Breast Health

Breast Health

It is estimated that about 13 percent of women born in the United States today will develop breast cancer at some time in their lives. However, as treatments improve and technology advances, the death rate for breast cancer is steadily going down. According to the American Cancer Society, the five year survival rate for breast cancer is 90 percent. 

Facts About Breast Cancer

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S., other than skin cancer
• The five-year survival rate when breast cancer is detected in stage one is more than 90%
• The risk for developing breast cancer increases with age
• Prompt access to care in the Appalachia Region has been recognized as a barrier to care and as why women in this region are often diagnosed with more advanced stages of breast cancer
• While there is an increase in breast cancer nationwide, death associated with the disease is on the decline because of early detection 

Symptoms of Breast Cancer

Common symptoms of breast cancer include:

• A lump or thickening in or near the breast
• Changes in the size or shape of the breast
• A nipple turned inward into the breast
• Discharge, sometimes bloody, from the nipple
• Changes in skin color or texture on the breast, nipple or areola

Because breast cancer usually doesn't show symptoms in its early stages, early detection is important. Often, some symptoms are not due to cancer but could be related to another health problem. If you have any of these symptoms, you should tell your doctor so that proper diagnoses and treatment can begin.