Frequently Asked Questions Breast Cancer
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Cancer is a disease in which cells become abnormal and form more cells in an uncontrolled way. With breast cancer, the cancer begins in cells that make up the breasts—usually in the tubes that carry milk to the nipple or the glands that make milk. The cancerous cells form a mass of tissue called a tumor. Sometimes, the cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women. Every woman has a chance of getting breast cancer. About 1 in 8 women will find out she has breast cancer at some point in her life. This might sound scary. But today, fewer and fewer women are dying from breast cancer. Many women have overcome breast cancer and are living life to its fullest. With breast cancer screening tools, including mammograms, doctors often can find cancer early. Treatment is more likely to work well when cancer is found early.
For More Information
To learn more about breast cancer, please visit the National Cancer Institute web site http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/types/breast.
You also can find out more about breast cancer by contacting womenshealth.gov at 1-800-994-9662 or the following organizations:
National Cancer Institute
Cancer Information Service
Phone number: (800) 422-6237
Internet address: http://cis.nci.nih.gov
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
Phone number: (888) 232-6348
Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/index.htm
American Cancer Society
Phone number: (800) ACS-2345
Internet address: http://www.cancer.org
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Phone number: (800) 465-6636
Internet address: http://www.komen.org
Breast Cancer Network of Strength
Phone number: (800) 221-2141
Internet address: http://www.networkofstrength.org/
Content last updated December 8, 2008.
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