Prevention Of Breast Cancer

The main risk factors for developing breast cancer are sex, age and genetics. Because women can do something about these risks, regular screening is recommended to allow early detection and to avoid the death of breast cancer.

Regular screening includes breast self-examination, clinical breast examination and mammography.

Self-examination (BSE) is cheap and easy. Monthly review of routine can be useful. Previously thought to be critical, more recent studies suggest that breast self-examination may be less valuable than previously thought, especially for women with a routine clinical breast and / or mammography.

Women who are menstruating, the best time to study just menstruation.

For women who do not menstruate, or whose periods are very irregular, choose a certain date each month seems to work best.

Breast self-exam teaching technique can be your health care provider or one of several organizations interested in breast cancer.

Clinical Research: The American Cancer Society recommends breast examination, trained health care provider every three years from the age of 20 years and then annually after the age of 40 years.

Mammograms are recommended every one or two years from the age of 40 years. Women have a high risk of developing breast cancer, mammography screening may start earlier, usually before 10 years of age younger than a close relative developed breast cancer.

Obesity after menopause and excessive alcohol consumption may increase breast cancer risk slightly. Physically active women may have a lower risk. All women are encouraged to maintain a normal body weight, especially after menopause and reduce the excessive consumption of alcohol. HRT should be limited in time, if medically necessary.

In women who are genetically at high risk of developing breast cancer, tamoxifen has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of the disease. Side effects should be carefully discussed with your health care provider before starting therapy. Another drug, raloxifene (Evista) is now used to treat osteoporosis, also blocks the effects of estrogen and appear to prevent breast cancer. Preliminary studies have shown that both tamoxifen and raloxifene were able to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer, but raloxifene does not have this protective effect against invasive cancer. Studies are underway to better characterize the efficacy and indications for the use of raloxifene as a preventive medication for breast cancer.

Sometimes, a woman of very high risk of developing breast cancer choose to undergo preventive or prophylactic mastectomy to avoid developing breast cancer. Moreover, removal of the ovaries reduces the risk of developing breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 mutation and who have their ovaries surgically removed before reaching the age of 40 years.