Diagnosis and Testing
Just a few decades ago, doctors viewed breast cancer as a single disease. Today, that has changed. We now know there are many different types of breast cancer, each with its own features.
To learn more about the features of the breast cancer you have, your doctor may need to run some specific tests. In this section, learn more about ways doctors diagnose breast cancer and how they test to find out if it is hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive or triple-negative.
In this section you'll find information on
- how cancer is staged
- tests you may have
- your pathology report
- facing your diagnosis
- Learn
- The Basics
- Types of Breast Cancer
- DCIS and LCIS
- Hormone Receptor-Positive
- HER2-Positive
- Triple-Negative
- Metastatic
- How Breast Cancer Metastasizes
- What Makes Metastatic Breast Cancer Different
- Bone Metastases
- Brain Metastases
- Liver Metastases
- Lung Metastases
- Diagnosis and Testing
- Treatments and Research
- Side Effects
- Bone Health and MBC
- Bone Pain and MBC
- Chemobrain
- Depression and Anxiety and MBC
- Hair Loss and MBC
- Hand-Foot Syndrome and MBC
- Insomnia and Fatigue and MBC
- Menopausal Symptoms and MBC
- Mouth Sores and MBC
- Nail and Skin Changes and MBC
- Nausea and Vomiting and MBC
- Neuropathy and MBC
- Neutropenia and MBC
- Pain and MBC
- Sexual Side Effects
- Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer
- Inflammatory
- Lobular
- Diagnosis and Testing
- Treatments and Research
- Side Effects
- Anemia
- Bone Loss
- Bone Pain
- Chemobrain
- Depression and Anxiety
- Diarrhea
- Fear of Recurrence
- Hair Loss
- Hand-Foot Syndrome
- High Cholesterol
- Insomnia and Fatigue
- Lymphedema
- Menopausal Symptoms
- Mouth Sores
- Nail and Skin Changes
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Neuropathy
- Neutropenia
- Pain
- Secondary Cancers
- Sexual Side Effects
- Weight Gain
- Weight Loss
- Living With Breast Cancer
- Body Image
- Bone Health Basics
- Treatments and Your Bone Health
- Bone Health Tests
- Improving Bone Health
- Medicines To Protect Bones
- Diet, Nutrition and Exercise
- Making Meals Healthy
- Tips for Healthy Eating
- Emotional Health
- Fear of Recurrence
- Fertility and Breast Cancer
- Genetics and Family Risk
- Job and Financial Concerns
- Breast Cancer and the Workplace
- Telling Employers and Coworkers About Your Diagnosis
- Work Accommodations and Disability Benefits
- Offsetting the “Hidden Costs” of Breast Cancer
- Getting Organized for Health Insurance
- Private, State and Federal Insurance
- Navigating Your Heatlh Insurance
- Dealing With a Claim Denial
- Other Ways to Get Insurance
- Financial Planning
- What is the ACA?
- Sex and Intimacy
- Birth Control and Breast Cancer
- Maintaining Sexual Life
- If You Feel Pain During Sex
- Sexual Side Effects
- Body Image and Sexuality
- Improving Sexual Health With Medical Approaches
- Improving Sexual Health With Self Care
- Talking With Your Partner About Sex and Intimacy
- Talking With Your Healthcare Team About Sex and Intimacy
- Learning from Others
- Additional Resources
- Get Support
- How You Can Help
- News & Opinion