Detecting Breast Cancer

Each year, more than 180,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1998, 3,061 Kentucky women were diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It is unusual for breast cancer to cause pain in the early stage of the disease," says Edward Romond, M.D., associate professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
"But, as with all cancers, survival rates are best when breast cancer is caught early. Women over the age of 20 should have monthly breast self-exams and yearly physical exams, and women over the age of 40 should have yearly mammograms."

Women should contact their physicians immediately if they see any of the symptoms of breast cancer, such as: a lump in or near the breast; a change in the size, shape, or appearance of the breast or nipple, including skin irritation or indenting; and nipple discharge or tenderness.

Researchers are working to see if there is a way to prevent breast cancer in women at high risk. The UK Markey Cancer Center is one of 400 centers across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico now recruiting volunteers for the
Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, or STAR. For more information about STAR, call the UK Markey Cancer Center Clinical Research Program at (859) 257-5207 or UK Health Connection at (800) 333-8874.