (conjunctival tumors). See similar questions...

Cancer is not a single disease; there are many different types depending on what type of cell in the body has caused the cancer. In a healthy body the cells (skin cells, liver cells, blood cells etc) divide and multiply in a controlled way. Sometimes cells divide in an uncontrolled way and become abnormal which creates a mass of irregular cells. This mass of cells is called a tumour. Tumours can be harmless (benign) or cancerous (malignant). See similar questions...

Breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow out of control in one or both breasts. They can invade nearby tissues and form a mass, called a malignant tumor. The cancer cells can spread (metastasize) to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body. Breast cancer is many women’s worst fear. But experts have made great progress in treating cancer. If it is found early, breast cancer can often be cured, and it is not always necessary to remove the breast. See similar questions...

Currently, research is being done to determine the effectiveness of cryotherapy for tumors of the brain, kidney, bone, lung, and spine. In addition, researchers are evaluating its usefulness in freezing and shrinking benign breast lumps. See similar questions...

The main purpose of BMT and PBSCT in cancer treatment is to make it possible for patients to receive very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. To understand more about why BMT and PBSCT are used and how they work, it is helpful to understand how chemotherapy and radiation therapy work. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy generally affect cells that divide rapidly. They are used to treat cancer because cancer cells divide more often than most healthy cells. See similar questions...

There are two basic types of hooks, on-locking (standard) and locking. Locking hooks are fairly new and there are several designs out there. The primary purpose for the locking mechanism is to increase the amount of weight a hook can hold (the lock keeps the hook from opening) and to prevent the hooks from coming out (for example, if suspending from great heights). Standard hooks (fishing hooks) are definitely the most commonly used design for suspension. See similar questions...

The goal of local therapy is to eliminate the cancer in your breast and lymph nodes under your arm, called the axillary lymph nodes. Local therapies are sometimes offered in combination with each other, and other times surgery is used alone. Each case is unique, and so is each treatment plan. Local therapies include: Surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer from your breast. There are two types of breast surgery, breast conservation and mastectomy. See similar questions...

A 1991 study by the U.S. General Accounting Office found that one-third of the drug treatments performed by cancer doctors were off-label; more than half of cancer patients received at least one drug for an off-label indication. A 1997 survey of 200 cancer doctors by the American Enterprise Institute and the American Cancer Society found that 60 percent of them prescribed drugs off-label. See similar questions...

SSI’s researchers focus on two types of chemicals: those that cause mammary tumors in animals and those that disrupt hormones. In particular, SSI’s scientists study chemicals in the environment that mimic estrogen; natural estrogen is a well-established breast cancer risk factor, therefore, synthetic chemicals that act like estrogen when in our bodies are potential sources of increased risk of breast cancer. See similar questions...

Currently there are two types of breast implants FDA approved for breast augmentation. The first is the standard saline breast implants and the second is silicone breast implant. See similar questions...

On average, by the age of 70, women with one of the alterations tested for in this study have about a 50 percent chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer and 16 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer. Men with an alteration have about a 16 percent chance of developing prostate cancer by the age of 70. However, for any individual with an alteration, a precise estimate of risk is not possible. See similar questions...

This involves stimulating the ovary, collecting the oocytes, fertilization of the oocytes with activated semen, and then transfer of the embryos back to the mother. This is the most modern technique for the treatment of infertility, particularly for couples where there is male factor infertility. See similar questions...