BREAST CANCER FACTS

Breast cancer, the most common cancer among women accounts for one in every three cancer diagnoses in the United States. As the leading cause of death in women age 35-50 in the US, breast cancer is a major public health problem with 1 in 8 women expected to be diagnosed sometime during their lives.

Who Is at Average Risk for Breast Cancer?
Simply being a woman and getting older puts you at average risk for developing breast cancer. The older you are, the greater your chance of getting breast cancer. No woman should consider herself too old or too young to need regular screening mammograms. The factors that increase cancer risk -- risk factors -- do not by themselves cause cancer. Having one or more does not mean that you are certain or even likely to develop breast cancer. Even among women with no other risk factors except a strong family history -- for example, both a mother and a sister or two sisters with early onset breast cancer -- three-fourths will not develop the disease.

Risk factors associated with breast cancer are:

• beginning menstruation before 12 years of age
• no children, or children born after age 30.
• history of fibrocystic disease
• ethnic background; highest incidence in caucasians
• family history of breast cancer.
• hormone replacement therapy
• 40% more than your ideal weight
• reached menopause after the age of 55

Who Is at Higher Than Average Risk for Breast Cancer?
One or more of the following conditions place a woman at higher than average risk for breast cancer:

• personal history of a prior breast cancer
• evidence of a specific genetic change that increases susceptibility to breast cancer
• mother, sister, daughter, or two or more close relatives, such as cousins, with a history of breast cancer (especially if diagnosed at a young age)
• a diagnosis of a breast condition that may predispose a woman to breast cancer or a history of two or more breast biopsies for benign breast disease
• Also playing a role in a heightened risk for breast cancer is breast density. Women ages 45 or older who have at least 75 percent dense tissue on a mammogram are at elevated risk.

Clearly, there is much yet to be learned about what causes breast cancer. On the other hand, not having any of the known risk factors does not mean that you are "safe." Most women who develop breast cancer do not have a strong family history of breast cancer or fall into any special higher risk category.

Barriers that keep women from getting mammograms
Studies have identified a number of barriers to mammography screening. The top barriers are:

• I don’t need a mammogram because my doctor has never recommended one
• I have never thought about it
• I have no breast problems so mammography isn’t necessary
• I don’t have enough time
• Fear about pain from the procedure
• Fear of diagnosis of breast cancer
• Concerns about screening costs
• No recent clinical examination or pap smear
• No source of healthcare
• Difficulty taking time off work
• Living a distance from the screening site

The San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center and the American Cancer Society work together to remind women that early detection is the best defense against breast cancer!

To receive information about free mammograms through the Colorado Women’s Cancer Control Initiative, call the American Cancer Society at 970-247-0278.

For more information on Cancer go to our partner site.

Last Modified: July 27, 2007 10:14 AM