Skip to main content

Breast Cancer Archive

Articles

Could my blood pressure medication be causing my hot flashes to return?

After starting treatment for high blood pressure, your hot flashes are back. Explore how medications and other conditions might be involved.

What should you do if you discover a lump in your breast?

A new breast lump can be alarming, but not all require immediate surgery. A doctor will determine the appropriate next steps, which may include medical tests.

Late-start hormone therapy: Safe or risky?

Guidelines recommend that women starting hormone therapy do so before age 60 and within 10 years of menopause onset. Starting later may raise the risks of heart attack, stroke, or dementia. Women who start hormone therapy at 70 or older face even greater cardiovascular risks.

Staying active throughout middle age may lower women's risk of dying early

A 2026 study suggested that women who consistently stay active throughout middle age have a significantly lower risk of dying early than peers who are inactive.

What could cause a painful breast lump in a man?

A new, tender lump in a man’s breast doesn't necessarily mean cancer. But it should not be ignored. Gynecomastia is one possible cause, but there are others.

What could cause a high lymphocyte count?

An elevated lymphocyte count usually indicates a simple viral illness. Less often, it could indicate a blood cancer. How the number is calculated shapes what it may mean.

Do all skin cancers have to be removed?

Nonmelanoma skin cancers are unlikely to be life-threatening, but they can cause disfiguration and other problems. The cancers should be removed.

When consequences of pregnancy complications develop later in life

Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia—marked by high blood pressure that can impair organ function and affect blood vessels—are increasingly tied to higher lifetime cardiovascular risks. Women with these complications face greater odds of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.

How chemotherapy can affect women's sexual health — and what can help

Chemotherapy treatment in women can diminish hormone levels that affect sexual health and intimacy. It can also alter self-image, sex drive, and emotions. Research suggests anywhere from 40% to 100% of cancer survivors struggle with sexual dysfunction.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE 38-page gift.

PLUS, don’t miss out on your 25% off promo code.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle—You’ll discover powerful, research- backed strategies for health longevity drawn from Harvard Medical School experts—ways to eat for a longer life, build strength and flexibility to stay independent, protect your bones, heart, and brain as you age, and even cultivate the habits linked with “super-agers” who stay sharp and active well into their 80s and 90s—all delivered to your email box FREE.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of HEALTHBEAT ESSENTIALS: 10 Keys to Living Well at Any Age!.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of HEALTHBEAT ESSENTIALS: 10 Keys to Living Well at Any Age.