In Germany and many other countries, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. It is usually detected at an advanced age. Sometimes breast cancer is only detected when it has already formed metastases. But it can still be treated then, and many women continue to live with this disease for years. Our in-depth feature explains what therapies are available and how women can cope with this serious disease. Please note that all information on public health care reflects the situation in Germany, and may not apply to other countries.
If someone has lymphedema, their arm or leg may become swollen due to a build-up of lymph fluid in the tissue. This often happens when lymph vessels are damaged during surgery or radiotherapy. The condition is common in women who have had breast cancer treatment. In our fact sheet you can read about the typical signs of lymphedema, as well as the treatment and prevention options.
Women with breast cancer that has spread to the bones can reduce their risk of broken bones by taking bisphosphonates. It is not known, though, whether one particular bisphosphonate medication is better than others. more...
Joining a group therapy programme could improve the emotional wellbeing of women with advanced breast cancer. But the benefit lasts for only a few months. more...
High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous blood stem cell transplantation could have benefits for some women. Yet because this treatment can also have serious complications and it is unclear whether it has advantages over other treatments used today, it is not done routinely. more...
Eribulin (trade name Halaven) was approved in Germany in March 2011 for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer if the disease has progressed further despite prior treatment with medication. more...
Self-management with compression bandaging can help reduce lymphoedema after breast cancer. Professional manual lymphatic drainage might help as well. Because lymphoedema often gets worse and harder to treat over time, early recognition of the problem is important. more...
Dairy products like milk, butter, cheese and yoghurt neither increase nor decrease the risk of breast cancer. Dairy foods could have health benefits, for example, for the bones. more...
Doing exercise on at least three days a week could improve fitness and quality of life for women who have or have had breast cancer. There is no scientific evidence that exercise might increase the risk of developing lymphedema or make existing lymphedema worse. more...
New developments in breast cancer treatment for women, including a special kind of antibody therapy, could play a role in the upcoming revision of the German disease management programme for breast cancer. more...
