Articles Index
Stages of Breast Cancer - The TNM System
What are the stages of breast cancer? How do the stages relate to the tumor size, the lymph node status, and if the cancer has spread? Read about why knowing the stage of a breast cancer diagnosis is important to you.
Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer isn't always detected with the naked eye. Its early signs are often hidden within your breast tissues. Changes to your breasts that you do see may not be the result of breast cancer at all. Lumps and bumps may come and go, as your hormones ebb and flow, and as you age. Breast skin may change texture due to sunburn, radiation treatments, or infections that cause rashes. So how would you know for sure whether or not a lump, skin rash, or skin dimpling is benign or cancerous?
Emotions and Breast Cancer: Expressing, Coping, Surviving
A diagnosis of breast cancer is a great shock. Women report that they fear breast cancer more than heart disease, even though they have a better chance of surviving breast cancer, and dying of stroke or heart failure. Read about some normal emotions that you may experience at diagnosis and during treatment, and ways to cope.
Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Drugs and Infertility
Which chemotherapy drugs used for breast cancer treatment may cause you to become infertile? What are the other probable causes that you need to consider? Here's a list of drugs that you may want to discuss with your oncologist.
BIRADS – Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System
Your mammogram report includes many technical details, and one section will show you a BIRADS score. This indicates the radiologist's opinion of the absence or likelihood of breast cancer. Understanding this score is important to your diagnosis and treatment, if any is needed.
Breast Ultrasound - Imaging for Breast Abnormalities
A breast ultrasound may be needed if your mammogram shows indistinct masses, or if a lump can be easily felt during a clinical breast exam. In dense breast tissue, ultrasonography can image soft tissue and produce a sharp, high-contrast image. This is useful when your doctor needs to distinguish between a fluid-filled cyst or a suspicious mass.