Breast cancer risks
Breast cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the breast. It occurs in both men and women. Although male breast cancer is rare, more than 2,000 cases are estimated in 2007. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women other than skin cancer.

No one knows the exact causes of breast cancer. Research has shown that women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop breast cancer. It is clear that early detection of breast cancer through regular Breast Self-Exams, scheduled mammograms and clinical breast exams could greatly reduce the seriousness of breast cancer. Below are risk factors for breast cancer.

• Age
  The chance of getting breast cancer increases as you get older. If you are over age 60, you are at greatest risk. If you have not yet gone through menopause, your risk of breast cancer is lower than for women who have gone through menopause.

  Reduce the risk: Talk to your doctor about screening. A yearly mammogram is recommended for all women over the age 40. If you are at high risk, your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screenings. Call 317-962-3580 to schedule a mammogram in the next seven business days. To schedule a mammogram at Clarian North Medical Center, please call 317-688-3158.

• Personal history of breast cancer
  If you have had breast cancer in one breast, or have been diagnosed with ovarian, colon or endometrial cancer, you have an increased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

  Reduce the risk: Follow your doctor’s recommendations for follow-up visits.

• Family history of breast cancer
  If your mother, sister, or daughter has had breast cancer (especially before age 40), your risk is higher. Having other relatives with breast cancer (on either your mother’s side or your father’s side) may increase your risk.

  Reduce the risk: Talk to your doctor about screening. A yearly mammogram is recommended for all women over the age 40. If you are at high risk, your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screenings. Call 317-962-3580 to schedule a mammogram in the next seven business days. To schedule a mammorgram at Clarian North Medical Center, please call 317-688-3158.

• Certain breast changes
  Breast changes occur in almost all women. You might notice different kinds of breast changes at different times of your life. Most of these changes are not cancer. However, some changes may be signs of cancer.

  Reduce the risk:
  Women should perform monthly Breast Self-Exams to check for any changes. See your doctor about a breast change when you have:

  • A lump in or near your breast or under your arm
  • Thick or firm tissue in or near your breast, or under your arm
  • Nipple discharge or tenderness
  • A nipple pulled back (inverted) into the breast
  • Itching or skin changes such as redness, scales, dimples or puckers
  • A change in breast size or shape

  Note: Breast Self-Exams are not a substitute for mammograms and clinical breast exams.

• Genetic alterations
  Approximately 5 to 10 percent of American women who get breast cancer each year have a hereditary form of the disease. You are at increased risk for this form of the disease:

  • If your family has a history of multiple cases of breast cancer
  • If your family has a history of cases of both breast and ovarian cancer
  • If you have one or more family members with two primary cancers at different sites

  Reduce the risk:

  • You can consider genetic testing. It’s important to think about the advantages and disadvantages of testing.
  • You may choose to be monitored more closely for any sign of cancer. This may include more frequent mammograms, breast exams by your doctor, Breast Self-Exams and an ultrasound exam of the ovaries.
  • You may choose to join a research study that is looking at ways to reduce cancer risk. This may entail changing your diet, reducing the amount of alcohol you drink or trying new drugs to reduce the risk of cancer.

  
  
• Menstrual history
  If you began to menstruate early (before age 12), you are at increased risk. If you went through menopause late (after age 55), you are at increased risk.

  Reduce the risk: Talk to your doctor about screening. A yearly mammogram is recommended for all women over the age 40. If you are at high risk, your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screenings. Call 317-962-3580 to schedule a mammogram in the next seven business days. To schedule a mammogram at Clarian North Medical Center, please call 317-688-3158.

• Breast density
  If you are an older woman who has dense (not fatty) tissue on a mammogram, you are at increased risk. Research has shown that women age 45 or older who have at least 75 percent dense tissue on a mammogram are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. Scientists do not completely understand the reasons for this.

  Reduce the risk: Talk to your doctor about screening. A yearly mammogram is recommended for all women over the age 40. If you are at high risk, your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screenings. Call 317-962-3580 to schedule a mammogram in the next seven business days. To schedule a mammogram at Clarian North Medical Center, please call 317-688-3158.

• DES (diethylstilbestrol)
  DES is a synthetic form of estrogen that was given to some pregnant women in the United States between about 1940 and 1971. It is no longer given to pregnant women. If you took DES during pregnancy, you have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. This does not appear to be the case for the daughters exposed to DES when their mothers were pregnant. However, as those daughters grow older, more studies of breast cancer risk are needed.

  Reduce the risk: Follow your doctor’s recommendations for screening and follow up. If your daughter was exposed to DES because you received it when you were pregnant, she also should follow the doctor’s screening guidelines. More studies are needed to see if DES will affect the breast cancer risk for children of women who took it.

• Reproductive history
  The older you were when you had your first child, the greater your risk of developing breast cancer. If you have never had children, you also are at increased risk.

  Reduce the risk: Talk to your doctor about screening. A yearly mammogram is recommended for all women over the age 40. If you are at high risk, your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screenings. Call 317-962-3580 to schedule a mammogram in the next seven business days. To schedule a mammogram at Clarian North Medical Center, please call 317-688-3158.

• Hormone use
  If you have used menopausal hormones (also called hormone replacement therapy or HRT)—either estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestin—for five or more years after menopause, you may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

  Here are the basic facts about menopausal hormone use. They are based on the results of a large clinical trial, called the Women’s Health Initiative:

  • Estrogen plus progestin (combined therapy) increases the risk of breast cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, and blood clots.
  • Women over age 65 who took the combined therapy doubled their risk of developing dementia.
  • There were fewer cases of hip fractures and colon cancer among women who used the combined therapy.

  Reduce the risk: If you are using menopausal hormones (also called hormone replacement therapy), you should talk to your health care provider about whether the advantages of continuing to use them outweigh the disadvantages in your case. Every woman is different.

• Obesity after menopause
  Weight gain after menopause, especially after natural menopause and/or after age 60, is linked to increased breast cancer risk.

  Reduce the risk: Exercising four or more hours a week may decrease hormone levels and help lower breast cancer risk. The effect of exercise on breast cancer risk is stronger in younger women of normal or low weight. Care should be taken to exercise safely, as physicial activity carries the risk of injury to bones and muscles.

• Physical inactivity
  There is a strong correlation between lack of physical activity and obesity. A recent study from the Women’s Health Initiative found that physical activity among postmenopausal women who walked about 30 minutes per day was associated with a 20 percent reduction of breast cancer risk. However, this reduction in risk was greatest among women who were of normal weight. For these women, physical activity was associated with a 37 percent decrease in risk. The protective effect of physical activity was not found among overweight or obese women.

  Reduce the risk: You may want to consider increasing your physical activity for its overall health benefits. Talk to your doctor.

• Alcoholic beverages
  Having two or more drinks each day increases your risk of getting breast cancer by about 25 percent. (A drink is defined as 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.)

  Reduce the risk: Monitor your consumption of alcoholic beverages. You may want to talk to your doctor about cutting down on alcoholic beverages.

*Information provided by The National Cancer Institute and The American Cancer Society.

Visit the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center Website.