Beating Breast Cancer
Breast cancer
is the most common type of cancer among women in this country (other
than skin cancer). Each year, more than 211,000 American women learn
they have this disease and about 1,700 men as well. The risk of
breast cancer increases as women get older. Over the years,
researchers have identified certain characteristics, usually
referred to as risk factors, which influence a woman's chance of
getting the disease. Still, many women who develop breast cancer
have no known risk factors other than growing older, and many women
with known risk factors do not develop breast cancer. Before getting
into who’s most at risk, let’s look into some preventative steps to
fighting breast cancer.
If
you’re a woman, starting when you are 20, give yourself a breast
self-exam every month. Your doctor can show you how to do this. Have
a breast exam performed by your doctor at least once every three
years, and once a year once you turn 40. Every year after the age of
50, you should get a mammogram, which is an X-ray of your breasts.
Journal of Clinical Oncology showed that each successive annual
mammogram lowered a woman's breast cancer mortality risk by about 31
percent. Compounding this benefit over a period of four years would
cut a woman’s cumulative risk of breast cancer death by 88 percent.
Talk to your doctor if you have a family history of breast cancer or
may be at more risk due to your lifestyle or demographic.
Some factors that have shown an increased risk of getting breast
cancer include age, diet, and genetics. The majority of breast
cancer cases occur in women over 50. Women who had their first
menstrual period before the age of 12 are at more risk. Having one
or more first-degree blood relatives (mother, sister, daughters) who
have been diagnosed with breast cancer increases a woman's chances
of developing the disease. White women are also more predisposed to
breast cancer than black women. Increased risk is also seen with
women who have a high body mass index as well as those with a diet
high in fat. Low fat diets and exercise, however, have been shown to
lower the risk of breast cancer.
If you fell into one
of the groups of increased risk, you should talk to your doctor
about possibly increasing the frequency of breast exams or taking
other preventative steps. Just remember, breast cancer is very
treatable if it’s found early.
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