Breast cancer is so prevalent that most people know someone who has had it. In fact, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so here are a few facts, some of which may be surprising.
A family history of breast cancer is considered a risk factor, so if a woman’s mother, sister, aunt or grandmother has had it, she should be more careful about looking for it.
Having this risk factor, however, does not mean that you will get breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, “Only 20 to 30 percent of women with breast cancer have a family member with this disease.”
This means that seven or eight out of every 10 women who have breast cancer are not related to someone who has had it.
As a woman ages, her risk of developing breast cancer increases.
“Nearly eight out of 10 breast cancers occur in women over age 50,” according to the American Cancer Society.
The risk for a woman over 70 developing the disease in the next year is almost double that for a 50-year-old.
Some risk factors are out of your control, but there are some changes you can make to lower your risk of breast cancer, including maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise and avoiding or limiting alcohol intake. Not using hormone therapy after menopause may also help lower your risk.
Regardless of risk factors, early detection is important. All women, starting in their 20s, should perform a monthly breast self exam to help detect changes in the tissue of the breast that may indicate cancer. For instructions on a thorough method for self examination, a woman can ask her doctor or go to the American Cancer Society’s website at www.cancer.org. Any changes should be reported promptly to your physician.
Also, for younger women ages 20 to 39, a breast exam should be done every three years as part of the well-woman medical check-up. For women 40 years old and older, this exam by a doctor or nurse should be completed at least annually.
After age 40, women should also have a yearly mammogram.
“These should continue for as long as they are in good health,” recommends the American Cancer Society.
If a tumor is detected when it is just under an inch in size, there is a 94 percent 5-year survival rate. For a tumor larger than 2 inches, the rate goes down to 66 percent.
Breast cancer doesn’t have to be fatal, and early detection can mean avoiding an extremely difficult medical situation.
For more information, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.
• Jennifer Russell is an area child and family development agent for the Mississippi State University Extension Service. You may contact her at 453-6803 or jtb20@ext.msstate.edu.
