Komen Educational Resources
Below, you’ll find Komen’s educational resources you can download, bookmark or share with loved ones. While each resource provides helpful information to assist you in understanding breast cancer, these resources are intended to give you a brief overview of the topic. More detailed information can be found within the About Breast Cancer section of komen.org.
In addition, many of our educational resources are available in Spanish, and some are available in other languages. You can find these resources on the Translated Resources page.
The signs of breast cancer are not the same for all women. It is important to know how your breasts normally look and feel. If you notice any change, see a health care provider.
- Breast Cancer: Your Guide to Breast Self-Awareness (video) View Video
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages for the Black Community View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages (horizontal poster) View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages for Black and African American Women (horizontal poster) View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages (vertical poster) View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages for Black and African American Women (vertical poster) View PDF
Many changes will occur in your breasts during your lifetime. Learning about breast anatomy and how the breasts function can help you understand which changes are normal and which are not. Learn about breast cancer and other breast conditions.
General Breast Health
There are many factors linked to breast cancer. The two most common are: being a woman and getting older. We’ve learned a lot about risk factors, but we still don’t understand what causes breast cancer to develop at a certain time in a certain person. It’s likely a combination of factors. Although there are things you can do to manage your risk, no one has control over whether he or she gets breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
- Breast Cancer Risk Factors View PDF
- Breast Density View PDF
- Breast Density (poster) View PDF
- Genetics and Breast Cancer View PDF
- How Hormones Affect Breast Cancer View PDF
- The Role of Genetic, Genomic and Tumor Profiling Tests Watch Video
Breast Cancer Risk Reduction
Regular screening tests can reduce your chance of dying from breast cancer. Screening tests can find breast cancer early – when the chances of survival are highest.
Breast cancer is often first suspected when a lump or a change in the breast is found. Or perhaps, an abnormal area was seen on your mammogram. Most of the time, these findings don’t turn out to be cancer. But the only way to know for sure is through follow-up tests. We offer several materials to help guide you through the journey ahead.
Preparing for a Diagnosis
Understanding a Diagnosis
The goal of treating early breast cancer is to get rid of the cancer and keep it from coming back. Treatment for early breast cancer includes some combination of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy. These treatments are designed to remove the cancer from the breast and destroy any cancer that might still be in the body.
Understanding Treatment
- 5 Truths About Breast Cancer Clinical Trials View PDF
- Biosimilars View PDF
- Biosimilars: What They Are and What You Need to Know Watch Video
- Breast Cancer Surgery View PDF
- Breast Reconstruction or Prosthesis After Mastectomy View PDF
- Chemotherapy for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Clinical Trials View PDF
- Diet & Nutrition During Treatment View PDF
- HER2-Targeted Therapies for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- HER2-Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer Watch Video
- Hormone Therapy for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Radiation Therapy for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Treatment Overview for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer is devastating. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and scared. Although metastatic breast cancer is not curable today, it can be treated. Treatment focuses on length and quality of life. As treatment continues to improve, so does survival. Today, some people may live many years with metastatic breast cancer.
- After Early Breast Cancer- Signs and Symptoms of Metastatic Breast Cancer View PDF
- End-of-Life Care View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: Bone Protection View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: HER2-Targeted Therapies View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: Quality of Life View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: Treatment Overview View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: What is It? View PDF
- Questions to Ask Your Doctor: Bone Protection View PDF
- Questions to Ask Your Doctor: Metastatic Breast Cancer View PDF
- Risk and Prevention of Bone Complications Watch Video
- Risk and Prevention of Bone Complications (Spanish subtitles) Watch Video
There are a lot of things to consider during and after treatment. No matter where you are in your treatment, listen to your body and have regular follow-up visits with your doctor.
- After Early Breast Cancer- Signs and Symptoms of Metastatic Breast Cancer View PDF
- Breast Cancer Recurrence View PDF
- Complementary and Integrative Therapies View PDF
- Follow-Up Medical Care After Breast Cancer Treatment View PDF
- Lymphedema View PDF
- Sexuality & Intimacy View PDF
- Side Effects After Breast Cancer Treatment Ends View PDF
Being diagnosed with breast cancer is never easy. You may be confused, shocked, sad, angry scared or all of the above. But no matter how you react to the news, your spirit is amazingly resilient.
If You’ve Been Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
- End-of-Life Care View PDF
- Support After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis View PDF
- Talking with your Children View PDF
- Talking with your Doctor View PDF
- Talking with your Partner View PDF
- What’s Happening to Me View PDF
Support for Family and Friends
Among women in the U.S., rates of breast cancer incidence (new cases) and mortality (death) vary by race and ethnicity.
