RADIATION THERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER
A Patient’s Guide to Understanding Treatment

Facts About Breast Cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in American women.

• Nearly 217,000 women and 1,600 men will develop breast cancer each year.
• Another 60,000 women discover they have in situ or noninvasive breast cancer.
• Approximately 39,000 women will die from breast cancer each year.

Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

Most women who develop breast cancer do not have known risk factors, but the following factors may increase the chance of developing this disease. One of these factors is age — more than 75 percent of breast cancer patients diagnosed are over age 50. Other factors include:

• Early onset of menstruation.
• Family history of breast cancer in a patient’s mother or sister.
• Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and progesterone.
• Alcohol consumption.
• A personal history of breast cancer or prior breast biopsy for benign disease.

Diagnosing Breast Cancer

Have all breast or underarm lumps checked, as breast tumors are typically, but not always, painless. Also have any swelling, discoloration, thickening of the skin or nipple discharge checked immediately.

• In some cases, a needle will be inserted into the lump to remove cells that will be checked for cancer. This is done in an office setting and is called a biopsy.
• A stereotactic biopsy uses mammography targeting to pinpoint smaller tumors and allow a small amount of tissue to be removed by a needle for diagnosis.
• Your surgeon may suggest you have the lump removed to see if you have cancer.

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