Breast Cancer Medical Reference
- Getting a Second Opinion About Your Breast Cancer
Many experts agree that it's a good idea to get a second opinion after you find out you have breast cancer. But when should you get it? How does it work?
- Tips for Exercising When You Have Breast Cancer
If you can get some activity -- even a little bit -- it may help you feel better during breast cancer treatment. Find out what the benefits are and how much to aim for.
- Where Does Breast Cancer Spread?
Breast cancer can spread to other parts of your body, and there are a few places where it usually goes. Find out more about how it spreads and what that means for your symptoms and treatment.
- Invasive vs. Metastatic Breast Cancer
Invasive and metastatic mean different things when it comes to breast cancer.
- Does Tamoxifen Cause Weight Gain?
Weight gain is common during treatment for breast cancer. But is the drug tamoxifen to blame?
- How Does Breast Cancer Affect Your Body?
Most of the biggest effects to your body from breast cancer come from the treatment, not from the disease. Find out what to expect.
- Diet and Nutrition With Metastatic Breast Cancer
What foods should you eat or avoid if you have metastatic breast cancer? A healthy balanced diet can help you stay strong and prevent infections as you treat cancer. Find out why it’s important to drink more water and less alcohol, and if soy foods are good or bad for breast cancer risk.
- Phyllodes Tumors
Phyllodes tumors are a rare type of breast tumor that can keep coming back, even if it’s benign. They can grow larger within weeks and feel like a painless lump in your breast. Find out how to treat these tumors and follow up afterward to prevent them from returning.
- Breastfeeding With Breast Cancer: What to Know
You might wonder if it’s safe or even possible to nurse your baby when you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. In general, it depends on the type of treatment you need and when you’ll have it.
- What to Expect With DIEP Flap Reconstruction Surgery
After a mastectomy, you may want to have breast reconstruction surgery. With DIEP flap reconstruction surgery, your doctor uses your tissue instead of implants to rebuild a natural breast.
- What to Know About Mirena and Breast Cancer
Mirena is an intrauterine device (IUD) for birth control. Because it's a type of hormonal contraception, it could slightly increase your chances of getting breast cancer. Find out about the risks and benefits.
- HER2 FISH Testing for Breast Cancer: What to Know
The FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) test checks the DNA of your cancer cells and can help your doctor choose treatments that will work best for you. FInd out how it's done and what its results mean.
- What Is Tomosynthesis for Breast Cancer Diagnosis?
Tomosynthesis is a kind of 3D mammogram. It uses 3-dimensional imaging used to look for breast cancers.
- HER2-Negative vs. HER2-Positive Breast Cancer
HER2-negative and HER2-positive are types of breast cancer that share some things in common but have plenty of differences, too. Which kind you have can affect the treatment you get.
- What Causes Peau D’Orange?
Peau d’orange is not a disease. Rather, it's a symptom. Its name means "skin of an orange." Find out what can cause it.
- Vaccine Treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer
You may think of vaccines as a way to prevent disease, but researchers are testing a new kind that might help treat breast cancer. It works by activating the immune system -- your body's defense against germs -- to find and kill cancer cells.
- Breast Cancer Remission
Remission doesn’t always mean your breast cancer is gone for good. Learn about the different types and how long they might last.
- Breast Cancer Symptoms Beyond the Lump
Lumps are the best know breast cancer symptoms, but they aren’t the only ones. From breast changes to nipple discharge, learn the signs to look for.
- Healthy Juices if You Have Breast Cancer
Breast cancer treatment can affect your appetite and sense of taste. Juicing may help you get some of the nutrients you need.
- Is There a Link Between Alcohol and Breast Cancer?
Studies show that drinking alcohol can raise your chances of breast cancer. So how much alcohol is “safe” to drink? And what counts as “a drink?” Find out what you need to know.
- HER2+ Breast Cancer Survival Rates
HER2+ breast cancer survival rates tell you how many women survive for a certain time after their diagnosis. But that’s just part of the picture. Find out what this statistic means and what other things you should know.
- Managing Treatment Side Effects of HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
Treatments kill cancer cells, but they can also change the way you feel. Here’s how to keep those symptoms in check.
