Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be about 182,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer in the year 2000. Fortunately, deaths from breast cancer have declined significantly, which is though to be due to better detection and improved treatment.
There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. Screening by breast exam and regular mammogram as recommended greatly increases the chance of early diagnosis and is important for women of all ages.
Once a breast cancer is diagnosed, the focus of care depends on the stage of disease and the personal goals of the individual. An elderly woman with a less aggressive type of cancer may wish to avoid aggressive treatments and pursue palliative treatments, while for a younger woman, aggressive therapy targeted at achieving remission is usually desired.
Treatment strategy depends on the stage of disease and the goals of care for the individual. Treatment usually consists of a combination of surgery, medication, radiation, and/or chemotherapy.
This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:
Ovarian ablation for premenopausal early-stage breast cancer: an update. Tumori. 2000
Health food store recommendations for breast cancer patients. Archives of Family Medicine. 2000
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast: evolving perspectives. Cancer Treatment Reviews. 2000
Primary systemic therapy in operable breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2000
Should internal mammary lymph nodes in breast cancer be a target for the radiation oncologist?. 2000
Treatment of early-stage breast cancer in elderly women. Medical & Pediatric Oncology. 2000
Treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Current Problems in Cancer. 1999
Adjuvant systemic management of early stage carcinoma of the breast. Surgical Oncology. 1999
The evaluation of high risk and pre-invasive breast lesions and the decision process for follow up and surgical intervention. Surgical Oncology. 1999
From Halsted to prevention and beyond: advances in the management of breast cancer during the twentieth century. European Journal of Cancer. 1999
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