Mrs. Ann Thompson, age 52, felt a small, hard, painless lump in the upper outer quadrant of her left breast during regular breast self-examination. Her mother and a cousin had had breast cancer. Mrs....

Mrs. Ann Thompson, age 52, felt a small, hard, painless lump in the upper outer quadrant of her left breast during regular breast self-examination. Her mother and a cousin had had breast cancer. Mrs. A.T. has no children and still has menstrual cycles. After seeing her physician and having a mammogram, a biopsy was scheduled, which confirmed that the nodule was malignant.

1. List the factors in the patient’s history that increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

2. Describe other possible signs of breast cancer.

3. Explain why this lump is not typical of a benign condition. A lumpectomy was performed on Mrs. A.T. and a number of axillary lymph nodes were removed.

4. Explain why the axillary lymph nodes were removed.

5. The tumor cells tested positive for estrogen receptors. Explain the significance of this information and the implications for Mrs. A.T.

6. Mrs. A.T.’s lung and bone scans were negative. Explain the purpose of these scans.