Factsheets-march05.qxd

How can I prevent breast cancer?
The causes of breast cancer are not fully understood, although it is clear that a woman’s lifetime exposure to estrogen and her age at the time of her first childbirth play an important role. Because no one knows exactly what causes breast cancer, there are no sure ways to prevent it. There are steps that every woman can take that may make developing breast cancer less likely. These include eating healthy, exercising regularly and limiting the amount ofalcohol you drink. Leading a healthy lifestyle will I have a family history of breast cancer. Does that
not eliminate your chance of getting breast cancer, mean I’ll develop breast cancer, too?
but it may help reduce your risk. For women at Not necessarily. Just because other family members higher risk, the antiestrogen drug tamoxifen can also have had breast cancer doesn’t mean that their disease help to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
was inherited. Only about 5 to 10 percent of all breastcancers occur because of inherited mutations.2 Who gets breast cancer?
Anyone can get breast cancer. For example, did you
If I am diagnosed with breast cancer, what are my
chances of surviving?
the older a woman is, the more likely she is to get In general, pretty good. The 5-year survival rate for all women diagnosed with breast cancer is 87 white women are more likely to get breast cancer percent.2 This means that 87 out of every 100 women than women of any other racial or ethnic group? with breast cancer will survive without a recurrence They also have a better chance of survival, prima- for at least five years. Most will live a full life and rily because their cancer is usually detected earlier.
never have a recurrence. Your chances of surviving African American women are more likely to die are better if the cancer is detected early, before it from breast cancer than white women.
spreads to other parts of your body. In fact, when men can get breast cancer too, although it is rare.
breast cancer is confined to the breast, the 5-year Less than one of every 100 cases of breast cancer in survival rate is over 95 percent.2 That is why it is so important to take steps to detect breast cancer in its in 2005, it is estimated that men will account for 1 American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2005.
2 How do I know if I am at risk for breast cancer?
American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2003-2004.
All women are at risk for breast cancer. Known risk fac-tors like having a family history of breast cancer, starting For more information about breast health or breast cancer, call the Susan G. KomenBreast Cancer Foundation’s Toll-Free Helpline at 1.800 I’M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273)or visit the Web site at www.komen.org.
The best way to detect breast cancer in its earliest Most women have more than one known risk factor stages is to routinely check your breasts for signs for developing breast cancer, yet will never get the and symptoms of the disease. There are three disease. Some risk factors are things that you do not have any control over, while others can be changed bymaking changes in your lifestyle (see list below).
Mammograms are X-ray pictures of the breast.
What is the most important risk factor? Simply being They can detect breast cancer in its earliest stages, a woman. But remember, there is no one cause of even before a lump can be felt. All women 40 breast cancer. If you are concerned about your breast and older should have a mammogram every year.
cancer risk, discuss your breast health needs with If you are younger than 40 with either a family history of breast cancer or other concerns aboutpersonal risk, talk with your health care provider Known and probable risk factors:
about risk assessment, when to start getting mammograms and how often to have them.
getting olderhaving a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer Clinical breast exam is performed by a health care
having a family history of breast cancer or provider who carefully checks your breasts and underarm areas for any lumps or changes that having a previous biopsy showing hyperplasia or may be present. Many women have a clinical breast exam performed when they get their Pap test.
Women should have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years between the ages of 20 and 39 and having your first child after age 30having a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast Breast self-exam (BSE) involves two main steps,
looking at and feeling your breasts for any change drinking more than one alcoholic drink per day from normal. If you notice any change in the being overweight after menopause or gaining normal look or feel of your breasts, see your health care provider. All women should perform currently or recently using combined estrogen and monthly BSE by age 20. BSE should be done once progestin hormone replacement therapy (HRT) a month, a few days after the last day of your period. If you no longer have periods, do BSE on the same day each month. At your nextappointment, ask your health care provider to showyou the steps for BSE. (For step-by-step BSE instructions, go to www.komen.org/bse or call 1.800 I’M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273) to request a The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is not a health care provider and does not give medical advice. The information providedin this material is not meant to be used for self-diagnosis or to replace the services of a medical professional. Developed in collaboration with the Health Communication Research Laboratory at Saint Louis University.
2005 The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Item No. 806-316 4/05

Source: http://www.anthonyisd.net/docs/health/Breastcancerfacts.pdf