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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Breast cancer is cancer that forms in the cells of the breasts.
After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it's far more common in women.
Public support for breast cancer awareness and research funding has helped improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer survival rates have increased, and the number of deaths has been declining, thanks to a number of factors such as earlier detection, new treatments and a better understanding of the disease.
References
- Breast cancer. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp. Accessed March 13, 2013.
- Townsend CM Jr., et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1565/0.html. Accessed March 13, 2013.
- Breast cancer treatment (PDQ). National Cancer Institute. http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/breast/Patient. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Leading new cancer cases and deaths — 2013 estimates. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsfigures/cancerfactsfigures/cancer-facts-figures-2013-most-requested-tables-figures. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- SEER stat fact sheet: Breast. National Cancer Institute. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Breast cancer prevention (PDQ). National Cancer Institute. http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/breast/Patient. Accessed March 13, 2013.
- What you need to know about breast cancer. National Cancer Institute. http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/breast. Accessed March 13, 2013.
- Hormone therapy for breast cancer. National Cancer Institute. http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/hormone-therapy-breast. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Cancer-related fatigue. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- AskMayoExpert. Mammogram screening guidelines. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2012.
- Faslodex (prescribing information). Wilmington, Del.: AstraZeneca; 2012. http://www.faslodex.com. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Herceptin (prescribing information). South San Francisco, Calif.: Genentech, Inc.; 2010. http://www.herceptin.com. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Perjeta (prescribing information). South San Francisco, Calif.: Genentech, Inc.; 2012. http://www.perjeta.com. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Kadcyla (prescribing information). South San Francisco, Calif.: Genentech, Inc.; 2013. http://www.kadcyla.com. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Tykerb (prescribing information). Research Triangle Park, N.C.: GlaxoSmithKline; 2012. http://www.tykerb.com. Accessed March 18, 2013.
- Breast SPOREs. National Cancer Institute. http://trp.cancer.gov/spores/breast.htm. Accessed March 19, 2013.
- Moynihan TJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 19, 2013.
- Pruthi S (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 21, 2013.
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