Which of the following are possible symptoms of breast cancer?
a change in the size or shape of the breast
nipple discharge or tenderness
ridges or pitting of the breast
all of the above
Early signs of breast cancer
are often painful
are often visible to the naked eye
don't cause any symptoms
What percent of mammogram results are abnormal?
5 to 10 percent
20 to 25 percent
1 to 2 percent
Stage 0 breast cancer is
early stage breast cancer
late stage breast cancer
locally advanced breast cancer
Stage III breast cancer is
early stage breast cancer
late stage breast cancer
locally advanced breast cancer
Stage IV breast cancer is
early stage breast cancer
late stage breast cancer
locally advanced breast cancer
Which of the following is a local treatment for breast cancer?
surgery
hormone therapy
biological therapy
chemotherapy
Answer
B is the correct answer. Breast cancer is more common among older women than younger women.
C is the correct answer. In situ cancer remains at the site where it first occurs and does not spread to surrounding tissue.
C is the correct answer. If cancer has metastasized, that means that it has spread to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads from its original location in the breast to another part of the body such as the brain, it is called metastatic breast cancer, not brain cancer. Doctors sometimes call this "distant" disease.
D is the correct answer. Each of these symptoms gives important information to the doctor. But all symptoms together mean cancer could be there.
C is the correct answer. Most cancers in their early, most treatable stages don't cause any symptoms.
A is the correct answer. Only 5 to 10 percent of mammogram results are abnormal and require more testing. Most of these follow-up tests confirm that no cancer is present.
A is the correct answer. Stage 0 is very early breast cancer that has not spread within or outside the breast. Doctors often refer to this type of cancer as in situ or non-invasive cancer. Stage I and stage II also are early stages of breast cancer. Stage I means that the tumor has not spread beyond the breast. In stage II, the tumor may be larger and may have spread to the lymph nodes.
C is the correct answer. Stage III is called locally advanced cancer. Here the tumor has spread beyond the breast to lymph nodes or to other tissues near the breast.
B is the correct answer. Stage IV is metastatic cancer. In this stage the cancer has spread beyond the breast and the underarm lymph nodes to other parts of the body, most often the bones, lungs, liver, or brain.
A is the correct answer. Surgery only treats the cancer at the site on the body where the surgery is performed. Surgery on the breast cannot remove cancer that may have spread to other parts of the body. To treat cancer that has spread, doctors use systemic therapies, such as hormones, chemotherapy, and biological therapies that cover most of the body.
