Facts About Breast Cancer

*the older a woman is, the more likely she is to get breast cancer
*White women are more likely to get breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group. They also have a better chance of survival, primarily because their cancer is usually detected earlier.
*in 1999, it is estimated that men will account for 1,300 cases of breast cancer.

*Known and probable risk factors:

*being a woman
*getting older
*having a family history of breast cancer
*having a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer genes
*having a previous benign breast biopsy
*having your first period before age 12
*starting menopause after age 55
*having no children
*having your first child after age 30
*drinking more than 1 alcoholic drink per day
*eating a diet low in fruits and vegetables
*having a sedentary lifestyle
*being overweight after menopause

Age: a major factor

A woman's chance of getting breast cancer increases with age. For a woman born today, her risk by age 30 is 1 out of 2,525.

by age 40: 1 out of 217
by age 50: 1 out of 50
by age 60: 1 out of 24
by age 70: 1 out of 14
by age 80: 1 out of 10

Factors that may increase your risk of breast cancer:

Factors you can control:
*having more than one drink of alcohol per day
*taking birth control pills for 5 years or longer can slightly increase your risk for breast cancer
*not getting regular exercise
*currently or recently using some forms of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for 10 years or longer, which may slightly increase risk
*being overweight or gaining weight as an adult
*being exposed to large amounts of radiation, such as having very frequent spine x­rays during scoliosis treatment

Factors you cannot control:

*getting older — the older you get, the greater your risk of breast cancer
*having a mother, daughter, or sister who has had breast cancer
*having the mutated breast cancer genes BRCA1 or BRCA2
*having had breast cancer
*being young (<12 years) at the time of your first period
*starting menopause later (>55 years)
*never being pregnant, or having your first child after age 30 years.

Who has mutations to BRCA1 and BRCA2?

The likelihood that you have mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes is greater if one or more of the following statements are true for you:

*your mother, sister, or daughter has had breast or ovarian cancer
*a woman in your family has had both breast and ovarian cancer
*a woman in your family has had pre-menopausal breast cancer
*a woman in your family has had breast cancer in both breasts
*your family is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent

But remember, most women who get breast cancer do not have an inherited gene mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. That is why it is important that every woman perform monthly breast self-exams and have clinical breast exams and mammograms as recommended.

Facts About Breast Cancer in the USA

Excerpted From NABCO (National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations)

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in woman in the United States. It occurs rarely in men. Both its cause and the means for its cure are undiscovered. More than 1.6 million breast cancer survivors are alive in America today.

In 1996, 182,000 new cases of female breast cancer will be diagnosed, and 46,000 women will die from the disease. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for African-American women, and for all women between the ages of 35 and 54.

One out of nine women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime -- a risk that was one out of 14 in 1960. This year, a breast cancer will be newly diagnosed every three minutes, and a woman will die from breast cancer every 12 minutes.

Every woman is at risk for breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer increases as a woman ages, if she has a family history of breast cancer, has never had children or had her first child after age 30. However, over 70% of cases occur in women who have no identifiable risk factors.

Breast cancer cannot be prevented, but it can be detected at an early, treatable stage. Only about 40% of American women have regular screening mammograms, a simple procedure that can reveal breast cancer at its earliest stage, up to two years before it can be felt. Regular screening mammography should begin by age 40 and annually after age 50.

Regular breast examinations by a medical professional are a required complement to screening mammography. Many breast irregularities are found by women themselves. Yet women often do not know how to perform breast self-examination (BSE) , and few do so regularly. Although it has never been proven to affect survival, monthly BSE is the third recommended component of each woman's breast health program.

Over 80% of breast lumps are proven benign, but any breast lump must be evaluated by a physician. Follow-up biopsy is often recommended.

If detected early, breast cancer can often be treated effectively with surgery that preserves the breast, followed by radiation therapy. This local therapy is sometimes accompanied by systemic chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy. Five year survival after treatment for early-stage breast cancer is over 90%.

Breast cancer incidence increases with age, rising sharply after age 40. Eighty percent of all breast cancers occur in women over 50 years of age.