An x-ray of the breast that allow doctors to look for early signs of breast cancer. It can detect a breast lump or other abnormality before it can be felt in a breast exam.

One of your breasts will be placed on a plate. Another plate will press down on your breast from above. The plates will hold your breast still while the X-ray is being taken. These steps are repeated to get a view of the other breast. The plates are then turned to get side views of each breast.

You can get screened for breast cancer at a clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office. Most health insurance companies pay for the cost of breast cancer screening tests.

A picture taken of the breast using sound waves. It is used to: examine a breast lump or abnormality found during a clinical breast examination or mammogram; determine if a breast lump is a solid tumour or a fluid-filled cyst; and locate an abnormal area for a biopsy.

A gel is spread on the skin of the breast and a handheld device is moved across the breast. Sound waves are transmitted through the breast tissue and the ultrasound machine converts the sound waves into an image, which is displayed on a monitor.

A physical examination of the    breasts by a healthcare       professional, who uses his or her hands to feel for lumps or   other changes.

Using the pads of the fingers, the examiner gently feels the breasts, giving special attention to shape, texture, location of any lumps, and whether such lumps are attached to the skin or to deeper tissues. The breasts are also inspected for skin changes (e.g., dimpling, redness) and asymmetry. The area under both arms is also examined.

MRI uses magnetic fields instead of x-rays to produce very detailed, cross-sectional images of the body.

MRI exams for breast imaging use a contrast material that is injected into a small vein in the arm before or during the exam to capture detailed images of breast tissue.

A self-examination of ones own breasts for lumps, changes in size or shape of the breast, or any other changes in the breasts or underarm (armpit)

A technique that a woman can use to check her breasts and underarms using varying degrees of pressure to monitor for any possible changes. A woman who chooses to perform breast self-exams (BSE) should receive proper instructions from a healthcare professional who can explain its benefits and limitations.

You can screen yourself in your own privacy.

American Cancer Society (ACS)

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp?level=0

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/111709/page2

National Breast Cancer Coalition

http://takeaction.stopbreastcancer.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FAQsUSPSTF2009

American College of Radiology

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/110/topic/744048

Health Power for Minorities

http://www.healthpowerforminorities.org/TopicDetails.aspx?id=296

Medline Plus

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_91914.html

Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mammogram-guidelines/AN02052

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health

http://www.womenshealth.gov/news/English/633125.htm

False negative results:

Increased exposure to harmful procedures:

Hormone receptor-negative

HER2-positive breast cancer

Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Invasive (infiltrating) breast cancer

•  Cancer which spreads outside the membrane that lines a duct or lobule, invading the surrounding tissues in a process called metastasis

• Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC): The cancer cells form in the lining of the milk duct, then break through the ductal wall and invade nearby breast tissue

• Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC): The cancer cells start in the milk-producing lobules and then break into the surrounding breast tissue

Partial Mastectomy

Mastectomy

Double Mastectomy

Systemic therapy

Biologic therapy

Chemotherapy

Hormone therapy

Targeted Therapies

Local Programs

Support Organizations

Screening Information (low-cost or free mammograms)

2. A tumor or lump that is found in the breast may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).

3. When breast cancer spreads beyond the breast area to other areas of the body it is called metastasis.

4. Early detection and treatment of breast cancer can increase a woman’s chance of saving her breast and surviving breast cancer

5. All women are at risk for breast cancer, but breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women, while most women survive it.

6. Early detection and treatment of breast cancer may help increase a woman’s chance of surviving breast cancer

7. The chances of getting breast cancer increase as a woman gets older (for example, if a woman is over age 50)

8. Having a mother, sister, daughter or other close blood relative who has had breast cancer increases a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer herself

9. They have discovered that a small percentage of breast cancers are linked to inherited changes in certain genes

10. A woman who has had breast cancer is at increased risk of getting a new breast cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast

11. After menopause, women who are overweight are at increased risk of getting breast cancer and have a reduced risk of surviving breast cancer.

12. If a woman uses a hormone replacement therapy (for example, estrogen and progesterone) after menopause for several years, then this can increase her risk of getting breast cancer

13. Women who began having periods before the age of 12 are at an increased risk of breast cancer

14. Women who go through menopause after age 55 are at a slightly increased risk for breast cancer

15. When breast cancer is detected early, the chances of successful treatment are greater than if the cancer has had time to grow or spread

16. Breast cancer can be detected even before symptoms appears

17. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast that can detect a breast lump or other abnormality before it can be felt in a breast exam

18. The American Cancer Society recommends that women over age 40 have a mammogram once a year

19. The American Cancer Society recommends that, after reaching the age of 40, women should have a clinical breast exam performed by a healthcare professional once a year

