Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer and The Pill
Although birth control pills have been only weakly linked to breast cancer in some studies, new research shows that the hormone-heavy pills used 25 years ago may have significantly increased breast cancer risk among women with a family history of the disease.

Breast Cancer Facts
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. One in nine women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. (Men may also develop breast cancer, but just one in every 100 cases of breast cancer is in a man). Over 180,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States and that number is increasing.

Breast Cancer Risk Factors

Increasing age: As women grow older, their risk increases. Breast cancer is rare before the age of 30 and is most common in women older than 65. In fact, the biggest known risk factor is age.

History of previous breast cancer: A woman with a history of cancer in one breast has a higher chance of developing cancer in the other breast.

Family history of breast cancer: Close female relatives—a mother or sister, for example, increase a person's risk. Still, only about five to 10 percent of women who get breast cancer have a family history of the disease.

Absence of pregnancy: Both pregnancy and breast-feeding are associated with lowered risk and the earlier the pregnancy, the lower one's risk. Women who have a full pregnancy before the age of 18 have just one-third the breast cancer risk of women who give birth after age 30 or who have never had a child.

Breast Cancer Symptoms
Most people associate breast cancer with a lump, but the symptoms can include a thickening within the breast or the overlying skin, redness of the skin, a change in the shape of the breast, discharge from the nipple, or a change in the shape of the nipple or its retraction. (Eight out of 10 breast lumps are benign; that is, they are not cancerous).

Breast Self-Examination (BSE) Technique
Breast Self-Examination (BSE) should be done every month.

When to do BSE:
* If you still menstruate (have your period) the best time is two or three days after your period ends. These are the days when your breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen.
* If you no longer menstruate, pick the same day of every month. It will be easy to remember.
* If you take hormones, check with your doctor about the best time for your BSE.

Facing a mirror
Standing before a mirror to look for asymmetry in breast size, nipple inversion, bulging, or dimpling is the preferred method to maximize visualization. Note any skin or nipple changes, such as a hard knot or nipple discharge.

Inspect breasts in the following 4 steps:
* Arms at sides
* Arms overhead
* Hands on hips - Press firmly to flex chest muscles.
* Bending forward

Lying down

Right breast
* Place a pillow under your right shoulder.
* Put your right hand under your head.
* Check the entire breast area with the finger pads of your left hand.
* Use small circles and follow an up-and-down pattern.
* Use light, medium, and firm pressure over each area of the breast.
* Feel the breast with the surfaces of the second, third, and fourth fingers, moving systematically and using small, circular motions from the nipple to the outer margins.
* Gently squeeze the nipple for any discharge.

Left breast
* Repeat these steps on your left breast using your right hand.

In the shower

Breast self-examination (BSE) can easily be performed during bathing or showering, because some women discover breast masses when their skin is moist.
* Raise your right arm.
* With soapy hands and fingers flat, check your right breast.
* Use the same small circles and up-and-down pattern described earlier.
* Repeat on the left breast.

Breast Test
A new, simpler technique for detecting abnormal breast cells before they develop into life-threatening breast cancer is in the pipeline. Called ductal lavage, the procedure involves a doctor inserting a catheter the width of two human hairs into the nipple and washing out enough cells from milk-producing ducts to screen for precancerous changes. Scientists have known for years that milk ducts are a great place to test for these scary cells. Unfortunately, insurers don't always pay for the test, which can cost from $350 to $700.

Gene Defects Linked to Breast Cancer
Gene defects that trigger an extremely rare and deadly childhood disease may also signal an increased risk of breast cancer. The discovery could help doctors screen women for cancer risks. The disease, Fanconi anemia, affects only about 500 families nationally, but the study found that six genes known to cause it are directly linked to one of the two genes responsible for the inherited risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

New Breast Cancer Drug Hot on Tamoxifen's Heels
A new breast cancer drug shows early signs of being better than the best currently available treatment at helping postmenopausal women with early-stage disease live longer after having surgery to remove their tumors. Women who have taken a newer type of drug called anastrozole, brand name Arimidex, were more likely to be alive and disease-free three years after surgery than women who took what is now considered the "gold standard" in breast cancer prevention, tamoxifen.

October Means Mammogram
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many hospitals and clinics offer free mammograms. Please have one today! It could save your life.

Preventing and Detecting Breast Cancer
Because 75 to 80 percent of women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors, early detection offers the best hope for surviving the disease. The first step is to understand your risk factors - age, family, and personal history of breast cancer. The next is to follow the early detection guidelines recommended by the American Cancer Society:

* Self-Examination - Women should examine their breasts monthly beginning by age 20. Over 90 percent of breast cancers are found by women themselves. But because less than one third of women perform regular breast self-examinations (BSEs), these cancers are often found when they are over an inch across. In general, the smaller the lump found, the better a woman’s chance of long-term survival.

* Physician Examination - An exam by a physician is recommended every three years until age 40, and then every year. This is an important part of an overall physical exam, but only a supplement to monthly breast self-examinations.

* Mammography - This examination is recommended once between the ages of 35 and 40 as a baseline (for comparison), and then once a year beginning at age 40. Studies show very high survival rates in women whose breast cancer was first detected by mammography. When a mammogram finds a small breast cancer, usually only the tumor is removed, not the whole breast.