National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
U.S. National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute
Send to Printer
What You Need To Know About™ Breast Cancer
    Posted: 07/30/2005    Updated: 11/01/2007
Introduction

This National Cancer Institute (NCI) booklet (NIH Publication No. 05-1556) has important information about breast cancer.* Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in this country (other than skin cancer). Each year, more than 211,000 American women learn they have this disease.

You will read about possible causes, screening, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care. You will also find ideas about how to cope with the disease.

Breast Cancer in Men

Each year, about 1,700 men in this country learn they have breast cancer. Most information in this booklet applies to men with breast cancer. However, more specific information about breast cancer in men is available on NCI's Web site at http://www.cancer.gov and from NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER.

Scientists are studying breast cancer to find out more about its causes. And they are looking for better ways to prevent, find, and treat it.

NCI provides information about cancer, including the publications mentioned in this booklet. You can order these materials by telephone or on the Internet. You can also read them online and print your own copy.

  • Telephone (1-800-4-CANCER): Information Specialists at NCI's Cancer Information Service can answer your questions about cancer. They also can send NCI booklets, fact sheets, and other materials.
  • Internet (http://www.cancer.gov): You can use NCI's Web site to find a wide range of up-to-date information. For example, you can find many NCI booklets and fact sheets at http://www.cancer.gov/publications. People in the United States and its territories may use this Web site to order printed copies. This Web site also explains how people outside the United States can mail or fax their requests for NCI booklets.

    You can ask questions online and get help right away from Information Specialists through LiveHelp 1 at http://www.cancer.gov/cis.


*Words that may be new to readers appear in italics. The "Dictionary 2" section explains these terms. Some words in the "Dictionary" have a "sounds-like" spelling to show how to pronounce them.



Dictionary Terms

cancer (KAN-ser)
A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of cancer. Carcinoma is cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. Sarcoma is cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Leukemia is cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. Central nervous system cancers are cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.


Table of Links

1http://www.cancer.gov/Common/popUps/livehelp.aspx
2http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary