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 thought to be due to better detection and improved treatment.
Screening by breast exam and regular mammogram as recommended greatly increases the chance of early diagnosis and is important for women of all ages. Recurrent cancer means the disease has recurred despite initial treatment. Most recurrences appear within the first 2 or 3 years but can occur many years later.
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.
The Medifocus Guide on Breast Cancer, Recurrent provides answers to the following important questions and medical issues:
What are the most common symptoms of breast cancer?
Are there any recognized risk factors for developing breast cancer?
What kinds of medical tests are used to establish the diagnosis of breast cancer?
What is the current standard of care for the treatment of breast cancer?
What treatment options are available for the management of breast cancer?
Are there any promising new developments or potential breakthroughs in treatment?
Who are the most notable medical authorities who specialize in breast cancer?
Where are the leading hospitals and centers of research for breast cancer?
What are the most important questions to ask my doctor about breast cancer?
What Your Doctor Reads:
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:
Hormone-modulating herbs: implications for women's health. Journal of the American Medical Womens Association. 1999
Pregnancy after breast cancer: from psychosocial issues through conception. Oncology. 1998
Systemic adjuvant therapy of breast cancer. Journal of Surgical Oncology. 1997
Intraductal carcinoma of the breast: pathologic features associated with local recurrence in patients treated with breast-conserving therapy. American Journal of Surgical Pathology. 2000
Role of isolated locoregional recurrence of breast cancer: results of four prospective studies. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2000
Outcomes and factors impacting local recurrence of ductal carcinoma in situ. Cancer. 2000
Local recurrence following breast conservation therapy in African-American women with invasive breast cancer. American Journal of Surgery. 2000
Immunohistochemical study on primary and recurrent tumors in patients with local recurrence in the conserved breast. Oncology Reports. 2000
Survival and pattern of failure following locoregional recurrence of breast cancer. Clinical Oncology (Royal College of Radiologists). 1999
Quality of life in women with recurrent breast cancer. 1999
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