Breast cancer is cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. Only 5% to 10% of breast cancers occur in women with a clearly defined genetic predisposition for the disease. The majority of breast cancer cases are “sporadic,” meaning there is no direct family history of the disease. The risk for developing breast cancer increases as women get older.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The symptoms of breast cancer include:
Lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle. A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea. A change in the size, shape, or contour of the breast. A blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from the nipple. A change in the feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or nipple (dimpled, puckered, scaly, or inflamed). A change in shape or position of the nipple An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast. A marble-like hardened area under the skin.Self-examination of breast is encouraged
Formal breast self-exams are optional, but since 80% of cancers not spotted on mammography are found by women themselves, experts do endorse being familiar with your breasts. That just means regularly feeling them when you’re bathing or getting dressed. Most of the time, women don’t find tumors during a self-exam, but when they roll over in bed or soap up in the shower, presence of lump is noticed. If you feel something odd, talk to your doctor.
Mammogram, Ultrasonogram and MRI are the next tools
Previously, women were advised to get a monogram done every year after they reached 50 years of age. Now, the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ask that women start to start at 40.
If you have a significant family history of breast cancer, you’ll need to get one 10 years before the age a first-degree relative (like your mother) was diagnosed.
If you’re considered high risk say you have mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes you may want to get MRI every year along with your mammogram.
An MRI is more sensitive at picking up cancers than a mammogram or ultrasound, but it also has a high rate of false positives, which is why it’s only recommended for women at high risk. Mammograms fail to detect around 10% to 20% of breast cancers. This is why clinical breast exams and, to some extent, breast self-exams are crucial pieces of the screening process
Women without a family history of breast cancer are also at risk.
Roughly 70% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors for the disease. But the family-history risks are these: If a first-degree relative (a parent, sibling, or child) has had or has breast cancer, your risk of developing the disease approximately doubles. Having two first-degree relatives with the disease increases your risk even more.
Breast cancer is not caused by underwire bra
Claims that underwire bras compress the lymphatic system of the breast, causing toxins to accumulate and cause breast cancer, have been widely debunked as unscientific. The consensus is that neither the type of bra you wear nor the tightness of your underwear or other clothing has any connection to breast cancer risk.
Most breast lumps are not cancerous
Roughly 80% of lumps in women’s breasts are caused by benign (noncancerous) changes, cysts, or other conditions. Doctors encourage women to report any changes at all, however, because catching breast cancer early is so beneficial.
Breast implants can’t raise your cancer risk
According to research, women with breast implants are not in a greater risk of getting breast cancer. But standard mammograms don’t always work as well on these women; however, so additional X-rays are sometimes needed to examine the breast tissue.
Controversies about antiperspirant and needle biopsy
A popular rumor is that antiperspirants increase the risk of breast cancer. The American Cancer Society denounces this rumor. Some researchers believe, needle biopsies can disturb cancer cells and cause them to spread to other parts of the body. But there’s no conclusive evidence for this claim.
There’s a lot that women can do to lower their risk, including losing weight if they’re obese, getting regular exercise, eliminating alcohol consumption, being rigorous about examining their own breasts, and having regular clinical exams and mammograms.
