Breast Cancer
Also called: Breast carcinoma

From the National Cancer Institute:

Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Breast cancer kills more women in the United States than any cancer except lung cancer. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there are a number of risk factors. Risks that you cannot change include

• Age - the chance of getting breast cancer rises as a woman gets older
• Genes - there are two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that greatly increase the risk. Women who have family members with breast or ovarian cancer may wish to be tested.
• Personal factors - beginning periods before age 12 or going through menopause after age 55

Other risks include being overweight, using hormone replacement therapy, taking birth control pills, drinking alcohol, not having children or having your first child after age 35 or having dense breasts.

Symptoms of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in size or shape of the breast or discharge from a nipple. Breast self-exam and mammography can help find breast cancer early when it is most treatable. Treatment may consist of radiation, lumpectomy, mastectomy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

Men can have breast cancer, too, but the number of cases is small.

For more information, check out the following links:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/breast
What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer (National Cancer Institute)

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast
Breast Cancer (National Cancer Institute)

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/
Breast Cancer Information (Centers for Disease Control)

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?dt=5
Detailed Guide: Breast Cancer (American Cancer Society)

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Breast_Cancer_Early_Detection.asp?sitearea=
Breast Cancer: Early Detection (American Cancer Society)

http://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/index.jsp
Breast Cancer Treatment and Side Effects (breastcancer.org)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breastcancer.html
More information on breast cancer from MedlinePlus

General Women's Health Information

Women and men have many of the same health problems, but they can affect women differently. For example, women may have different symptoms of heart disease. Some diseases or conditions are more common in women, such as osteoarthritis, obesity and depression. And some conditions, such as menopause and pregnancy, are unique to women.

Women sometimes neglect their own health and focus instead on their partner's and their children's. Take care of yourself first:

• Plan for pregnancies and see your healthcare provider regularly while you are pregnant
• Have regular mammograms
• Get regular checkups and screenings. Early detection is important for treating breast, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancer.

For more information, check out the following links:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/womens_health.htm
FASTATS: Women's Health (National Center for Health Statistics)

http://womenshealth.gov/topics.cfm
Women's Health Topics(National Women's Health Information Center)

http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/ab006.cfm
Staying Healthy at All Ages(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)

http://womenshealth.gov/screeningcharts/general/general.pdf
General Screenings and Immunizations Guidelines for Women(National Women's Health Information Center)

http://www.cdc.gov/women/owh/preventworks/action.htm
Action Steps for Staying Healthy(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/womenshealth.html
More information on women's health from MedlinePlus

For more information, contact:

Margie Gacki, Medical Librarian
Western Maryland Health System
Library Services

Memorial Campus Library/Media Center
600 Memorial Ave.
Cumberland, MD 21502
301-723-4027

Braddock Campus Library
900 Seton Drive
Cumberland, MD 21502 301-723-5229

E-mail:
mgacki@wmhs.com