Breast Cancer: Screenings, Costs, and Resources

Breast cancer has a huge impact on public health in the U.S. Current numbers indicate that more than 3.8 million women have had a history of breast cancer, including women undergoing treatment and those who have finished treatment. In fact, breast cancer accounts for about 30% of newly diagnosed cancers in women.¹

Breast cancer is highly prevalent in the U.S. and affects the lives of millions of women — and men — each year. The financial costs of breast cancer can negatively affect people's lives, livelihoods and mental health. However, timely detection and awareness about breast cancer can provide an opportunity to catch it early when it is most treatable — and thus, more affordable.

Additionally, there are resources for breast cancer patients to treat and pay for their care. It's important for everyone to become aware of breast cancer's causes, treatments and payment options and to support those affected by it. Early detection saves lives.

Types of Breast Cancer Screening

The first step to breast cancer prevention is early detection, and breast cancer can be detected by one of the following screening methods:²

• Breast ultrasound: Ultrasound machines use sound waves that produce a sonogram, or image, of the tissue inside the breast.
• Diagnostic mammogram: This is an X-ray-style machine, which squeezes the breast tissue between two plates, and can look more deeply into breast tissue to find lumps, cysts or other abnormal tissue.
• Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This is a body scan using magnetic technology connected to a computer for an even more detailed image of the tissue inside the breast.
• Biopsy: If a lump or fluid occurs in the breast tissue, a physician may take a sample of this tissue — either in an outpatient scenario with a small needle or under anesthesia in surgery.

Breast cancer is often diagnosed in “stages," which refers to whether the cancer is contained to the breast or if it has spread into surrounding lymph nodes. The later the stage, the more difficult and expensive it is to treat.²

What To Look for During a Self-Examination for Breast Cancer

Physicians recommend that all women learn how to do self-examinations of their breasts each month. Though this is not a foolproof method of detection, when a person becomes accustomed to the normal state of their breasts, they are more likely to notice changes in them, which could possibly signal breast cancer.³

A breast self-exam is both a visual and a physical exam. You can look for visual changes such as:³

• Puckering, dimpling or changes in size, shape or symmetry
• Nipple inversion (turning inward)
• Ridges at the bottom of breasts

By touch, patients can also feel for:³

• Hard lumps or knots in or near the underarm
• Thickening or fullness of the breast that feels different from the rest of the tissue
• Dimples, puckers, bulges or ridges
• Redness, warmth, swelling or pain
• Itching, scales, sores or rashes
• Bloody nipple discharge

Remember: This is a good first step at finding possible breast cancer but it does not replace having regular exams with your physician.³

Lifestyle Modifications To Help Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

While healthy lifestyle modifications alone may not prevent breast cancer, they have been shown to reduce the risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.⁴

Consider these potential lifestyle modifications:

• Keep a healthy weight.
• Get appropriate nutrition.
• Exercise moderately for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.
• Quit smoking.
• Limit alcohol to three or fewer drinks per week.
• Avoid or limit hormone replacement therapy (particularly if you have a family history of cancer).
• Perform monthly breast self-examinations.
• Get annual mammograms.

Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Treatments for breast cancer fall into two umbrella categories: local and systemic.⁵

Local

• Surgery: A variety of surgeries may be used to treat breast cancer, such as removing cancer, relieving symptoms of advanced cancer and reconstructive surgery after the cancer has been removed. Removal of the entire breast is known as a mastectomy.
• Radiation: Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. This may be used after a mastectomy, after breast-conserving surgery to reduce the likelihood that cancer will return, and if cancer is found in the lymph nodes or if it has spread outside the breast tissue margins.

Systemic

• Chemotherapy: This is a kind of medication typically given by IV or orally that targets cancer cells through the bloodstream, though it can also be administered directly into the spine.
• Hormone therapy: Some kinds of cancer are affected by hormones like progesterone and estrogen, so hormone blocking drugs may be given to prevent aggravation of the cancer.
• Targeted drug therapy: These are medicines, such as monoclonal antibodies, that can destroy cancer cells or slow their growth by targeting proteins in the cells.
• Immunotherapy: These medicines boost a person's immune system to help it destroy cancer cells.

How Much Does Breast Cancer Treatment Cost?

The breadth of breast cancer treatments can range from approximately $60,000 at stage 0 to well over $130,000 for stage IV, with an average cost of over $85,000. More specifically, treatments like chemotherapy can average between $12,000 and $18,000; a mastectomy can average about $13,000; hormone replacement therapy can run as much as $85 per month.⁶ The later the stage of your cancer (later stages indicate a more invasive cancer, thus more treatment is required), the more expensive it can be.

While health insurance may pay for some costs, every insurer is different; some may bring a patient's costs down to only about 10% to 15% of the estimated total.⁶ But there are still copays and deductibles to pay, and frequently, out-of-pocket expenses can accumulate.

