Breast Cancer Guide

Breast cancer affects approximately one in eight women in the United States, and it can be an invasive or non-invasive condition. Over the years, research has created many new treatment options for breast cancer patients, and many of those options offer hope for long-term survival. Women need to be vigilant when it comes to breast cancer and get examinations each year to try to detect this potentially deadly condition. The sooner breast cancer is detected, the higher the chances are for survival. Women need to stay informed about breast cancer and learn their options for treatment and a good recovery process.

What Is Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is the presence of a malignant tumor in the breast tissue. This tumor can spread if it is not treated and cause other medical issues. The cancer can spread anywhere, even to your gums, where it can affect your teeth and jaw.

• What Is Breast Cancer? The American Cancer Society gives us an expert look at what breast cancer is, how it starts, and what can be done about it.
• Defining Breast Cancer: This website offers a comprehensive look at where breast cancer typically forms and gives a run-through of the different stages of breast cancer.
• A Video Explanation of Breast Cancer: This page offers a quick informational video on breast cancer and then information on the forms of breast cancer.

Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention

Breast cancer has a series of risk factors that are not the result of lifestyle choices. For example, breast cancer can be the result of the patient’s age, or it could be something that is due to genetics. Your family history can be a factor, so every doctor you have, from your dentist to your general practitioner, should be aware of your chances of getting cancer based on your family tree.

• Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Prevention: On this website, we learn about the various risk factors for breast cancer and how to detect the early stages.
• Risk Factors and Risk Reduction: The experts at the Susan G. Komen website explain how to reduce the risks of getting breast cancer.
• What Are the Risk Factors for Breast Cancer? This resource offers a comprehensive list of risk factors and what can be done to prevent breast cancer.
• Breast Cancer Prevention: How to Reduce Your Risk: This is a website that offers practical information on what can cause breast cancer and how to reduce the risks of getting it.

Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging

Annual screening exams are excellent ways to detect breast cancer early. Women also need to pay attention to their bodies and get to the doctor when they find suspicious lumps in their breasts. The earliest stages of breast cancer offer the best chances for a successful treatment, but medical science is offering more successful treatments for later stages as well.

• Breast Cancer Health Center: This is an extremely comprehensive list of ways to test for breast cancer and how each test detects problems.
• MRI Imaging of the Breast for the Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging of Breast Cancer: This resource helps women to understand better how early detection can give an accurate diagnosis that leads to excellent treatment.
• MRI and Breast Cancer: Read this resource to gain an understanding of how MRI testing leads to accurate breast cancer treatment.
• Number Stages of Breast Cancer: The information on this website gives a detailed explanation of each stage of breast cancer and how doctors determine which stage a patient is in.
• Dentist in Tamarac: Your dentist, along with any of your doctors, can help find the early stages of cancer and alert you to when you may need further tests.

Treating Breast Cancer

With breast cancer, the most common form of initial treatment is radiation therapy. If the cancer is of significant size, then surgery may be required to remove some or all of the affected breast.

• Breast Cancer Treatment: Patient Version: This is an excellent primer for breast cancer patients to become familiar with their treatment options.
• Breast Cancer: Treatment Options: To help patients understand all of their treatment options, Cancer.net has put together a comprehensive analysis of breast cancer treatment.
• Breast Cancer Stem Cell Research: Here is a fascinating account of some of the research being done to treat breast cancer.
• Breast Cancer Treatment: This is a resource for patients who want significant details on all of their cancer treatment options.
• General Dentist: Tamarac: During breast cancer treatment, the patient needs to maintain their treatment schedule with their other doctors, especially their dentist.

After Treatment

Breast cancer treatment can be difficult for the patient, which is why there is an extensive follow-up procedure after treatment. The doctors want to make sure that the cancer does not re-appear, and they also want to make sure that the patient has no problems handling the treatment.

• Post Treatment Follow-Up: A treatment facility outlines the process for post-treatment follow-up and the reasons for certain examinations here.
• Hope and Healing for a Breast Cancer Journey: Harvard Medical School offers personal insights into how various breast cancer patients handled their post-treatment ordeals.
• Breast Cancer Patients’ Persistent Fatigue Is Real: Doctors offer information to consider as patients battle with the effects of breast cancer treatment.
• Breast Cancer Treatment: Mastectomy: Breast cancer treatment experts offer very valuable information regarding a difficult decision for many breast cancer patients.
• Tamarac Sedation Dentists: Breast cancer patients need to concern themselves with all aspects of their health after treatment is over.

Support for Families

Breast cancer is a disease that affects an entire family in some way. Throughout the entire treatment process, family members of the patient often find themselves looking for a support structure to lean on.

• Crisis, Social Support, and the Family Response: A narrative outlines how certain families have responded in light of the news that a loved one has breast cancer.
• Breast Cancer Treatment: What You Should Know: This resource offers very comprehensive advice on how patients and loved ones can cope with breast cancer.
• Breast Cancer: A Resource Guide for Minority Women (PDF): Check out this resource for minority women on the specific challenges they face when battling breast cancer and how family members can help.

Post-Surgical Recovery

For a breast cancer patient, the first few weeks and months after surgery are very important. There are many physical and psychological issues to deal with that require a strong support network.

• What Happens After the Surgery? With this website, patients can get many of their post-surgical questions answered in regards to breast cancer.
• Follow-Up Care After Breast Cancer Surgery: With the help of this resource, breast cancer patients can get a comprehensive understanding of what to do after their surgery.
• Mastectomy: Instructions After Surgery: Read a step-by-step tutorial on what breast cancer patients need to do to maintain their health after the surgery is over.