Cancer diagnosis meant the patient would die; with advances in medicine and technology, cancer is no longer guaranteed death. Cancer is a group of diseases that involve abnormal growth of cells with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread to other parts of the body. There are many different types of cancer, all of which meant that the patient would die because there was no proper form of treatment to take. In the past, doctors didn't know what to look for when looking for cancer. When doctors finally diagnosed a patient with cancer, the diagnosis came too late. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In addition to lung and colon cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in North America, where more than 200,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Breast cancer also affects more than 2,000 men each year. There is no pain or discomfort associated with the early stages of breast cancer, which may produce a lump or thickening in or near the breast or armpit area; a change in the size or shape of your breasts; nipple discharge or tenderness; or swelling, redness, or peeling of the breast, areola, or nipple. There is more than one technique to diagnose breast cancer, a breast exam, a mammogram, an ultrasound and a biopsy. The test is used to find obvious lumps in the breast. It is also possible to understand whether the lump is benign or malignant by the sensation it feels, the ease with which it moves and its consistency. Mammography uses X-rays to get a picture of the breast and any lumps that may be present. Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to determine whether a lump is a fluid-filled cyst that may not be cancer, or a solid mass that may not even be cancerous. be cancer. This test is often used in conjunction with a mammogram. In some cases, samples of a suspected tumor are obtained so that the cells can be examined under a microscope. This procedure is known as a biopsy, and the tissue sample collected from the breast lump was collected with a hypodermic needle. In breast cancer there are different stages of this form of cancer. Stage 0 is a non-invasive carcinoma. At stage 1 or 2, the cancer has spread beyond the lobe or duct and invaded nearby tissue. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Assay At stage 1 the tumor is no more than one inch in diameter and the cancer cells are still within the breast. Cancer cells begin to spread to the axillary lymph nodes in stage 2. If the tumor grows 2 inches but has not spread, it is up to stage 2. Stage 3 is locally advanced cancer. The tumor is more than 2 inches wide and has spread to the axillary lymph nodes and other nearby tissues; at stage 4 the cancer has spread beyond the breast to many other parts of the body. Tamoxifen and raloxifene have been used for many years to prevent breast cancer. More recent studies with another class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors have shown that these drugs are also very effective at preventing breast cancer. After breast cancer surgery there will be scarring and changes in the shape of the breast. If a patient has had a mastectomy, she may have some numbness in her chest. They may also have had or planned to have breast reconstruction surgery years after.