The small scarring of tissue that results can be easily distinguished from an abnormality on a mammogram and is barely noticeable to the eye. A diagnosis of breast cancer is a death sentence. More than 1.6 million women who have had breast cancer are alive in the United States today. Most are living full lives, having careers, raising their families and even starting families. More than 90 percent of women who find and treat their breast cancer early are cancer-free at five years.
Breast cancer is curable.
A breast cancer survivor always lives with the possibility of recurrence. Data has shown that breast cancer can recur as long as twenty years after diagnosis. For this reason, survivors should continue to have regular mammograms and see their doctors for regular checkups. Women diagnosed with breast cancer can never have children. Fertility in women who do not have chemotherapy is unaffected by breast cancer.