What is High-Risk Breast Cancer?

What Is High-Risk Breast Cancer?



What is High-Risk Breast Cancer? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What exactly is high-risk breast cancer, and who is most at-risk for this type? Expert Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani explains different types of high-risk breast cancer proactive questions for patients to ask their doctor for optimal care.

Demetria Smith-Graziani, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Smith-Graziani.

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…ask, ‘What type of breast cancer do I have, what subtype of breast cancer do I have, and what stage of breast cancer do I have, and what is the risk of it coming back in the future?’”

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. Smith, what exactly is high-risk breast cancer? And what populations are most at risk for high-risk breast cancer?

Dr. Demetria Smith-Graziani:

So certain breast cancers are at a higher risk of coming back in the future after they’ve been treated,  the things that put you at a higher risk of having your breast cancer come back, is when your breast cancer is at a higher stage, meaning that it’s a larger cancer or one that has spread to the lymph nodes, under the arm or in the chest.

Also, there are certain subtypes of breast cancer that are known to be more aggressive, such as triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-positive breast cancer, and those also have a higher risk of coming back in the future, so my activation tip for patients is to ask, “What type of breast cancer do I have, what subtype of breast cancer do I have, and what stage of breast cancer do I have, and what is the risk of it coming back in the future?”


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