Breast Cancer

Overview

Diagnosis

Treatment

Appointments

Clinical Trials

Research

Patient Stories

News

Overview

At Mayo Clinic, highly trained and experienced specialists diagnose and provide comprehensive breast cancer screening, evaluation, education and treatment for more than 1,300 new patients with breast cancer each year.

At Mayo, teams of medical professionals from several specialties work together to provide innovative treatment strategies and supportive care for patients with breast cancer. Mayo physicians work with patients to develop the most appropriate treatment plans to meet patients' unique needs.

Diagnosis

Mayo Clinic offers state-of-the-art screening and diagnostic services for patients with breast cancer, including digitalmammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound,stereotactic breast biopsies, MRI-guided breast biopsies and surgical biopsies.

Mayo Clinic's team of experts understands the anxiety associated with a breast condition and works to give patients the most prompt diagnosis possible and timely coordination of tests and appointments. Mayo Clinic offers routine 24- to 72-hour turnaround for biopsy scheduling and availability of results.

Read more about breast cancer diagnosis.

Treatment

Mayo Clinic health care team members will discuss the most appropriate approach for care with each patient with breast cancer. The treatment plan may include surgery, radiation therapy,chemotherapy, biological treatments, hormone therapy or a combination of these treatments.

A surgeon will be consulted if surgery may be an option. If radiation therapy is considered, a radiation oncologist will join the patient's health care team. A medical oncologist will discuss the potential use of hormone therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapy and targeted therapy for patients with breast cancer.

Read more about breast cancer treatment.

About breast cancer

In breast cancer, abnormal cells in the breast become malignant (cancerous) and may invade and destroy nearby tissue. Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer deaths in American women. More than 200,000 American women are diagnosed annually with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 of them die.

Early detection is important so the disease can be caught in its initial stages, when a cure is most likely.

Learn more about breast cancer at www.MayoClinic.com.