- Genetic Testing for HER2-Negative Breast Cancer
In some breast cancer cases, the HER2 gene doesn’t work correctly and causes cells to grow out of control. Learn why it’s important to know your HER2 status, how your doctor will test for it, and what the results mean for your treatment.
- How to Feel Better During Breast Cancer Treatment
Medicines for breast cancer can have intense side effects. Learn what you can do about fatigue, nausea, and other issues your treatments can cause.
- Treating Noninvasive Breast Cancer (Ductal Carcinoma in Situ)
What treatment will you need for noninvasive breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)? Will you need surgery? What happens after surgery?
- Breast Cancer Survival Rates
With a breast cancer diagnosis, it’s hard not to think about your prognosis. Everyone is different, but there a few key things experts consider. They include the stage of your cancer and your age.
- What Are Genetic Breast Cancer Mutations?
Most cases of breast cancer happen because healthy cells become abnormal and start to grow out of control. But sometimes, the genes you inherit from your parents are the reason. Learn what a gene mutation is and what it means for your chances of developing breast cancer.
- Male Breast Cancer Treatment Options
Your HER2-negative breast cancer may be due to changes in your genes, or mutations. Find out what you need to know about targeted therapy, a treatment that attacks the effects of these changes.
- Can Breast Implants Cause Breast Cancer?
Do breast implants cause breast cancer? Get the answer to this question and more.
- Breast Cancer Symptoms You May Not Know
The most well-known sign of breast cancer is a lump, but there are other, less-common symptoms you should know to stay on top of your health.
- Treatment for HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer
If your breast cancer is HER2-negative and advanced, what are your treatment options? Learn how hormonal therapies, chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy may help you.
- Breast Cancer: What Does 'Metastatic' Mean?
Learn what metastatic breast cancer means and what to do if your cancer has spread.
- Breast Cancer: What Does 'Metastatic' Mean?
Learn more about this type of breast cancer and how it affects you.
- Common Myths About Metastatic Breast Cancer
When cancer spreads, so do myths. Learn the metastatic breast cancer facts you can trust.
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: What's Next After Your Diagnosis?
Stage IV and square one: What you can control after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.
- Why Do I Have a Rash on My Breast?
A rare form of breast cancer can give you a rash and make you feel sore. But don’t panic! Many other less severe problems can cause these symptoms too.
- What Are Hormone-Sensitive Cancers?
Some kinds of cancer need hormones to grow and spread. If yours does, that can affect your treatment plan.
- What Is a Male Mastectomy?
Mastectomy is the main treatment for men with breast cancer. Learn how this procedure works and what to expect afterward.
- How Do I Know if I Have Metastatic Breast Cancer?
Find out what metastatic breast cancer is, what signs and symptoms you might have, how it’s diagnosed, and more.
- Understanding Stage 0 Breast Cancer
What Is Stage Zero Breast Cancer? Learn the signs, symptoms and causes.
- Breakthroughs in Finding & Treating Breast Cancer
Researchers are always working on new ways to find and treat breast cancer. From nanotechnology to improved imaging tests, here's a look at the latest and greatest.
- Proton Therapy for Breast Cancer
Proton therapy is targeted radiation that zooms in on breast cancers while reducing the risk of exposure to healthy tissue, like the heart.
- What Does It Mean to Have Dense Breasts?
Should you be concerned about your breast density? Here's how this trait may affect your health.
- Fibroadenoma
These painless breast lumps, called fibroadenomas, aren’t cancer. They are also more common that you might think.
- Life With Metastatic Breast Cancer
How to make the most out of life with metastatic breast cancer.
- Life With Metastatic Breast Cancer
How to make the most out of life with metastatic breast cancer.
- Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
Triple-negative breast cancer is a rare type. It’s serious, but it responds well if you catch it early. Find out about the causes, symptoms, and treatments.
- Breast Cancer and Your Genes
Learn how family history and genetics play roles in breast cancer risk.
- Advanced Breast Cancer: What to Expect
Breast cancer that spreads to other places in the body can't be cured. But treatment may help you have a longer and healthier life.
- What’s Next After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis?
Finding out you have breast cancer is huge news. Here's what you can do to help you deal with your diagnosis and plan for what's ahead.