American Cancer Society - Breast Cancer Clear & Simple: All Your Questions Answered

Published by the American Cancer Society

250 Williams Street NW

Atlanta, GA 30303-1002

Copyright 2016 American Cancer Society

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Cover design by Rikki Campbell Ogden/pixiedesign llc

Plain language review by Regan Minners, Walnutbrain Consulting

Illustrations by Samuel K. Collins, CMI, FAMI, and Amy P. Collins, FAMI

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: American Cancer Society.

Title: Breast cancer clear & simple : all your questions answered / from the experts at the American Cancer Society.

Other titles: Breast cancer clear and simple

Description: Second edition. | Atlanta, GA : American Cancer Society, [2016] | Series: Clear & simple

Identifiers: LCCN 2015037215| ISBN 9781604432367 (paperback) | ISBN 1604432365 (paperback)

Subjects: LCSH: Breast--Cancer--Popular works. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Diseases / Cancer. | HEALTH & FITNESS / Womens Health. | MEDICAL / Preventive Medicine.

Classification: LCC RC280.B8 B673 2016 | DDC 616.99/449--dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015037215

For more information about breast cancer, contact your American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or cancer.org.

Quantity discounts on bulk purchases of this book are available. Book excerpts can also be created to fit specific needs. For information, please send an e-mail to .

For general inquiries about American Cancer Society books, send an e-mail to .

Book Publishing

Senior Director, Journals and Book Publishing: Esmeralda Galn Buchanan

Managing Editor: Rebecca Teaff, MA

Senior Editor: Jill Russell

Book Publishing Manager: Vanika Jordan, MSPub

Editorial Assistant: Amy Rovere

Cancer Control Programs and Services

Senior Vice President: Chuck Westbrook

Managing Director, Content: Eleni Berger

Director, Cancer Information: Louise Chang, MD

Medical Editor: Rick Alteri, MD

The medical illustrations for this book were created by Samuel K. Collins, CMI, FAMI, and Amy P. Collins, FAMI, and first appeared in Breast Cancer Journey, Third Edition, American Cancer Society 2013.

List of Illustrations

Reviewers

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the following individuals who reviewed the original manuscript for Breast Cancer Clear & Simple and provided helpful recommendations for this second edition.

American Cancer Society

Managing Director, Mission Program Management: Marcia Watts, MBA

Director, Mission Delivery, Midwest Division: Jennifer Wentzel

Specialist, Mission Delivery, Midwest Division: Amy Peters, MD

American Cancer Society/Reach To Recovery Volunteers

Sandy Ends

Cathy Hirsch, JD

Anne Abate, PhD

Contributors to the First Edition

We also wish to thank these contributors to the first edition: Writer: Amy Brittain

Plain Language Writer and Editor: Wendy Mettger, MA

Medical Reviewer: Terri Ades, DNP, FNP-BC, AOCN

Reading this book is not the same as getting medical advice from a doctor. This book may not include all possible choices, treatments, medicines, safety measures, side effects, or results associated with breast cancer. For any choices that affect your health, talk with a medical doctor who knows your health history.

This book is addressed to women with breast cancer. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but the disease is 100 times more common in women. To learn more about breast cancer in men, visit our website at cancer.org, or call your American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345.

Breast Cancer Journey, Third Edition, also published by the American Cancer Society, was a major resource for this book. Specific details for information derived from Breast Cancer Journey are provided in references throughout the text.

Its important to know what to expect during your breast cancer treatment and recovery. Weve written this book to help you

• understand breast cancer;
• learn how it may affect you;
• learn about your treatment choices;
• face problems with money, work, or your home life;
• recover from breast cancer; and
• get your life back.

This book has answers to many common questions about breast cancer. We also suggest some questions you may ask your doctor about breast cancer and your personal treatment plan. We encourage you to discuss your treatment choices with your doctor.

This book is divided into two sections.

The first section takes you step-by-step through

• finding out you have breast cancerthe diagnosis;
• treating your breast cancer; and
• recovering from treatment.

The second section, More Information, gives you details about breast cancer risk and staging.

There is a lot of information in this book. Read only what you want to read right now. Use the Contents section at the front of the book to help you quickly find what interests you. The resource guide on

You may be in shock. You may feel angry, worried, overwhelmed, hopeless, or scared. In fact, you may not know what to do. Thats okay. Its normal to be upset and confused. No one wants to hear that she has breast cancer.

You may feel like your cancer must be treated right now, even if you arent sure how. But it is important to learn as much as you can about your breast cancer before making decisions about treatment. Take a few days or weeks to talk with your doctor about your options. That way, you can be sure youre making the best choices for you and your health.

Most women with breast cancer are treated and recover. In fact, more than 3.5 million women in the United States have had breast cancer and are alive today.

You may already know family members and friends who have had breast cancer, were treated, and went on with their lives. These examples are proof that for most women, there is life after breast cancer.