Cancer Statistics
· 1.8 million women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer by the end of the decade.
· In 1998 alone, there will be 180,300 new breast cancer cases (1600 males, 178,700 females) and 43,900 estimated deaths (400 males, 43,500 females).
· Breast cancer is the leading cancer site in females, estimated to account for 30% of new cases in 1998.
· 1994 statistics, which are the latest available, for reported cancer deaths lists breast cancer as the No. 1 cancer killer of females ages 15-24.
· The American Cancer Society estimates in 1998, among females in general, breast cancer will be the second leading cause of cancer related deaths (16%) and will be second only to lung cancer (25%).
Cancer Group Discards Breast Self-Examination
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in Fort Lauderdale, FL, announced it is no longer necessary for women to practice breast self-examinations if they have yearly mammograms and clinical breast exams (CBEs). Another startling change in its recommendations: Two groups of women should have annual mammograms beginning at age 25 and semi-annual CBE starting at a set time based on their history, according to Eva Singletary, MD, professor of surgery in the department of surgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and chairwoman of the NCCN Breast Cancer Screening Committee. Singletary was quoted in the January 1998 Oncology Times. The two groups are: women who have received thoracic radiation treatment for Hodgkin's disease and women with a genetic disposition, which is defined as having a positive family history or a confirmed BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 gene mutation.
Performing mammographies on women who have severe comorbid conditions is a waste of time and money, Singletary suggests. She asks, "If you are not going to do anything after you find these calcifications, why bother doing the test in the first place?"
For More Information
· American Cancer Society, 1599 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329-4251. Telephone: (800) 227-2345. World Wide Web: http://www.cancer.org. Provides patient and professional information on all forms of cancer.
· National Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 24128, Baltimore, MD 21227. Telephone: (800) 422-6237 (800-4-CANCER). Fax: (301) 330-7968. The institute provides information in the public domain through its Cancer Information Service. You may order up to 20 items at no charge. A shipping fee is charged for orders in excess of 20. The maximum order for each of the following is 100, for which the shipping fee is $8. The following National Institutes of Health publications may be obtained from the National Cancer Institute:
· NIH Publication 97-3536, Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for All Women is a 52-page booklet with wealth of easy-to-read information about early detection of breast cancer, breast lumps, and other changes; prevention research; a glossary; and resources.
· NIH Publication Z448, Why Get Mammograms? is a single-page publication that provides information on the risk of getting breast cancer and the benefits and limitations of mammography.
· NIH Publication 97-3418, Mammograms: Not Just Once, but for a Lifetime is a brochure that provides basic information on how, where, and why mammograms are done.
· The Susan G. Komen Foundation is the nation's largest private funder of research dedicated solely to breast cancer. It funds innovative breast cancer education, screening, and treatment projects for medically underserved. It offers a free brochure titled Breast Health Basics (Item No. 801-201). Contact: Susan G. Komen Foundation, 5005 L.B.J. Freeway, Suite 370, Dallas, TX 75244. Telephone: (800) 462-9273 (800-I'm Aware).
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