Black Women
- African American (poster set) View PDF
- Breast Cancer Facts for Black Women in the U.S. (poster) View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages (card) View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages for Black and African American Women (horizontal poster) View PDF
- Breast Self-Awareness Messages for Black and African American Women (vertical poster) View PDF
- Young Black Women Talk About Breast Cancer View PDF
Lesbians, Bisexual Women and Transgender People
- Breast Health for the LGBTQ Community View PDF
- Breast Health Toolkit for Health Care Providers Caring for the LGBTQ Community View PDF
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning/Queer People View PDF
Men
- Men Can Get Breast Cancer Too View PDF
- Mission Moment: Breast Cancer in Men Watch Webinar
Younger Women
- Breast Cancer During Pregnancy View PDF
- “I Know My Normal” (postcard) View PDF
- Take Care of Yourself (poster) View PDF
- Take Care of Yourself (tri-fold) View PDF
- Young Black Women Talk About Breast Cancer View PDF
Women with Disabilities
- Breast Cancer: Your Guide to Breast Self-Awareness in American Sign Language View Video
- Women with Disabilities and Breast Cancer View PDF
We recommend the Facts for Life fact sheets for people looking for in-depth information about breast cancer. Topics covered include: the breast and breast cancer, risk factors, diagnosis and staging, treatment, survivorship, integrative and complementary therapy, support, specific populations and resources.
- After Early Breast Cancer- Signs and Symptoms of Metastatic Breast Cancer View PDF
- Axillary Lymph Nodes View PDF
- Benign Breast Conditions View PDF
- Biosimilars View PDF
- Breast Biopsy View PDF
- Breast Calcifications View PDF
- Breast Cancer Risk Factors View PDF
- Breast Cancer During Pregnancy View PDF
- Breast Cancer Prognosis for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Breast Cancer Recurrence View PDF
- Breast Cancer Screening and Follow-Up Tests (tri-fold brochure) View PDF
- Breast Cancer Surgery View PDF
- Breast Density View PDF
- Breast Reconstruction or Prosthesis After Mastectomy View PDF
- Chemotherapy for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Clinical Trials View PDF
- Complementary and Integrative Therapies View PDF
- Diet & Nutrition During Treatment View PDF
- Ductal Carcinoma In Situ View PDF
- End-of-Life Care View PDF
- Follow-Up Medical Care After Breast Cancer Treatment View PDF
- Genetics and Breast Cancer View PDF
- Healthy Living and Breast Cancer (tri-fold brochure) View PDF
- HER2-Targeted Therapies for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Hormone Therapy for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- How Hormones Affect Breast Cancer View PDF
- If You Find a Breast Lump or Change View PDF
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning/Queer People View PDF
- Lymphedema View PDF
- Mammography View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: Bone Protection View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: HER2-Targeted Therapies View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: Quality of Life View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: Treatment Overview View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: What is It? View PDF
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in Breast Cancer in the U.S. View PDF
- Radiation Therapy for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Risk Lowering Options for Women at Higher Risk of Breast Cancer View PDF
- Sexuality & Intimacy View PDF
- Side Effects After Breast Cancer Treatment Ends View PDF
- Support After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis View PDF
- Talking with your Children View PDF
- Talking with your Doctor View PDF
- Talking with your Partner View PDF
- Treatment Overview for Early Breast Cancer View PDF
- Triple Negative Breast Cancer View PDF
- What is Breast Cancer View PDF
- Women with Disabilities and Breast Cancer View PDF
We have a series of Questions to Ask Your Doctor resources on a variety of breast cancer topics that may be helpful if you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer or if you have concerns about breast cancer screening or you’re at risk of breast cancer. You can download, print and write on at them at your next doctor’s appointment. Or you can download, type and save them to your computer, tablet or phone during a telehealth visit using an app such as Adobe. Plenty of space and a notes section are provided to jot down the answers to the questions. These resources are a great conversation starter and a valuable tool for people who may be too overwhelmed to even know what to ask their doctor.
- Biosimilars View PDF
- Breast Biopsy View PDF
- Breast Cancer Surgery View PDF
- Breast Reconstruction View PDF
- Breast Density View PDF
- Chemotherapy and Side Effects View PDF
- Clinical Trials View PDF
- HER2-Targeted Therapies for Breast Cancer View PDF
- Hormone Therapy and Side Effects View PDF
- If You Find a Lump or Change in Your Breast View PDF
- Inherited Genes and Breast Cancer Risk View PDF
- Lymphedema (Swelling of the Arm) View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer View PDF
- Metastatic Breast Cancer: Bone Protection View PDF
- Radiation Therapy and Side Effects View PDF
- Screening Mammograms View PDF
- Tumor Profiling View PDF
- When Breast Cancer is Diagnosed View PDF
Updated March 24, 2022
