Nobody knows for certain why some women develop breast cancer and others do not. What is known is 1. You should not feel guilty. 2. You have not done anything "wrong" in your life that caused breast cancer. 3. You CANNOT "catch" breast cancer from other women who have the disease. 4. Breast cancer in NOT caused by stress or by an injury to the breast. 5. Most women who develop breast cancer DO NOT have any known risk factors or a history of the disease in their families. 6. Getting older DOES increase your risk of getting breast cancer, starting at the age of 40 and continuing into your 80s.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women today. It even occurs in a small number of men.

In California alone, close to 20,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

In the United States, close to 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

All ages and races are affected: 1 in 9 white, 1 in 11 African-American, and 1 in 20 Hispanic and Asian women will develop breast cancer during their lifetimes.

You have more choices for treatment when breast cancer is found early. Also, treatments have changed. Today, many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer DO NOT have to lose a breast. Even when breast cancer is not found early, you still have choices. Because there are new ways to treat breast cancer, it is more important than ever for you to learn all you can. Working with a team of specialists, you play a key role in choosing your treatment. 

Staging of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a complex disease. There is no right treatment for all women. Your breast cancer will be placed into one of 5 stages. Click here for a chart that explains each stage for you. How your cancer is staged and your treatment choices will depend on:

How small or large your tumor is and where it is found in your breast.

If cancer is found in the lymph nodes in you armpit.

If cancer is found in the other parts of your body.

The following words and information also can help you understand how your cancer is "staged."

Benign means that your lump or other problem was NOT cancer.

Malignant means that your tissue DOES contain cancer cells.

In situ or noninvasive cancer is a very early cancer or a precancer that has NOT SPREAD beyond the breast, to the lymph nodes in the armpit, or to other parts of the body. This type of cell is still totally contained in the milk ducts or lobules of the breast. More

Invasive cancer HAS SPREAD to surrounding tissue in the breast and MAY HAVE SPREAD to the lymph nodes in the armpit or to other parts of the body. All breast cancers, except in situ cancer, are invasive.

Metastasized cancer HAS SPREAD to other parts of the body, such as the bones, lungs, liver, or brain.

To be sure that you have the right diagnosis, have your slides read by an experienced pathologist. If you still have questions, then have your biopsy slides reread. You can have them reread at a university hospital, cancer center, or a second opinion service. This step is important because of the difficulty today in making an accurate diagnosis. Treatment choices vary from close follow-up, to removing only the affected tissue, to removing both breasts. If your lump does contain cancer cells, you will need a team of medical experts. No one doctor is able to provide all the services you may need. Treatment Team