Monday, March 5, 2012

There is nothing happening this week-just waiting on test results and appointments. Therefore I thought it would be a good time to list some basic information about breast cancer. My information has come from the American Cancer Society website, Breast Cancer.Org, and books authored by Dr. David Chan and Dr. John Link that came recommended by one of my doctors, as well as my doctors themselves.

-Women in general have a 1in 8 chance of having breast cancer
-75-85% of newly diagnosed breast cancers occur in women who have no family history
-Breast cancer that is hereditary tends to happen at a younger age
-If a relative also had early breast cancer the chance of the BRCA gene (breast cancer gene) being abnormal may be as high as 80%   (I will mention more about the gene at a later time)
-Almost 10% of breast cancers are not seen on mammograms
-If you have a first degree relative (sister, mother, daughter) with breast cancer your risk is doubled
-If you have a relative (grandmother, mother, sister, aunt) who has had breast cancer before the age of 50 your risk is higher
-If you have one family member who has had both breast and ovarian cancer you are at higher risk
-If you carry the gene you have up to an 80% chance of having breast cancer
-If you started your periods younger than age 12 your risk goes up
-If someone in your family had cancer in other glandular organs-especially pancreatic, colon, or thyroid your are at a higher risk
-If someone in your family had cancer in both breasts this increases your chances
-If you entered menopause at a late age-greater than 55
-Use of hormone replacement therapies has been associated with breast cancer
-If you had your first baby late in life

Many risk factors are beyond our control but there are things we can do.
-Eat nutritious meals with lots of fruits and vegetables and low in fats and processed goods
-Exercise regularly
-Drink alcohol in moderation. Once diagnosed with breast cancer I learned that three or more drinks a week can increase your chance of recurrence by as much as 30%. That's huge!
-Do monthly self breast exams
-Have a yearly exam by your doctor
-Start yearly mammograms at age 40. If you are high risk or have a family history talk to your doctor. He/she will start your screenings at a younger age.
-Be open to follow-up testing-MRI or ultrasound if your doctor suggests it
-If you are having your children consider breast feeding-longer periods of time are better!
-Do not smoke!

Many of things are common sense and we all know them, the question is do we do them???  :)