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Mammogram Guidelines ~
Self Exam ~ Clinical Breast Exam
General Prevention ~
Risk Assessment
There have been many studies on factors that may influence the development of breast cancer. Obesity and the prolonged use of hormone replacement therapy are two factors that tend to contribute to the increased risk of developing breast cancer. There is also a small increased risk of breast cancer among women who use birth control for an extended period of time during their childbearing years. An increased level of dietary fat, increased alcohol intake and smoking are all factors that today have not been proven to increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
Life style factors such as diet, exercise, age at first full term pregnancy and breast-feeding have a moderate impact on breast cancer risk. There are other factors we cannot control that increase the risk of developing breast cancer. These include genetic susceptibility and increasing age. Less than 5% of women who develop breast cancer will prove positive for the genetic susceptibility to developing breast cancer. For those women who undergo genetic testing, and prove to have a gene mutation that can result in breast cancer they may have as high as a 70-80% lifetime risk of getting breast cancer and even a 40-60% chance of developing ovarian cancer. These women may opt to undergo bilateral mastectomies and removal of the ovaries to minimize the chances of developing breast or ovarian cancer.