Know risks of breast cancer
Approximately one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. By the end of this year, more than 43,000 women in the United States, are expected to die from the disease.
The World Health Organization says breast cancer is now the most common cancer globally.
During October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, community members are reminded that early detection through screening mammograms, can help save lives.
Women should consider talking with their healthcare provider about the appropriate timing for screening mammograms, especially women who are age 40 or at high-risk. A mammogram schedule will be based upon an individual’s health.
At age 40, any woman may wish to begin regular screening mammograms. By age 45, women should have a screening mammogram and continue to have one at least every other year.
The following are many risk factors that can contribute to the cause of breast cancer:
• The risk of breast cancer increases with age.
• Doctors estimate 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to gene mutations, passed through generations of a family.
• Women who have a high percentage of breast tissue that appears dense on a mammogram, have a higher risk of breast cancer, than women of similar age who have little or no dense breast tissue.
• Personal history of breast cancer: Women who have had breast cancer, are more likely to develop a second breast cancer.
• Studies indicate the more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.
• Women who have never been pregnant have a greater risk of breast cancer.
• Women who had their first menstrual period before age 12 or who went through menopause after age 55, have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
• The chance of getting breast cancer is higher in women who are overweight or obese.
• Women who are physically inactive throughout life may have an increased risk of breast cancer.
• In the U.S., breast cancer is diagnosed more often in White women, than in Black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American.
