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What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer

The Statistics are Heartbreakingly Familiar:
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. It’s an all-too-common disease, but fortunately, it’s one that can often be detected early and effectively treated. Arming yourself with the knowledge you need to fight the disease is the first step toward preventing breast cancer. From common risk factors to the most common screening tests, we’ll take a look, in these pages, at what you need to know to help you to detect breast cancer.

What is Breast Cancer?
Every day, cells in your body divide, grow and die. Most of the time cells divide and grow in an orderly manner. But unfortunately, cells can grow out of control. This kind of growth of cells forms a mass or lump called a tumor. Tumors are either benign or malignant.

Benign Tumors
Benign tumors are not cancerous. But left untreated, some can pose a health risk, so they are often removed. When these tumors are removed, they typically do not reappear. Most importantly, the cells of a benign tumor do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body.

Malignant (cancerous) Tumors
Malignant tumors are made of abnormal cells. Malignant tumor cells can invade nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. A malignant tumor that develops in the breast is called breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Risk Factors
The causes of breast cancer are not fully known. However, researchers have identified a number of factors that increase one’s chances of getting breast cancer. These are called risk factors. Risk factors are not necessarily causes of breast cancer, but are associated with an increased chance of getting breast cancer. Some women have many risk factors but never get breast cancer. Some women have few or no risk factors but do get the disease. Being a woman is the number one risk factor for breast cancer. Talk to your health care provider to determine if you have any breast cancer risk factors you need to be concerned about.

There are some risk factors you can control and others you cannot. Remember, even if you do not have any of these risk factors, you can still develop breast cancer.

Factors that may increase your risk of breast cancer include:
• Being a woman
• Getting older - the older you get, the greater your risk
• Having an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer genes. For more information regarding BRCA1 and BRCA2, visit ww5.komen.org/breastcancer/inherited geneticmutations.html
• Having a previous biopsy showing hyperplasia or carcinoma in situ
• A family history of breast cancer
• Having high breast density on a mammogram
• Being exposed to large amounts of radiation, such as having very frequent spine X-rays for scoliosis or
treatment for Hodgkin’s disease at a young age
• A personal history of breast or ovarian cancer
• Starting menopause after age 55
• Never having children
• Having your first child after age 35
• High bone density
• Being overweight after menopause or gaining weight as an adult
• Having more than one drink of alcohol per day
• Currently or recently using combined estrogen and progesterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• Being younger than 12 at the time of your first period
• Current or recent use of birth control pills

Age: A Major Factor
A woman’s chance of getting breast cancer increases with age.
Your chance by your current age is:
Age 20 1 in 1,837
Age 30 1 in 234
Age 40 1 in 70
Age 50 1 in 40
Age 60 1 in 28
Age 70 1 in 26
Lifetime 1 in 8

Source: American Cancer Society
Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2007-2008

Facts for Life: Get the Facts on Breast Cancer

Because the causes and cures for breast cancer are not yet fully known, many people have misconceptions about the disease. Here is what we know for sure:

Myth
I’m only 35. Breast cancer happens only in older women.
Fact
While the risk of breast cancer increases with age, all women are at risk for getting breast cancer.

Myth
Breastfeeding can increase my risk of breast cancer.
Fact
Breastfeeding may decrease a woman’s risk of getting premenopausal breast cancer.

Myth
You can prevent breast cancer.
Fact
Because the causes of breast cancer are not yet fully known, there is no way to absolutely prevent it. However, the drugs tamoxifen or raloxifene can help reduce the risk.

Myth
Women with more than one risk factor typically get breast cancer.
Fact
Most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors except being a woman and getting older, All women are at risk.

Myth
Women with a family history of breast cancer typically get breast cancer.
Fact
Actually, most women who get breast cancer have no family history of the disease. However, a woman whose mother, sister or daughter had breast cancer has an increased risk. Having a male relative with breast cancer, although rare, can also increase your risk.

Myth
If I don’t have a mutated gene called BRCA1 or BRCA2, I won’t get breast cancer.
Fact
Just because you do not have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, you can still get breast cancer. About 90 to 95 percent of women who get breast cancer actually do not have an inherited form of breast cancer, or a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.

Myth
If I had a mammogram every year, I would be exposed to too much radiation, and that would cause cancer.
Fact
The small level of radiation from mammograms is believed to be safe, with the benefits outweighing the risks.

For more information about risk factors, visit www.komen.org/riskmatrix.

