Breast cancer, like all cancers, were once very mysterious. While much remains unknown and an area of active research, the disease itself is fairly well understood. The underlying causes are still uncertain in some cases, but the manner in which it spreads and acts is much better known today.

The risks of breast cancer - who gets it, the pros and cons of different treatments, survival rates and more - are also much better quantified.

Though many claims regarding diet are overblown the true effects diet has on cancer are becoming clearer. Though many questions remain it has been determined that low estrogen producing diets and lifestyles are positive. Low fat diets also contribute to that, and so does regular exercise.

Early detection and diagnosis has reached a point in technological advancement where it only takes a clump of 50 cancer cells to be identified as a cancerous tumor. Chemical tests for early detection are becoming cheaper and much more sophisticated. Treatments now range from the more traditional such as lumpectomy or mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation to even more advanced hormone treatments.

Even with all of the innovation that has occurred self-examination is one of the best practices. It is in the control of the individual an d makes it possible to determine anything that needs further investigation by more advanced methods. Mammograms are a relatively low cost, low risk, and a low discomfort method of tumor detections.

Recover is faster and fewer recurrences are seen because of more precise diagnosis and faster treatment. Digital mammography is computer aided analysis that makes reviewing the test results much more accurate than in the past.

Where, tragically, a woman or man has contracted breast cancer and requires surgery, improved reconstructive techniques have lessened the harm. The FDA has recently taken silicon implants off the forbidden list. Implantation and plastic surgery in general have become less onerous. Patients are now often out of the hospital the same day as the surgery.

It is normal in today's world for almost 100% of the individuals who receive early diagnosis and treatment (treatment during stage 0 or stage I) to live longer than five years. Most of these individuals never have any recurrence at all and aren't bothered by their breast cancer for the rest of their life.

This disease used to be terminal, and though it is still a serious condition it is now less of a threat. Individuals that contract it can still typically enjoy a cancer free life after treatment.