Breast Cancer Prevention
It’s not a scare tactic, it’s a fact: A woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer. The scary part is that most women who develop breast cancer have no family history of the disease. That is why we must stay vigilant in knowing how our breasts look and feel and take quick action when we see the slightest unusual bump, tuck, twist or new development – and not let fear sign our death warrants.
By the end of this year, the American Cancer Society predicts more than 360,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the United States – and not just women 50 plus. A study in The Lancet Public Health found that Gen Xers and millennials have a higher risk of developing 17 of 34 types of cancers – including breast cancer – compared with older generations.
Members of Generation X — adults born between 1965 and 1980 — are more likely to be
diagnosed with cancer than older generations, according to the National Cancer Institute. In a
study of 3.8 million individuals in the U.S. diagnosed with invasive cancer from 1992 to 2018,
researchers found that as Gen X adults hit 60, they will be more likely to get cancer than
baby boomers were at age 60.
Risk Factors
Obesity- The CDC has linked 13 types of cancer to obesity; female breast cancer is one of them.
Sleep- Insufficient sleep has been shown, in studies, to influence and regulate estrogen levels, cellular replication, inflammation and the immune system.
Environment- Researchers found that women who lived in areas with higher levels of lead, mercury, and cadmium in air pollution had a greater chance of developing postmenopausal breast cancer. They also found that higher levels of nitrogen dioxide, a component of air pollution related to traffic, is associated with increased breast cancer risk. Living near industrial emissions may be linked to higher breast cancer rates as well. Burning wood or natural gas indoors, at least once a week, was associated with a modestly higher risk of breast cancer.
Unhealthy Gut- New research shows that poor diet and long-term antibiotic use, among other factors, negatively reprogram important immune cells in normal breast tissue and helps breast cancer spread to other parts of the body.
Genetics- As mentioned earlier, only 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary. Most inherited cases are associated with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
African American women have a higher incidence of breast cancer – In addition to inadequate health insurance and less access to health facilities, Black women are statistically more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, and are less likely to breastfeed after childbirth—all of which are risk factors for breast cancer.
Mammograms
Early breast cancers are unlikely to have outward signs or symptoms, which is why mammograms are so important.
Women at high risk for breast cancer, those with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, should have a breast MRI and mammogram starting at age 30 each year. Those with normal risks should begin at age 40.
For women with fibrocystic (or dense breasts), a breast ultrasound is recommended.
Breast Cancer in Men
There’s no breast cancer screening available for men, so paying attention to possible symptoms is especially important for them. Lumps are, by far, the most common symptom.
Unlike the case for women, family history is the biggest risk factor for men. About 1 in 5 men with breast cancer have a male or female parent, sibling or child with the disease, according to the experts at Sloan Kettering.
Although breast cancer can occur at any age, it is most commonly diagnosed in men in their 60s, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Black men are more likely to get breast cancer than white and Hispanic men; they’re also more likely to die from it, according to Susan G. Komen reports.
Timing is Vital
About 65 percent of breast cancers in the United States are diagnosed in early stages, while still confined to the breast.
Doctors recommend that women pay attention to how their breasts normally look – and feel – and whether they change during menstrual cycles and through body changes like pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause and simply aging.
Seek medical attention for anything that you’re pretty sure wasn’t there before and persists a couple of weeks, even if you’ve had a mammogram a couple of months before. Timing is everything.
The Good News:
Most lumps are not cancer. They can be benign cysts or normal breast tissue that feels lumpy. Monthly hormonal cycles and the approach of menopause can create lumps as well.
There has been an overall 42 percent decline in breast cancer deaths over the last three decades.
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