20. A woman at high risk for breast cancer may be advised by her healthcare professional to start having mammograms before age 40 or to also have a breast MRI scan (where magnetic fields create a detailed picture of the breast)

21. The American Cancer Society recommends that women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam performed by a healthcare professional about every three years

22. The American Cancer Society recommends that a breast self-exam is an option for women starting in their 20s

23. The American Cancer Society recommends that a woman’s healthcare professional show her how to do a breast self-exam

24. For women performing breast self-exams, a monthly schedule is usually recommended

25. There are benefits and limits to performing a breast self-exam

26. It is a good idea to look at and feel one’s breasts every now and then, such as when showering and getting dressed

27. If a woman notices any breast changes, she should inform a doctor or nurse right away

28. If a breast lump or other abnormal area is found, then the doctor may remove a small amount of tissue for a biopsy—where they examine a small amount of tissue under a microscope, since a biopsy will show if cancer is present

29. If a woman is found to have breast cancer, then further testing can be done to determine the type of cancer and the stage of cancer

30. Some breast cancer tumors have receptors for the two female hormones that a woman’s body makes (estrogen and progesterone), while some do not

31. Some breast cancer tumors have too much of a certain type of protein, and tend to grow more quickly than others

32. There is a form of breast cancer that is called triple negative, and it occurs more often in African American women than in women from other racial or ethnic groups

33. There are tests that can be performed to determine the size of a breast tumor and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes, or spread to other parts of the body

34. There is something called stage 0 breast cancer; this is the least advanced stage where cancer cells are within a duct and have not invaded into the surrounding fatty breast tissue

35. There is something called stage IV breast cancer; this is the most advanced stage where the cancer has spread to other organs or to lymph nodes far from the breast

36. Doctors can classify a breast tumor as being stage I, II, or III depending on the size of the tumor, whether it has spread to the chest wall or skin, and whether the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breast

37. Treatment for breast cancer requires an individual plan created just for that woman, and it may include a combination of any of the following: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapies using medications

38. There can be side effects from breast cancer treatments with the side-effects varying according to type of breast cancer treatment; meanwhile, health care providers can help a woman to find ways to cope with side effects

39. Most women with breast cancer have surgery—whether a lumpectomy where only the breast lump and nearby tissue are removed, or a partial mastectomy where more of the breast tissue is removed and much of the breast is left in place, or a mastectomy where the entire breast is removed, or a double mastectomy where both breasts are removed.

40. For most breast cancers, some of the lymph nodes are usually removed from under the arm and tested to find out if cancer has spread there

American Cancer Society (ACS). (2009a). Overview: Breast Cancer. Retrieved November 27th, 2009 from

  http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_1x.asp?rnav=criov&dt=5

American Cancer Society (ACS). (2009b). Breast cancer facts & figures 2009-2010. Retrieved November 27th, 2009 from http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/F861009_final%209-08-09.pdf

Canadian Cancer Society. (2009). Breast cancer. (2009). Retrieved November 27th, 2009 from http://www.cancer.ca/Ontario/About%20cancer/Types%20of%20cancer/What%20is%20breast%20cancer.aspx?sc_lang=en&r=1#

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2009a). Breast cancer and you: What you need to know. Retrieved October 28th, 2009 from

  http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/pdf/BreastCancerFS.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2009b). Screening. Retrieved October 28th, 2009 from

  http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/screening.htm

Henderson, Nancy. (2009). Taking charge of breast cancer: A guide for African American women. Retrieved November 27th, 2009 from http://www.cancer.org/downloads/PED/AA_Taking_Charge_of_Breast_Cancer.pdf

Mayo Clinic. (2009). Breast cancer. Retrieved October 28th, 2009 from

  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer/DS00328

National Cancer Institute (2008). A snapshot of breast cancer. Retrieved November 27th,

  2009 from http://www.cancer.gov/aboutnci/servingpeople/breast-snapshot.pdf

National Cancer Institute (NCI.) (2009). What you need to know about breast cancer.

  Retrieved October 28th, 2009 from

  http://www.cancer.gov/pdf/WYNTK/WYNTK_breast.pdf

New York Online Access to Health (NOAH). (2008). Breast cancer. Retrieved October

  28th, 2009 from http://www.noah-health.org/en/cancer/types/breast/index.html

Smigal, C., Jemal, A., Ward, E., Cokkinides, V., Smith, R., Howe, H.L., & Thun, M.

  (2006). Trends in breast cancer by race and ethnicity: Update 2006. CA:  A

  Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 56, 3, 168-183.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2009). Breast cancer: A resource guide

  for minority women. Retrieved October 28th, 2009 from http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdf/checked/bcrg2005.pdf