Depending upon factors such as your income level, what health insurance you do or do not have and where you live, a variety of financial resources are available to help cover the cost of breast cancer treatment. There are federal, state and local programs, as well as nonprofit organizations that can help pay for some out-of-pocket costs, such as medications, travel to obtain treatment and more.⁷

Most hospitals have a financial counselor that patients can speak to who can help point them to available financial resources.⁷ Sometimes, they will have an oncology financial counselor on hand to help you find ways to pay for everything — from the treatments themselves to supporting you around loss of wages, obtaining tax deductions for treatments, travel expenses and more. Additionally, medical credit cards such as CareCredit can help manage costs.

Coping With the Financial Impact of Breast Cancer

The financial impacts of breast cancer can be almost as devastating as the physical and emotional ones. A 2022 Breastcancer.org survey of 1,437 U.S. people diagnosed with breast cancer in the past decade found that 47% reported their breast cancer-related out-of-pocket costs qualified as a “significant or catastrophic burden."⁸

Additionally, a 2022 survey of people diagnosed with a variety of cancer by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network found that 51% of cancer patients racked up debt related to their cancer care. More alarming, of those with debt, 45% of them delayed or even avoided medical care due to financial concerns.⁹

The top five financial stressors related to breast cancer treatment can be broken down as:⁸

• Health insurer problems: Not having health insurance or not having adequate health insurance are among the most common insurer problems. Sometimes, the inability to maintain a job due to treatment can affect the ability to stay insured as well.
• Additional expenses: Unanticipated expenses above and beyond treatment can crop up, such as scalp cooling treatments that can minimize hair loss; wigs after hair loss; costs for household help; post-surgery bras or pain-minimizing clothing; additional supplies such as special pillows, beds or chairs; and more.
• Prescription drug costs: Newer cancer drugs and brand-name medicines that don't have generics can be expensive, and patients with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximum limits could end up paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket cancer drugs alone.
• Income and job loss: People may lose income because they have to miss days of work due to treatment or side effects of treatment. According to a 2022 survey by Breastcancer.org, 20% of respondents said their breast cancer had a negative impact on their careers.
• Lack of access to financial help and advice: Cancer patients often don't know who to turn to for financial advice, or find it inadequate. Breastcancer.org said that in a survey by Cancer Support Community, 7 out of 10 people with breast cancer reported not receiving any discussion of costs of care from their healthcare providers.⁸

Financial Resources for Breast Cancer

Financial resources to help cover costs associated with breast cancer are available. Let's look at some recommendations of what to look for, and where:¹⁰

• Contact your local United Way or American Cancer Society office. These organizations have a lot of resources and information on financial assistance to point you in the right direction.
• Connect with your local religious organization or fraternal order about financial assistance. Additionally, you might be able to draw support from volunteers in your religious community for such things as transportation, meal prep or shopping.
• Talk to a financial or credit counselor if you are struggling to pay bills. Places where you may find one include your local bank, consumer protection agency, universities, local housing authorities or nonprofit organizations.
• The National Foundation for Credit Counseling exists to help people find accredited financial counselors.

Tips for Managing Finances During Breast Cancer Treatment

While it is stressful to face financial hardship during illness, there are some things you can do to make it a bit easier:¹⁰

• Prepare a budget. Taking a hard look at your income and expenses can help you see where you can cut back to save money and how much income you realistically have.
• Talk to your creditors. If they know your circumstances, many creditors will allow you to work out a payment plan if you're having trouble paying bills.
• Don't go to collections. Even if you must make minimum payments only, it's better to pay something than wait until your account goes to collections, which can hurt your credit score and rack up additional interest.

Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness

Supporting breast cancer awareness is not just a fad where it's fun to put pink ribbons on your clothing. It shines a light on those who are at risk of getting this potentially deadly illness.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, given that approximately 28,300 women receive a breast cancer diagnosis in the U.S. each month, every bit of awareness helps to potentially save a life. Particularly because the earlier breast cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat.

Breast cancer awareness organizations

Many organizations exist to raise awareness and support for breast cancer. Some of these include:¹¹

• American Cancer Society
• Breastcancer.org
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• National Breast Cancer Foundation
• Susan G. Komen Foundation
• Young Survival Coalition

Get involved and support breast cancer awareness

Many breast cancer organizations sponsor events such as walks, rides and marathons that you can participate in. The American Society of Clinical Oncology at Cancer.net shares a list of breast cancer awareness dates that are often tied to events you can participate in. These include the National Cancer Prevention Month in February, Women's Health Month in May and of course, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.¹²

Managing Health & Wellness Costs With the CareCredit Credit Card

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Author Bio

Jordan Rosenfeld has been freelance writing for 21 years about finances, health, education and more. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Billfold, Good Magazine, GoBanking Rates, Daily Worth, Quartz, Medical Economics, The New York Times, Paypal, The Washington Post and more.