CyberKnife Clinic in Pasadena, CA
At Pasadena CyberKnife Center, our mission is to provide hope to those fighting cancer everywhere throughout the greater Los Angeles area. As a premier cancer treatment center serving the region, our team of world-class cancer doctors and oncologists works daily with patients suffering from almost every form of cancer, and we’re proud to use noninvasive CyberKnife to provide convenient, effective treatment to our patients. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with breast cancer, we want to be a resource to you – and we’ve compiled a list of common questions and answers to help make the condition and treatment process easier to understand.
Common Questions About Breast Cancer
How do I know if I have breast cancer?
There’s no way to be sure you have breast cancer without a test, and most healthy women should have regular preventive screenings to check for cancerous tumors. Recommendations for the frequency of this screening vary, so talk to your doctor to determine how often you should have preventive screenings. If your radiologist finds something unusual in a mammogram or other screening, they’ll order tests to determine if the growth is a cancerous tumor.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
Breast cancer is difficult to detect from symptoms alone, as in most cases, it will not produce symptoms until an advanced stage. The most common way that people discover they have breast cancer is by finding a lump in their breast or through preventive screenings.
How many people survive breast cancer?
Thankfully, the survival rates for breast cancer are relatively high, especially for early-stage breast cancers. The overall 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is 89%, and that rate is nearly 100% for Stage I cancer or cancer in situ (Stage 0). For Stage IV, metastatic cancer, however, the 5-year survival rate is 22%. It’s important to note that these numbers only represent the percentage of patients who are still living 5 years after their diagnosis – they can’t say anything about the fate of an individual patient.
What causes breast cancer?
As with all forms of cancer, scientists still don’t understand exactly what causes breast cancer. However, research has uncovered a variety of risk factors: variables which affect the likelihood of an individual person developing breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. A few of the most prominent risk factors for breast cancer include:
- Heavy alcohol use (2-5 or more standard drinks per day)
- Obesity or being overweight
- Not having children
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Use of oral contraceptives (although the risk fades over time after use is discontinued)
If I have breast cancer, do I need a mastectomy?
Every patient is different, and your doctor will recommend a treatment regimen based on the specifics of your case. That said, not all breast cancer patients require a mastectomy. We may even be able to use noninvasive CyberKnife to treat your breast cancer without the need for any further surgical treatment.
Contact Your Los Angeles Cancer Center
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women, and if you have been diagnosed, the treatment team at Pasadena CyberKnife Center is committed to your recovery. Call us today at 626.768.1021 to learn more about our cancer center and schedule a consultation for treatment. We’ll work with you to design a comprehensive treatment that fits into your lifestyle and helps you beat breast cancer.