Breast Cancer:Risks and Symptoms

Health Journey

Breast Cancer

  1. Start Here
  2. Risks and Symptoms
  3. Breast Cancer Tests
  4. Understanding Your Diagnosis
  5. Choosing Treatment
  6. What You May Be Feeling
  7. Surgery and Radiation
  8. Drugs and Side Effects
  9. Your Body Image
  10. Metastatic Breast Cancer
  11. Life After Breast Cancer
  12. Survivor Stories

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What You Need to Know

MY STORY

Prophylactic Mastectomy: How I Weighed My Cancer Risk and Had My Breasts Removed at Age 33

A young, cancer-free woman has her breasts removed
Donna Estreicher was 32 years old when her family members tested positive for the breast cancer (BRCA) gene mutation. The disease itself had already hit her mother and sister. Still, as a young single woman with an active dating life, she resisted getting the test or thinking about the double mastectomy that might follow. Then she decided it was time to take the leap.  Read More

How to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risk at Any Age: A Decade-by-Decade Guide

Steps every woman can take to protect her breast health
Breast cancer research offers more and more evidence that you can influence your own breast cancer future by picking up good habits. This decade-by-decade guide suggests a few ways you can cut your risk.  Read More

25 Breast Cancer Myths and Misunderstandings (Nos. 1-5)

Can you get it from implants?
Think wearing an underwire bra increases your risk of getting breast cancer? What about wearing deodorant? We debunk the top 25 breast cancer myths.  Read More

What to Do if Someone in Your Family Has Had Breast Cancer

You may want to consider a gene test
If someone in your family has or had breast cancer, you may be at higher risk of getting the disease yourself. The first step in learning about your risk is to take a look at how close those relatives are and how they fit into your family tree...  Read More
QUIZ

What’s Your Breast Cancer IQ?

The test for your breasts
Put your breast cancer readiness to the test by answering these 10 key questions—and we’ll bring you up-to-date about the best ways to lower your risk.  Read More

How to Watch for Breast Cancer Symptoms

Check yourself, get regular screenings, and don't panic
Being vigilant about changes in your breasts can help you spot the symptoms of breast cancer—and spot them earlier, when the cancer is more likely to be treated successfully.

Doctors don’t agree about whether monthly breast self-exams make a difference statistically...  Read More
MY STORY

I Had Never Even Heard of Male Breast Cancer

Robert Kaitz, 48, had a lump for a year before telling his doctor about it
It was funny the way we caught my breast cancer. I had a sore throat, so I went to the doctor. I had a list, you know, "By the way, I also have acid reflux..." and he gave me a fistful of prescriptions. Then I said, "Oh, yeah, I forgot, I have this lump."  Read More

A Clean-Living Young Athlete With Breast Cancer Asks, "Why Me?"

The jury is still out on the effects of most lifestyle changes
It's a question many woman with breast cancer ask themselves: Why me? Why did I get this disease? And what if you're about 25 years younger than the average breast cancer patient? Elissa Thorner, of Baltimore, was training for a triathlon when she got her diagnosis—at the age of 23.  Read More