Phyllodes Tumor Renewed: or A New leaf

I have Phyllodes Saracoma and have had it since the late 70's. It is a rare form of breast cancer. It is called phyllodes from the Greek word for leaf, because when the sections are cut, they look like leaves.
In plain English:
Phyllodes tumors are a fibroepithelial tumor composed of an epithelial and a cellular stromal component. They may be considered benign, borderline, or malignant depending on histologic features including stromal cellularity, infiltration at the tumor's edge, and mitotic activity. All forms of phyllodes tumors are considered breast cancer, as even the benign form is regarded as having malignant potential.
Got it?
All right, for a translation. Phyllodes tumors are big tumors that appear out of nowhere, are big and fast growing and, did I mention, big. One day you wake up and you have a grapefruit sized tumor inside your breast. It doesn't hurt or itch or spread to other parts of the body. It's just big and annoying. Really annoying, mostly for the having to adjust the bra straps every 5 minutes to keep the blob in my bra from sticking out.
Less than 1% of all breast tumors are phyllodes. The common treatment for phyllodes is wide local excision. Other than surgery, there is no cure for phyllodes, as chemotherapy & radiation therapy are not effective.

Here are some cancer stats:

Breast Cancer Statistics

• Excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among U.S. women, accounting for more than 1 in 4 cancers.

• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

• One out of eight American women who live to be 85 years of age will develop breast cancer, a risk that was one out of 14 in 1960.

• 2.4 million women living in the U.S. have been diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer.

• An estimated 182,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in American women during 2008. About 1,990 new cases of breast cancer are expected in men. In addition, an estimated 67,770 cases of in situ breast cancer (both DCIS and LCIS) are expected, with 85 percent being DCIS.

• An estimated 40,930 breast cancer deaths are anticipated this year (40,480 women, 450 men).

• The risk of developing breast cancer increases for women whose parent, sibling or child have had the disease.
  

• It has been estimated that 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancer cases result from inherited mutations or alterations in BRCA1 and BRCA2.
  

• Women who begin menstruating before age 12 are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. The more menstrual cycles a woman has during her lifetime, the more her risk increases.
  

• Patients with private insurance from all racial/ethnic groups are more likely to be diagnosed with stage I breast cancer and less likely to be diagnosed with stage III and IV than those who were uninsured or who had Medicaid insurance. While 89 percent of patients with private insurance survived five years, only 77 percent of uninsured and 75 percent of Medicaid patients passed the five year mark.
  
  

Information from Cancer Facts & Figures 2008, American Cancer Society.