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This is for people who have had their first diagnosis of breast cancer.

Breast cancer takes place when abnormal cells multiply freely in one or both of the breasts. They can invade near tissues and form a malignant tumor. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body, particularly the lymph nodes.

Breast cancer is the fear of many females; but there has been significant scientific progress in the field. If found in its initial stages, breast cancer can be cured, and breast removal will not be necessary.

Doctors could not for certain determine the root of breast cancer, but some things are known that will increase the chance of you getting it.

• Being female in gender
• Gene changes
• Getting older
• Race and ethnic background. Caucasians have a bigger risk in developing breast cancer compared to African-American females, and Asians, Latinos and Native American women face less risk.
• A known history of radiation treatment to chest

There are also other risk factors that you can change. Such risk factors could be related to your lifestyle, including:

• Hormone therapy after menopause.
• Being overweight or obese.
• Absence of physical activity.
• Drinking alcohol
• Not breastfeeding.
• Not having children, or only having them after age 30.

Even with these risk factors, a lot of women can not have breast cancer. And many of them do not feel the risk factors other than getting older or being female. Symptoms of breast cancer include:

• Change in the sensation of the breast. The most common of this is a painless lump, or a thickening in the breast or underarm.
• Change in the look of the breast. The skin on the breast may take on the appearance of an orange peel, plus there could a change in the size or shape of the breast.
• Change in the nipple, which makes it appear scaly.
• The nipple discharging fluid.

A doctor has to be consulted right away if any of these changes occur.

Many people assume women are the only ones who get breast cancer. However, out of a hundred cases, a man could get the disease. So any man should be checked just the same.

Diagnosis of breast cancer In a regular physical exam, the doctor can check the breast to look for lumps or changes. Depending on the age and risk factors involved, the doctor can advise you to get a mammogram, or a breast X-ray. This can detect a lump small to be recognized. A woman may at times detect a lump during a breast self-examination.

If a doctor encounters a lump, or a similar change, he may want to take a sample of the cells in the breast. This is referred to as a biopsy. At times the doctor will perform a needle biopsy, or put a needle into the lump to extract fluid or tissue. Or if the doctor could not detect the lump, he may perform a stereotactic biopsy, or do a special type of X-ray could be used in guiding the needle.

There are also cases wherein the surgeon takes out the whole lump through a small cut in the breast. The biopsy results will give the doctor the idea if you have cancer, and the specific kind.

Additional tests will be done to find out the stage of the cancer. The stage would be a way for the doctors to determine the spread of the cancer.

Treatment Many people who have breast cancer undergo surgery to find the stage of the cancer. The surgeon can also remove the lymph nodes under the arm to verify if the cancer has gone to this area. After the surgery has been done, radiation therapy is then performed to destroy the cancer cells. You may also consider getting chemo therapy or hormone therapy. These are powerful medicines that travel through the body to kill cancer cells. You can consider having radiation, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy in order to shrink the cancer.

Depending on what stage the cancer is, you may either choose to have surgery for the following: * Remove cancer from the breast (lumpectomy). You need to have several weeks of radiation after surgery

* Surgery to remove breast (mastectomy). In choosing this, you can have an operation to create a new breast, or breast reconstruction. At times, radiation will not be needed afterwards.

Before, having breast cancer would mean that the entire breast had to be removed. But many cases proved that this is no longer the case. Now, you can have breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy, which is as good as mastectomy.

You and your doctor will make the decision on what mix of treatments is suitable for you based on the many factors available. This incorporates facts about the cancer, including family history, health problems, and feelings on keeping your breast. Research all you can on breast cancer and the treatment of it so you can make the correct choices regarding it.

Breast cancer treatments can cause side effects. You doctor can inform you the problems you can expect, and help find ways to manage these problems.

Treating breast cancer can result in side effects. Your doctor can inform you on what problems to expect and help you learn ways on how to cope.

Discovering that you have breast cancer can stir up emotions in you. Consult your doctor on ways how this could be handled. You can get counseling on this, or have help through a support group.

Prevention Things such as age and gender cannot be controlled. But you can maintain healthy well-being by doing the following:

• Exercising regularly
• Eating vegetable and fruits
• Drinking alcohol moderately. Post-menopause drinking could still increase your risk for cancer.