First things first - what is breast cancer?
"Breast cancer starts from a single cell within the breast that turns to cancer and then grows a tumor that can then spread to the local surrounding tissue or metastasize which means spread to distant parts of the body,” said Dr. Kimberly Lund.
The obvious question would be - what causes breast cancer.
"The most common of which is age. Simply, 85 percent or more of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50 and only five percent of breast cancers occur in women under the age of 40. Another risk factor that we cannot control is that there is a gene that some women carry that pre-dispose them to breast cancer,” said Lund.
Pre-disposition for breast cancer cannot be controlled. However, there are some health factors that women can control to ward off breast cancer.
"Women that are obese may be at increased risk so it may be beneficial to keep your weight down. Also avoidance of alcohol. Taking hormone replacement or oral contraceptive pills can also increase your risk,” said Lund.
Dr. Lund recommends a self-examination in an effort to find unusual lumps in the breast. We wondered about the timing of mammograms.
"A woman of average risk should start to talk with their physician at age 40 about the possibility of starting mammogram screening. If however, you have a higher risk because of a significant history of breast or ovarian cancer, you should start talking to your physician sooner than age 40,” said Lund.
We will continue to have reports throughout October regarding breast cancer awareness month.