Warning Signs
It’s essential to recognize the various warning signs for breast cancer so that you can discuss them with your health care provider should they appear. The earlier you sense a change, the earlier you can get tested - and treated, if need be.
What to look for:
• A change in the look or feel of the breast:
• A change in size or shape of the breast
• A lump or thickening in the breast, the area surrounding the breast or underarm
• A warm sensation in the breast
• Breast pain — although breast pain is usually associated with benign breast conditions rather than cancer, it can be a symptom of either condition

A change in the look or feel of the nipple:
• A nipple turned inward or sunken into the breast
• The shape of the nipple becomes irregular
• A rash on the nipple or areola
• Nipple tenderness, increased sensitivity or pain
• Blood or fluid other than breast milk secreted from the nipple

A change in the look or feel of the skin on the breast, nipple or areola:
• Dimpling of the skin on the breast (similar in texture of an orange rind)
• The appearance of irritated, red, scaly or swollen skin on the breast, nipple or areola

Facts for Life: Breast Cancer Detection

The importance of early detection in breast cancer treatment cannot be overstated - the earlier cancer is found, the more effective the treatment can be. Often, today’s tests can detect breast cancer before you have any symptoms at all.

Breast Cancer Screening Methods:

Breast Self-Exam (BSE)
Self-examination is a tool that may help you learn what is normal for you. BSE includes looking at and feeling your breasts. Many women have a pattern of lumpiness in their breasts, which is normal. But if you feel any change or a new lump in your breasts or underarms, ask your doctor to examine the area. For step-by-step BSE instructions, visit www.komen.org/bse.

Clinical Breast Exam
A breast exam by a health care provider should be part of your regular medical checkup. If it is not, ask for it. A clinical breast exam includes a visual examination and carefully feeling the entire breast and underarm area. If you are 40 or older, schedule your mammogram close to the time of your clinical breast exam.

Mammogram
A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. It is done with a special X-ray machine designed for this purpose. The picture is stored on film (standard) or into a computer (digital). A mammogram can find many cancers before they can be felt.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MRI uses magnetic fields to create an image of the breast. It is more invasive than mammography because a contrast agent is injected before the procedure. At this time, MRI is most often used to help with the diagnosis
and staging of cancer, rather than to detect cancer. However, there is growing evidence that MRI also offers some benefit in the early detection of breast cancer, especially among certain groups of women at higher risk. Compared to mammography alone, MRI with mammography has been shown to increase detection of breast cancer in women at higher risk due to a genetic mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene or with a strong family history. Because coverage varies, before getting MRI screening, you may wish to talk to your insurance provider as well as your health care provider.

You Know Yourself Best
No one knows more about your body than you do. Not your partner, not your parents, not even your doctor. So when you talk with any health care provider about your health, remember that you have valuable information they can use. You know about changes in your body and about any problems you may be having. Share that information. Communication between you and your doctor is one of the best ways to make sure you get the care you deserve.

When breast cancer is found early, before it spreads beyond the breast, the five-year survival rate in the U.S. is 98 percent. This is up from 74 percent in 1982 when Komen for the Cure was founded.

Here are guidelines for the most commonly performed breast cancer screening tests. By making sure you are tested according to these recommendations, you will vastly improve the chances that, if there is a problem, it is discovered as early as possible.

TEST: Breast Self Exam

WHO SHOULD HAVE IT
All women should perform breast self-exams

HOW OFTEN
Every other month

TEST: Clinical Breast Exam

WHO SHOULD HAVE IT
All women should have this exam as part of their routine physical

HOW OFTEN
At least every 3 years between ages 20-39
Every year beginning at age 40
Women with a high risk should have one more often, usually between 6-12 months or as recommended by their health care provider

TEST: Mammogram

WHO SHOULD HAVE IT
Generally, all women starting at age 40
Women who are at high risk

HOW OFTEN
Once a year

TEST: MRI

WHO SHOULD HAVE IT
Women with high risk
Women who have breast cancer in one breast should have an MRI of the other breast
Women who have a lump they can feel but that doesn’t appear on a mammogram
Young women with highly dense breast tissue

HOW OFTEN
Once a year, along with
a mammogram or as recommended by their health care provider

Good Health Tip

Now Is the Best Time

Believe it or not, the best time to check for breast cancer is when your breasts feel fine. If you find cancer early, there are more treatment options and a much better chance for survival. Mammography is the best screening method used today to find breast cancer early. However, it is not perfect. But, when mammography is combined with a clinical breast exam, your chances for finding cancer are even greater.

Source: Susan G. Komen for the Cure.®