One in eight women will face breast cancer during their lifetime. Yet life-saving early detection methods, like mammograms, can help catch this common cancer when it’s most treatable.
Health care professionals close to home can help women ensure that breast cancer is detected and treated in its earliest stages. An annual mammogram for all women who are 40 or older is among the best methods to stop this disease. Younger women who are at high risk for breast cancer may qualify for earlier screenings. Consider these facts about breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society:
- This year, more than 42,000 women will die from breast cancer.
- Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women; doctors will find and treat over 310,000 new cases this year.
- One in three of all new cancers in females are found in breast tissue.
- Progress is possible; breast cancer deaths have dropped 44% since 1989.
What steps can you take to reduce your risk?
If you already haven’t scheduled your annual mammogram this year and you’re age 40 or older, make that appointment. The gold standard for this test is 3D mammography. If the exam shows something might be wrong, advanced imaging and diagnostic tools can ensure quick answers.
Another good step is to have a clinical breast exam as part of your yearly checkup. If you have yet to get in to see your primary care provider this year, make sure you do, no matter your age. All women should also conduct regular breast self-exams. When you do, know what to watch for, such as:
- Breast lumps, especially lumps that feel hard, have an irregular shape, and don’t move around easily. However, report any lumps of concern to your provider.
- Itchiness, soreness or warm skin
- Unevenness between your breasts
- Bulges, ripples or dimples or new changes to skin or nipples
- Any sort of discharge, especially if it contains blood
It’s important to understand your risk factors, including family history. If your mother, sister, aunts or grandmothers had breast cancer, you should tell your health care provider. Other factors, like breast density, alcohol use, obesity and activity level can change your personal risk level. Review your health history with a professional who can recommend steps if you’re at higher risk.
It’s important to remember that most abnormal mammogram findings are benign. However, if further tests reveal breast cancer, your specialists will develop a treatment plan. Lifestyle, type of breast cancer and stage of cancer will help determine your treatment plan, but it may include:
Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery known as lumpectomy to remove just the cancer may be one option, while mastectomy (removal of all breast tissue) is another. With the help of your cancer specialists, you’re the decision-maker for these surgical choices, and you can opt for reconstructive surgery that helps you look and feel like yourself.
Radiation therapy: In some cases, surgeons can deliver a boost of radiation during a lumpectomy procedure. This electron-based procedure helps reduce the length of radiation therapy a patient may have to undergo after surgery. External beam radiation treatments after surgery use precise energy to destroy any remaining cancer cells without affecting other body parts and help prevent the cancer from recurring at the original tumor site.
Chemotherapy and biotherapy: Medications, including those that work with your body’s own immune system, can help prevent or stop the spread of breast cancer elsewhere in your body. Sometimes a combination of therapies is recommended.
Precision oncology: Cancer specialists analyze your DNA to help inform how to treat your specific case of cancer.
This October, during national Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let’s all be proactive as we “think pink.” If you’re a woman, learn about breast health and get the screenings recommended for you. All of us can show how much we care by supporting survivors and encouraging women we know to get their mammograms.