Compassionate Care for Breast Cancer in Southern California

Each year, about 230,000 American women find out they have breast cancer. After skin cancer, it is the most common cancer in women.

Just when you need it most, Dignity Health Southern California hospitals are here to help those with a breast cancer diagnosis. We make finding a trusted, compassionate partner in your cancer care simple and convenient, through the following cancer center locations:

• California Hospital Medical Center
• Northridge Hospital Medical Center
  
• St. John's Hospital Camarillo
• St. John's Regional Medical Center
• St. Mary Medical Center Long Beach

If you have concerns about breast cancer or have been diagnosed with breast cancer in Southern California, use the Dignity Health Find a Doctor tool and schedule an appointment today with one of our breast cancer specialists.

Breast Cancer Signs & Symptoms

A lump or mass in and around the breast is the most common symptom of breast cancer in women and men. Other symptoms include a change in size, shape, or appearance of the breast or nipple, including swelling, an inverted nipple, nipple discharge that is not breast milk, and skin changes on the breast or nipple. 

Types of Breast Cancer 

Knowing the type of breast cancer helps your Dignity Health Southern California cancer care team design an effective treatment.

The most common types of breast cancer include:

• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) affects the milk ducts and does not invade other tissues 
• Invasive ductal carcinoma starts in the milk ducts but invades other breast tissue 
• Invasive lobular carcinoma starts in the glands that produce breast milk and grows into other cell types

Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Breast cancer staging and other tests help our Dignity Health doctors determine treatment options likely to be most effective for you. Common treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, hormone therapy, and targeted immune therapies.

Breast Cancer Risk Factors & Causes

Being female is the biggest risk factor, as breast cancer predominantly affects women. Experts don’t fully understand what causes breast cancer, but it is likely a combination of factors. 

Genetics

The risk of breast cancer is greater in women (and men) who carry inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations or who have a family history of breast cancer. Dense breast tissue, early menstruation (before age 12), and late menopause (after age 55) are other risk factors. 

Environment

Previous radiation therapy to the chest and exposure to a synthetic form of estrogen (diethylstilbestrol, or DES) are two environmental risk factors. 

Lifestyle

Lifestyle factors that increase breast cancer risk include being overweight, lack of physical activity, and drinking alcohol. 

Dignity Health Southern California: Leaders in Breast Cancer Prevention

At Dignity Health, cancer prevention is top of mind. To prevent breast cancer, be aware of your risk factors, the early signs of breast cancer, and breast cancer screening methods. Talk to your doctor about scheduling a mammogram today.

Dignity Health provides personalized and patient-focused breast cancer care in Southern California.