For women with an average risk Chart based on National Cancer Institute (2020). SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1975–2017. http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2017/. Accessed July 31, 2020. On average, about 13 out of 100 women will get breast cancer sometime during their lives. A woman's risk may be higher or lower depending...
Guides through decision to have a breast cancer (BRCA) gene test. Includes reasons your doctor might recommend a BRCA gene test. Lists next steps for a positive test. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Learn the basics about breast cancer screening, including who should be screened, why it's important, what tests are used, and how to overcome barriers to screening.
Note: The Overview section summarizes the published evidence on this topic. The rest of the summary describes the evidence in more detail. Other PDQ summaries with information related to breast cancer screening include the following: Breast Cancer Prevention, Breast Cancer Treatment, Male Breast Cancer Treatment, Breast...
Screening is looking for signs of disease, such as breast cancer, before a person has symptoms. The goal of screening tests is to find cancer at an early stage when it can be treated and may be cured. Sometimes a screening test finds cancer that is very small or very slow growing. These cancers are unlikely to cause...
Guides you through breast cancer screening choices if you have dense breasts. Discusses the benefits and risks of choosing more testing after a mammogram, such as ultrasound or MRI. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Guides through decision on when to start having mammograms. Discusses the benefits and risks of having a mammogram and the risk for getting breast cancer. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Incidence and Mortality. Estimated new cases and deaths from breast cancer (women only) in the United States in 2024:[ 1] New cases: 310,720. Deaths: 42,250. Breast cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer in U.S. women, with an estimated 56,500 cases of female breast ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and 310,720...
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. The breast is made up of lobes and ducts. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes. Each lobe has many smaller sections called lobules. Lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can make milk. The lobes, lobules, and...
Incidence. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in pregnant and postpartum women and occurs in about 1 in 3,000 pregnant women. The average patient is between the ages of 32 years and 38 years. Because many women are choosing to delay childbearing, it is likely that the incidence of breast cancer during pregnancy...
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast. The breast is made up of lobes and ducts. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes. Each lobe has many smaller sections called lobules. Lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can make milk. The lobes, lobules, and...
Breast cancer is the abnormal growth of the cells that line the ducts and lobes of the breast. When breast cancer has spread outside the ducts or lobes into normal breast tissue, it is said to be invasive. The main types of invasive breast cancer are: Ductal carcinoma. This cancer begins in the ducts of the breast. It's...
Breast cancer is the growth of abnormal cells in the ducts or lobes of the breast. Breast cancer may be either: Invasive. This means cancer has spread from the ducts or lobes into normal breast tissue. The main invasive types are: Ductal carcinoma. This cancer starts in the ducts of the breast. It's the most common type...
Discusses recurrent breast cancer. Covers symptoms and tests that diagnose cancer that has come back or spread. Discusses treatment with medicine or surgery. Offers home treatment tips for drug side effects or pain. Covers addressing emotional needs.
Get tips for managing skin changes caused by radiation treatment.
If breast cancer spreads, it often goes to the lymph nodes first. Lymph node surgery is done to find out if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. The types of lymph node surgery for breast cancer are: Sentinel node biopsy. In a sentinel node biopsy, the doctor removes the first lymph nodes that cancer may have spread to...
Guides through decision to have breast reconstruction after a mastectomy. Describes what options are available for breast reconstruction and how it is done. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Guides you through decision about which surgery to have for early-stage breast cancer. Lists benefits and risks of both mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Guides you through decision to use chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. Lists reasons for and against chemotherapy. Covers side effects. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Guides you through testing and treatment choices if you're at high risk for breast cancer. Covers extra checkups, medicines, and surgery. Lists reasons for and against for each option. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Mammograms can find some breast cancers early, when the cancer may be more easily treated. Often a mammogram can find cancers that are too small for you or your doctor to feel. The numbers in the graphic include women who are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer or an early form of noninvasive breast...
A breast change is any change in the breast from what is usual for a particular woman. Many women experience a variation in breast size or tenderness during their menstrual cycle, usually caused by changes in the levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Breast changes are common before menopause and during...
As the rest of your body changes during pregnancy, your breasts change too. They are getting ready to make and supply milk for your baby. First-trimester changes In the first trimester (weeks 1 to 13): Your breasts may start to feel swollen and tender. Your nipples may stick out more than usual. Your breasts may start...
Breast engorgement is the overfilling of the breasts with milk. This can happen when milk isn't being removed well from the breasts by breastfeeding, pumping, or expressing by hand. Severely engorged breasts become increasingly hard, swollen, and tender. The nipples and areolae can become hard and flattened, making it...
What is breast engorgement? Breast engorgement means your breasts are painfully overfull of milk. This usually occurs when a mother makes more milk than her baby uses. Your breasts may become firm and swollen, which can make it hard for your baby to breastfeed. What causes it? Engorgement may happen: When your milk...
In breast enlargement surgery, the doctor makes the breasts larger by putting an implant under the breast tissue and often under the chest muscle. An implant is a soft silicone shell filled with a saltwater solution or a gel. Your doctor will make a cut, called an incision. Then the doctor will put in the implant and...
A clinical breast examination (CBE) is a physical examination of the breast done by a health professional. Clinical breast examinations are used along with mammograms to check women for breast cancer. Clinical breast examinations are also used to check for other breast problems. A clinical breast examination may be part...
To place an implant after mastectomy, the surgeon will use the same incision that was used to remove the breast tissue. The implant may be placed directly under the skin, but it is usually put under the chest muscle. Often, before an implant is placed, a doctor will first place a balloon (or tissue expander) beneath the...
Breast implants recreate the shape of a breast after part or all of the breast is removed ( mastectomy) because of cancer. Several types of implants are available. Sometimes an implant is placed during the same surgery as mastectomy. But often you will have two surgeries. The doctor will first place a tissue expander...
Symptoms of a breast infection may include: Increased pain, swelling, redness, or warmth around a breast. Red streaks extending from a breast. Drainage of pus from a breast. Fever.
