Raise Your Breast Cancer Awareness

By Jill Ross, HealthAtoZ contributing writer

Simply being a woman and getting older puts you at increased risk for breast cancer. It's estimated that one in eight women will develop breast cancer - an alarming figure, but one that shouldn't leave you feeling helpless.

If there is a single thing you can do for yourself, it is to take the time to acquaint yourself with facts about breast cancer and steps you can take for early detection.

If you're 40 or older, do one of the best things you can do for your health. Get screened.

Who is at risk?

Age is the most important factor in the risk for breast cancer, yet obviously it's not something you can do anything about. Simply, the older you get, the greater your chance of getting breast cancer:

By age 30, one out of 2,212
By age 40, one out of 235
By age 50, one out of 54
By age 60, one out of 23
By age 70, one out of 14
By age 80, one out of 10

These other factors, too, place a woman at higher-than-average risk for breast cancer:

• A personal history of a prior breast cancer

• Specific alterations in certain genes (BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations) detected through genetic testing

• Family history of breast cancer (mother, sister, daughter, or two or more close relatives)

• Diagnosis of a breast condition that may predispose a woman to breast cancer or a history of two or more breast biopsies for benign (non-cancerous) breast disease

• Never having had children or having your first child after age 30

• If you are 45 or older and have 75 percent or more dense breast tissue (called fibrocystic breast disease)

You should know, however, that being free of the above risk factors does NOT mean that you are "safe". In fact, the majority of women who develop breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease, nor do they fall into any other special high-risk category.

So what can a woman do?

There are three important exams that can protect your breast health:

• A monthly breast self-examination (BSE) should be performed once each month beginning at age 20. Doctors are urged to talk with their patients about the limitations of such exams. Research has shown BSE plays a small role in detecting breast cancer compared with mammograms, clinical exams and self-awareness. (Self-awareness is being familiar with how your healthy breasts feel and look like.) The American Cancer Society (ACS) says evidence does not show monthly BSE has any advantage over annual mammograms and exams by your doctor. The ACS urges you not to substitute BSE for regular mammograms and a doctor's exam. However, the ACS still says BSE is one way for women to know how their breasts normally feel and to notice any changes. Many women find a lump before any member of the medical team. Mammograms continue to be the gold standard in breast cancer detection and can pick up tumors several years before a lump can be felt.

• Adult women should receive regular physician-performed clinical breast exams, which complements mammograms and offers a woman a chance to talk with their doctor about changes in their breasts, risk factors and early detection testing.

• Women should begin receiving annual screening mammograms starting at age 40.

Breast self-exam

Changes you should look for in your breasts include:

• Any new lump (which may not be painful or tender).

• Unusual thickening of your breasts.

• Sticky or bloody discharge from your nipples. The kind of discharge to worry about is that which comes out by itself without squeezing, doesn't go away and only comes from one nipple and usually one duct. Cancers are rarely the cause of discharge. But don't dismiss this symptom.

• Any changes in the skin of your nipples or breasts, such as puckering or dimpling.

• An unusual increase in the size of one breast.

• One breast unusually lower than the other.

Women with chronic health problems, serious illnesses or a short life expectancy may not get the same benefit from screening as healthy women because they may not be able to pursue treatment if breast cancer is found, according to the ACS.

Mammograms

A mammogram, which is a special X-ray of your breasts, is the most widely used method available today to detect breast cancer early. A mammogram can find breast cancer before a lump can be felt. Early detection may allow more treatment options.

For women in their 40s, having mammograms on a regular basis - every year - reduces their chances of dying from breast cancer by 16 percent. For women ages 50 to 69, there is evidence that screening mammograms on a regular basis reduces breast cancer deaths by 25 percent to 30 percent.

Traditional film mammograms have limitations, though. They either miss cancer that is present or they sometimes result in false positives, that is, they find something that turns out not to be cancer.

If there is a question on a mammogram, then, for some cases, a breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help clarify the results. An MRI is a newer technology that often gives a more accurate picture of a breast cancer and is only available at a center having special MRI equipment.

What else can you do?

• In addition to self-exams, have periodic breast exams by a doctor or nurse.

• Talk with your doctor or nurse about planning your personal schedule for screening mammograms and breast exams.

• Gather as much information as you can about your family history of cancer, breast cancer and screening mammograms.

• Exercise and eat a balanced diet that provides a good variety of nutrients and plenty of fiber. Limit dietary fat and alcohol.

• Consult your doctor about your personal situation and carefully weigh any potential risks against the benefits in making decisions about hormone-containing drugs. The National Institutes of Health is studying the relationship of hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer.

• Call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service for more information about breast cancer and mammograms at 1-800-332-8615.

Related Articles What Every Woman Needs to Know Detecting Breast Lumps Breast Self-Examination Are Mammograms Getting Better?

External Sources The National Cancer Institute. The American Academy of Family Physicians. Dollinger M, Rosenbaum, EH, Tempero M., et al. Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, Fourth Edition, Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002.

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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