According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 268,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year. Men can also develop breast cancer. The ACS estimates that about 2,670 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2019.
Breast cancer comes with many questions, but with few simple answers: When should I get screened for breast cancer? What is my risk of developing breast cancer? In an effort to go beyond awareness, here are some breast cancer basics.
What is my risk for breast cancer?
All women are at risk of developing breast cancer. The ACS reports that the chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer in her life is roughly one in eight.
While some risk factors you can’t change – like gender, age and family history – some lifestyle choices can increase your risk for developing breast cancer. Some contraceptive methods and post-menopausal hormone therapies have been linked to an increased risk. Drinking alcohol and being overweight or obese can also increase your risk of developing breast cancer.Studies have suggested that breastfeeding and regular exercise – even just walking a few hours each week – may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
More research is being done to find other ways women can decrease their risk.
Once I know my risk, when should I be screened for breast cancer?
By age 20, women should start doing monthly breast self-exams and should have a clinical breast exam done by their doctor each year.
While there is some debate over when annual mammogram screenings should begin, most health organizations recommend annual mammograms starting at age 45, with the choice to start annual breast cancer screenings beginning at age 40. Screening recommendations can vary depending on your risk for breast cancer. If you have questions about your breast cancer screening needs, talk with your doctor.
Types of mammograms
What happens if I find a lump in my breast?
If a lump is found, or an area is causing concern, a person should seek medical attention.
When a lump is discovered, other tests are run to determine if it is cancerous. Because many other breast conditions can cause changes to breast tissue a lump does not always mean cancer. Regardless of the cause, any time you discover a change in your breast tissue – lumps, dimples, changes in size or discharge – let your doctor know.
If a lump or other breast tissue change is determined to be cancer, the diagnosis is not a death sentence. Chances of surviving breast cancer are very high and survival rates continue to rise. The survival rate for a woman with Stage 2 breast cancer is 93 percent. A Stage 3 patient’s survival rate is as high as 72 percent. If the cancer is not caught until Stage 4, the survival rate drops to 22 percent.
Making mammograms more comfortable
The gold standard for breast cancer screening is mammography. A mammogram appointment can be intimidating and the tests can be uncomfortable. Here are a few ways to make your appointment quicker and more comfortable:
- For pre-menopausal women, try scheduling your appointment for the week after your menstrual cycle. Your breasts will be less tender.
- Eliminating all caffeine from your diet for five days before your appointment can make things more comfortable.
- Try taking a pain reliever about one hour before your exam. Check with your doctor to see which pain reliever is best for you.
- Talk with your mammography technologist. The tech can help talk you through the best way to position your body to get the best images in the shortest amount of time. The more you work with your tech, the sooner your appointment will be over.
