2001 Oncology Report

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BREAST CANCER:

The American Cancer Society estimated 192,200 new invasive cases of breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the United States during 2001. After increasing about 4% per year in the 1980s, breast cancer incidence rates may be continuing to increase slightly in white women. About 1,500 new cases of breast cancer are to be diagnosed in men in 2001.

An estimated, 40,600 deaths (40,200 women, 400 men) from breast cancer in 2001. Breast cancer ranks second in cancer deaths in women. According to the most recent data, Mortality rates decline significantly during 1990-1997 with the largest decreases in younger women-both white and black. These decreases are probably the result of both earlier detection and improved treatment.

Sign and Symptoms: The earliest sign of breast cancer is an abnormality that shows up on a mammogram before it can be felt by the woman or her health care provider. When breast cancer has grown to the point where physical signs and symptoms exist, these may include a breast lump, thickening, swelling, distortion, or tenderness, skin irritation or dimpling, and nipple pain, scaliness, ulceration or retraction. Breast pain is commonly due to benign conditions and is not usually the first symptom of breast cancer.

Risk Factor: The risk of breast cancer increases with age. The risk is higher in women who have a personal or family history of breast cancer, biopsy-confirmed atypical hyperplasia, a long menstrual history (menstrual period that started early and ended late in life), obesity after menopause, or recent use of oral contraceptives or post-menopausal estrogens and progestins, who have never had children or had their first child after age of 30, or who consume alcoholic beverages.

Early Detection: Mammography is especially valuable as an early detection tool because it can identify breast abnormalities that may be cancer at early stage before physical symptoms develop.. The American Cancer Society recommends that women age 40 and older have annual mammogram, an annual clinical breast examination by a health care professional, and perform monthly breast self-examination. Women ages 20-39 should have a clinical breast examination by a health care professional every three years and should perform monthly breast examination.

Treatment: Lumpectomy (local removal of tumor) and removal of lymph nodes under the arm, mastectomy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy.

This information was found in the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts Figures-2001

Since the restart of the registry in 1996, there have been 238 breast cases accessioned at Sumter Regional Hospital. Figure 6 shows the analytic and non-analytic break down of cases. There were a total of 173 analytic cases (new cases diagnosed and/or treated here) and 65 non-analytic (new cases being treated for recurrence).