Detect Breast Cancer At An Early Stage
The goal of screening exams for early breast cancer detection is to find cancers before they start to cause symptoms. Screening refers to tests and exams used to find a disease, such as cancer, in people who do not have any symptoms. Early Breast Cancer Detection means using an approach that allows earlier diagnosis of breast cancer than otherwise might have occurred.
An estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2009; about 1,910 new cases are expected in men. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. Steady declines in breast cancer mortality among women since 1990 have been attributed to a combination of early detection and improvements in treatment.
An estimated 40,610 breast cancer deaths (40,170 women, 440 men) are expected in 2009. Breast cancer ranks second as a cause of cancer death in women (after lung cancer).
Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health. Women should have a Clinical Breast Exam (CBE) about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s and every year for women 40 and over. On average, mammography will detect about 80%-90% of breast cancers in women without symptoms.
Recent studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more sensitive than mammography in detecting tumors in women with an inherited susceptibility to breast cancer.
Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care provider. Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s.
Mammography can detect breast cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more effective and a cure is more likely. Numerous studies have shown that early detection saves lives and increases treatment options.
The American Cancer Society recommends that some women — because of their family history, a genetic tendency, or certain other factors — be screened with MRI in addition to mammograms. (The number of women who fall into this category is small: less than 2% of all the women in the US.) Talk with your doctor about your history and whether you should have additional tests at an earlier age.
Early detection tests for breast cancer save many thousands of lives each year, Following the guidelines for the Early Detection Of Breast Cancer improves the chances that breast cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage and treated successfully.
Women should start doing a Self Breast Examination starting in their 20s. Breast cancers found during screening exams are more likely to be smaller and still confined to the breast. Breast cancers that are found because they are causing symptoms tend to be larger and are more likely to have already spread beyond the breast. The size of a breast cancer and how far it has spread are some of the most important factors in predicting the prognosis.
