Women should ask for the results if they are not received within a week or so. Lumpy, tender breasts are very common, especially in younger women, and can come and go with the menstrual cycle. But any new or unusual lump that doesn't go away should be checked by a doctor. When breast cancer is found early, most women can have surgery that removes some underarm lymph nodes and the cancer, but not the breast . This surgery is followed by a series of radiation therapy sessions.
Treatment generally includes medications that ease or control unpleasant side effects.
The best treatment for any woman is one she and her doctor choose together , after she feels fully informed about her options. When breast cancer is detected and treated in its earliest stages, the five-year survival rate is 97 percent . The good news is that with more women in the United States getting regular mammograms, the majority of of the 180,000 new breast cancer cases each year are discovered early. But early-stage breast cancer is highly treatable . Most women diagnosed early and treated promptly live a normal lifespan, and there are more than two million breast cancer survivors alive in the United States today.